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As the fall semester began Monday for most of Oregon’s public colleges and universities, the Oregon Institute of Technology made an announcement to benefit Native Americans across the country.
All members of federally recognized Native American tribes, regardless of where they live, will be eligible for in-state tuition at the university beginning this week, OIT announced. Oregon Tech’s announcement follows four other schools in the state that have passed the decision — Portland State University, Oregon State University, Southern Oregon University and Western Oregon University.
Native American students who qualify for out-of-state tuition can save up to $10,000 based on the number of credits they take and their major, according to OIT.
“Oregon Tech is enriched by tribal culture and heritage and the tribal lands on which our campuses reside,” OIT President Nagi Naganathan said in a statement Monday. “We are honored that so many Native American students call Oregon Tech their educational home, and we are pleased to offer more affordable opportunities to attend Oregon Tech for out-of-state tribal students enrolled as members of a federally recognized Native American tribe.”
Four other universities in Oregon announced tuition rates for in-state Native American students over the summer after most application and registration deadlines had passed. For that matter, it is not yet clear how the new policies will affect the enrollment of out-of-state Native American students. But some universities say the program is gaining traction.
“We are excited to share that there is interest in us [Native American Tuition program]Especially given how recently we’ve made the announcement, Paula Baldwin, interim director of marketing at Western Oregon University, told OPB.
Baldwin said WOU has eight prospective students who have applied to be members of federally recognized tribes — four from Oregon and four from out of state.
Baldwin said, “In We are very early in our recruiting process for fall 2023, and we expect both numbers to increase,” said Baldwin.
According to Portland State, there was a “significant uptick” in inquiries this fall, but the university says most students made college decisions long before PSU’s new policy was announced, so the real measure will be next fall.
Southern Oregon University contacted about 70 current students who are Americanized to inform them about in-state pricing and to see if they qualify. The university said it has three in-state eligible incoming students and has a few more eligible students who could enroll.
These individual announcements are separate from the state’s new Oregon Tribal Student Grant program. That statewide program covers tuition and living expenses for Oregonians who are members of one of the state’s nine federally-recognized tribes.
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