Award Overview

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Award Overview

PathwayOregon ensures that academically qualified, federal Pell Grant–eligible Oregonians will have their tuition and fees paid through a combination of federal, state, and university funds.

Pathway Oregon students

As a PathwayOregon student, you will also receive comprehensive academic and personal support:

  • Academic advisors dedicated to your success.
  • Workshops designed to help you pursue your academic goals and explore exciting opportunities, including study abroad.
  • Learning support, including free tutoring.
  • Opportunities to connect with your Pathway Oregon peers.

Selection Criteria

  • Oregon residency
  • Graduation from an Oregon high school in the last two years
  • Admission as a first-time freshmen
  • A minimum 3.40 cumulative high school grade point average on a 4.00 scale
  • Eligible for the Federal Pell Grant

Students who earn less than a 3.40 high school GPA but meet all other program eligibility criteria will be considered for the program on a space and funding available basis.

How to Apply

  • Submit the University of Oregon admission application postmarked by January 15. 
  • Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the federal processor by February 15 (The 2024-25 FAFSA priority deadline is extended to April 1, 2024). List the UO as one of your school choices (Federal School Code 003223).

Learn more about the PathwayOregon team of support and find answers to frequently asked questions.

Image depicting which costs are covered by which funds.

How Tuition and Fees are Covered

The UO promises to cover tuition and fees for all PathwayOregon recipients. These costs are covered through a combination of federal grants, state grants, and university scholarships and you will not have to pay back these grants and scholarships. How it works:

  1. First we build your financial aid package with any federal and state grants, like the Federal Pell Grant and the Oregon Opportunity Grant. 
  2. After these grants are applied, your PathwayOregon financial aid package is completed with UO scholarship funds to ensure your tuition and fees expenses are covered.
  3. Housing and other educational costs are NOT covered by PathwayOregon. Outside scholarships, work-study, or loans will be needed to cover other expenses such as room and board, books, and supplies.

Understanding Your Award

You can better understand your award by going through these three steps:

1) Review your Financial Aid Offer on DuckWeb

2) Identify Grants and Scholarships

Identify the grants and scholarships that will be used to pay your tuition and fees. These make up the PathwayOregon offer:

  • Federal and State Grants:
    • Federal Pell Grant
    • Federal SEOG
    • Oregon Opportunity Grant
  • UO Grants:
    • PathwayOregon
    • UO Tuition Waiver
  • UO Scholarships:
    • Summit
    • Apex
    • Presidential
    • Diversity Excellence
    • Staton
    • Logan
    • General UO Scholarship
    • IB Diploma Scholarship

3) Identify Remaining Resources

Identify remaining resources that can be used to pay for housing, books, and other expenses. Many students rely on outside scholarships, work-study, and loans to cover these costs.

  • Federal Loans:Loans provide funding that you have to pay back after graduation.
    • Federal Direct Subsidized
    • Federal Direct Unsubsidized
    • Federal Direct Parent PLUS
  • Other Scholarships:Scholarships offered by UO academic departments and off-campus providers can generally be used to cover these expenses.
  • Federal Work Study:These funds are only available to students who are hired for a work-study job.

Complete terms and conditions can be found here.

Financial Aid Timeline

Fall 2024 Timeline

Find Additional Funding

Although PathwayOregon covers tuition and fees only, UO also awards a number of other scholarships to qualifying students. Find out more about these funding opportunities by visiting these sites:

Incoming Freshmen

Continuing Students

Also, consider applying for other scholarships through resources like state government agencies, online search engines, and more.

How Do I Keep The Award?

PathwayOregon awards are renewed annually for up to 12 terms of undergraduate study over five years (excluding summer terms). For renewal, recipients must

  • Remain eligible for the Federal Pell Grant 
  • Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year by March 1 (Recommended by January 31).
  • Maintain full-time student status by enrolling in 12 or more credits each term

In some instances it may be appropriate to drop a course during the term.  If in doing so your credit total decreases below 12 credits, your eligibility for aid may be affected.  Before reducing credits, meet with a PathwayOregon advisor about potential financial aid implications. 

Financial Aid Eligibility

To be eligible for financial aid, including PathwayOregon, you must make satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward your degree at the UO. Satisfactory academic progress is reviewed annually at the end of spring term and is met by:

  • Maintaining a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) for undergraduate students 
  • Maintaining an aggregate 67 percent pace of completion

Visit Financial Aid & Scholarships to learn more about satisfactory academic progress.