#need-based-grants

#need-based-grants

Oregon officials are considering scrapping the state's promise program and investing the savings in need-based aid instead, arguing free college has failed to boost enrollments. An early proposal by the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission staff recommends sunsetting the decade-old Oregon Promise Grant, Oregon Public Broadcasting first reported. The program covers tuition costs for recent high school or GED graduates at the state's 17 community colleges, after federal and state financial aid are applied.

States awarded $18.6 billion in aid to students during the 2023-24 academic year, a 12 percent increase from the previous academic year, according to the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs' annual report.