Budget Advocacy
Oregon’s state budget has direct impacts on the affordability of higher education. State funding for colleges and universities is a key factor that administrators consider when they are setting tuition levels. Our budget advocacy prioritizes strong state investments in college and university institutional support funds and need-based financial aid programs.
In 1993, the average Oregon student graduated with $9,250 in student loan debt. Today, that average has risen to $37,900, as students need to take on more debt in order to pay for their increased educational costs.
Increases in tuition and the increase in student debt over the past couple of decades have been due to a trend of decreasing funding from the state. This trend needs to end, and the only way to begin to reverse this is by demanding that the state of Oregon reinvest in higher education.
Our Budget Priorities
Institutional Support Funds
The Public University Support Fund (PUSF) and Community College Support Fund (CCSF) provide critical funding and support to Oregon’s colleges and universities. This state support helps maintain current campus services and relieves tuition pressures on students.
Need-Based Financial Aid
The Oregon Opportunity Grant (OOG) and the Oregon Tribal Student Grant (OTSG) are Oregon’s largest need-based financial aid programs. Increased investment in student aid grant programs has a demonstrable connection to educational attainment.
Public University Support Fund (PUSF)
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The Public University Support Fund (PUSF) is the primary fund for state support of operational expenses at Oregon’s seven public universities.
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Strong investments in the PUSF ensures Oregon’s public universities can continue to provide important programs and wraparound services and prevent tuition increases. State investments are critical to meeting the growing needs of our increasingly diverse student bodies.
Community College Support Fund (CCSF)
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The Community College Support Fund (CCSF) is the primary source of state funding supporting educational and operational expenses at Oregon’s 17 community colleges.
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Community colleges serve students at all education and skill levels, educating students with the greatest barriers to attaining post-secondary education and training. Strong investments in the CCSF ensures Oregon’s community colleges can continue to provide important programs and wraparound services and prevent tuition increases.
Oregon Opportunity Grant (OOG)
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The Oregon Opportunity Grant (OOG) is Oregon's largest state-funded, need-based grant program for low-income college students.
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The OOG is available to eligible students attending Oregon colleges and universities for up to four years at full-time enrollment and currently provides financial support to more than 60,000 students a year.
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In addition to supporting students from the lowest income families, the program disproportionately serves students in some of the most marginalized groups in education: historically underserved racial/ethnic groups, women, rural, and first-generation-college students.
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Funding for student aid has failed to keep pace with the soaring costs of food and housing across Oregon. OOG recipients show strong progress through college and university, compared to other low-income students.
Oregon Tribal Student Grant (OTSG)
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The Oregon Tribal Student Grant (OTSG) was created in 2021 and pays the cost of attendance for enrolled members of Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes.
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As of January 19th, 2023, 535 students have been authorized to receive grant funds. This will undoubtedly change the lives of these students, and is something the state should be incredibly proud of.
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According to data from the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, only 45% of Native American students who enroll in a public university complete a bachelor’s degree within six years. That compares to 68% of all students statewide in Oregon.
Native American students in Oregon enroll in college and university less, have greater levels of financial need, and take longer to complete than the median college or university student. The Oregon Tribal Student Grant is a significant attempt to close these gaps and improve the wage and career prospects of tribal learners.
