Gather ‘Round the Campfire: OSAC Update OASFAA Annual Conference - February 2016

Office of Student Access & Completion An office of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission that is solely dedicated to helping students access higher education. Serving Oregonians since 1959 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ For , provided nearly $73 million in state grants and private scholarships to help 39,658 students finance their educational goals. ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ Programs supported by 30 staff members

ASPIRE and Outreach College Goal Oregon & FAFSA Plus+ Oregon Opportunity Grant Other State & Federal Programs OSAC Scholarships Program OSAC Programs Oregon Promise

Key Budget Items Programs Budget Oregon Opportunity Grants $140.9M (23.6% increase) Oregon Promise $10M (new) ASPIRE and Outreach $2.65M (incl. $732K for Outreach in ) IT System Upgrade $1 M (incl. $250K for OOG systems development)

– What’s New?  OOG Redesign (HB 2407) – Prioritizes Oregon Opportunity Grants based on financial need.  Oregon Promise (SB 81) – Establishes Oregon Promise tuition grant for new high school completers in 2016, including undocumented Oregon residents.  Expanded OOG Eligibility (SB 932) – Extends eligibility for state grants to undocumented students who are Oregon residents.

Oregon Student Aid Application (ORSAA)  Approved alternative need analysis process for OOG and Oregon Promise applicants  Hosted on Access Group website  Links via Oregon Promise and OOG webpages.  Filtering questions to help students determine which form (FAFSA or ORSAA) is for them.  Fees waived for Oregon students who list only ORSAA schools

ORSAA Issues  Oregon & Washington use NeedAccess as FAFSA alternative; schools use for graduate programs.  ORSAA or FAFSA or both? –  EFC needed for OOG calculation.  FAFSA reject codes insufficient for identifying records of DACA or other undocumented students.  OSAC pays $28 fee for ORSAA completers  ORSAA prefixes in school list  OSAC to provide ORSAA data to schools

Oregon Promise  First available for  Must be Oregon resident for at least 12 months prior to enrolling at an Oregon CC.  Apply by March 1 – i.e., submit Oregon Promise application, file FAFSA /ORSAA and transcripts.  High school GPA 2.5+; GED scores of 145 on each test.  Enroll within 6 months of completing high school or GED.

Oregon Opportunity Grant & Federal/State Programs

Oregon Opportunity Grant Statistics to * ( YTD ) * FAFSAs Processed 294, ,290357,240 Viable FAFSAs 154, ,335191,377 Eligible Applicants 112, ,815145,909 Authorized Awards 61,600 56,664 56,378 Late Applicants 67,522 94,570110,579 % Elig v. Recipients ≈31% 27.1%23.5% Recipients (Fall) 36,525 36,30534,329 Total $$ Disbursed $23.7M $57.3M$54.9M

Oregon Opportunity Grant for ► Continuing Policies from  Accept dependency overrides for eligible applicants.  Relax half-time fall enrollment restriction.  Consider fall enrollment waiver requests for students unable to attend in fall due to circumstances beyond their control – e.g., critical illness, military service, fall-only internship.  Make more new awards to on-time applicants who resolved FAFSA errors through new dates.

Oregon Opportunity Grant for ► Deadline/Cutoff = extended to March 14 (4-year schools) and March 21 (community colleges) ► Flat award amounts continue Awards increased to $2100 for all students. ► Most policies continue No PJs; disbursement deadline is final day of reporting period (i.e., report disbursements to OSAC on or before end of reporting period). ► Reporting extended for new December awards

Prioritized OOG for Foster Youth Statistics for OOG awards for foster youth prioritized all year.  Total eligible current/former foster youth = 822  Community colleges = 649  Public universities = 153  4-year Private Independents = 20  OOG Recipients (applied & enrolled fall term) = 274  Community colleges = 191  Public universities = 78  4-year Private Independents = 5

Oregon Opportunity Grant for ► Maximum award amount = $2100 or higher ► No Initial Deadline The state deadlines section of the FAFSA says “apply as soon as possible after January 1.” ► OOG awards prioritized by financial need, starting with $0 EFCs, until funds are exhausted.

More Government Programs Chafee Education & Training Grant (federal) – Transition support for foster youth. In 14-15, $505,159 went to 185 students. For to-date, $539,421 going to 227 students. Scholarships for Children of Deceased or Disabled Public Safety Officers (state) – Up to full tuition & fees at public institution. In 14-15, 9 received $59,195. In expecting to pay $78,191 to 10 students. Oregon Student Childcare Grant (state) For 14-15, 82 students to received $478,671. For 15-16, expecting to pay $458,035 to 85 students. Amounts vary depending on ages and number of children needing care.

Deadlines for Chafee and Childcare Grants Chafee – Annual awards up to $3500. Separate application on OSAC website. Multiple deadlines:  Fall deadline = August 1, 2015  Winter deadline = November 1, 2015  Spring deadline = February 1, 2016  Summer deadline = May 1, 2016 Childcare Grants – separate application required (on OSAC website). Deadline is May 31, 2016

More State Programs JOBS PLUS Individual Educ. Account (state) – $1/ hour worked in subsidized job paid to Individual Education Accounts for TANF clients. In 14-15, $22,685 paid to 52 clients. In 15-16, 25 awarded so far. Oregon Youth Conservation Corps (state) – OYCC members earn scholarship vouchers totaling $20,000 to $50,000. In 14-15, 25 students received $22,031. In 15-16, 18 students awarded $4372 so far. Barber and Hairdresser Grant (state) Grants based on interest earnings, vary from current low of $225 to maximum of $1000 per participant.

Access to Student assistance Programs In Reach of Everyone

Four ASPIRE Programs Traditional ASPIRE Mentoring at a site serving high school students eASPIRE Mentoring online serving high school students Getting Ready to ASPIRE Mentoring a site serving middle school students ASPIRE College Pilot Mentoring at a site serving college students

ASPIRE College Pilot Three-year grant from Oregon Community Foundation to expand ASPIRE to colleges. Train students to provide specialized mentoring, advising, and resources to students interested in health careers who are from rural or underserved communities. Year 1 established pilot with Tillamook Bay CC, Lane CC, and University of Oregon Year 2 pilot continues Year 3 will add one more school

Outreach - College Goal Oregon  Free statewide events now held year-round.  47 sites throughout Oregon hosting 84 events, many in January and February.  Help students and their parents …  Complete the FAFSA (or ORSAA)  Get financial aid information  Learn about the OSAC Scholarship Application and how to search for scholarships

Outreach – FAFSA Plus+ OSAC conducts student-level data matches with high schools, colleges, tribes, other eligible groups. Sites…  Help students complete and submit FAFSAs, identify & correct errors on existing FAFSAs.  Notify students selected for verification.  Initial pilot at 4 high schools in spring 2014  Current participation:  103 sites have signed agreements.  29 sites have pending agreements.

More than 500 scholarship funds available Private Scholarship Program

► OSAC administers more than 500 private scholarship funds. ► More than $17 million in private scholarships were awarded to nearly 2,900 students. (Average ≈ $4500) ► OSAC added 33 new scholarships to its portfolio of private scholarships. ► OSAC’s online Scholarship Catalog lists eligibility criteria and other details (GPA, enrollment, FAFSA requirements, additional essays, etc.). Applicants can use filters to search online or print entire document. OSAC Scholarships – One of two state agencies in the U.S. that provide centralized scholarship services

Scholarship Application Deadlines Early Bird = February 15, 2016 (5 p.m.)  Students who submit a complete, error-free application by the deadline receive an early application review and a chance to win a $500 OSAC Early Bird scholarship.  Early Bird sponsors are ECMC and The Ford Family Foundation. Final Deadline = March 1, 2016 (5 p.m.)  Submit all materials to OSAC by deadline.  In the event that a Scholarship Application deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline will automatically be extended to 5:00 p.m. (PST) of the following business day.

What’s Coming? 2016 Proposed Legislation

Selected 2016 Bills Introduced  HB 4019 – HECC Cleanup  HB 4021 – Treasurer, OSAC and HECC to assess viability of establishing a student loan refinancing program for borrowers residing in Oregon.  HB 4054, SB 1592 – Increase minimum wage (affects calculations for Oregon Opportunity Grant awards).  HB 4069 – Income tax credit for student loan interest.  HB 4076 – Support services to help students be successful in Oregon Promise.

Selected 2016 Bills Introduced  SB 1526 – Additional funds for workforce training, etc.  SB 1537 – “Post-graduate scholar” program where school districts pay for CC courses for certain students who don’t qualify for Oregon Promise due to GPA or because funds for Oregon Promise run out.  SB 1540 – Evaluate providing tuition waiver for students pursuing math-related degrees at community colleges and public universities.  SJR 203 – Create State Board of Education

What’s Next?

OSAC Advocates for All Students

Thank You! Bob Brew, Executive Director (541) Vic Nunenkamp, Chief Operating Officer (541) Susan Degen, State Grants & Government Affairs (541) Holly Willeford, Scholarship Program Administrator (541)