Salem, Oregon – For a young person who has spent months without stable housing, a college acceptance letter can arrive with a second, harder question: How will the bill be paid?
Oregon has an answer for some of those students. A state program can erase remaining tuition and required fees at eligible public colleges and universities, turning higher education from a distant idea into a realistic next step.
The Oregon Department of Human Services’ Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program Tuition and Fee Waiver is open to qualifying students pursuing a two-year or four-year undergraduate degree. The program covers academic-credit tuition, mandatory enrollment charges, one-time fees and course fees after other federal, state and institutional grants and scholarships have been applied.
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That “last resort” structure is important. Students must first use other available grants and scholarships, but certain aid, including loans, the Chafee Education and Training Grant and outside scholarships not designated for tuition, does not reduce the waiver.
“College can feel out of reach for young people who have experienced homelessness, and this program tells them that Oregon knows their future is worth investing in,” said Matthew Rasmussen, manager of the ODHS Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program.
Bell Cambridge, a waiver recipient and member of the program’s Youth Action Board, described it as a chance to build a future that once seemed impossible.
“The tuition and fee waiver program means opportunity,” Cambridge said.
“This program changes that. It grants youth who have been disproportionately disadvantaged a genuine chance to break the cycle.”
Eligibility is specific. Applicants must be under 25 and must have experienced unaccompanied homelessness for at least six months between ages 14 and 24. They also must have received services from an ODHS Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program partner while they were 16 or older.
Students must complete either the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA, or the Oregon Student Aid Application. They must also be in good academic standing and enrolled in at least one undergraduate course credit at an Oregon public university or community college.
There is no application deadline. Program details, frequently asked questions and application materials are available through the ODHS Resources for Youth Experiencing Homelessness webpage. The English application and Spanish application are also available online. Applicants may request help from ODHS staff when completing the process.
The waiver was created through House Bill 4013, passed during Oregon’s 2022 legislative session. Its purpose is simple but consequential: Circumstances that interrupted a young person’s housing should not be allowed to permanently close the door to education.
