EUGENE–In a heightened effort to recruit and retain Oregon’s best and the brightest students, the University of Oregon is rewarding their academic achievement with a new scholarship program.

Under the new Dean’s Scholarships program, entering freshmen from Oregon who have a 3.6 or higher grade point average (GPA) automatically will receive scholarships worth $1,000 per year. Oregon high school valedictorians and students who graduate with a 4.0 or better GPA will receive $2,000 per year. The UO also will award scholarships on a sliding scale to entering nonresident students with high GPAs.

The new scholarships, renewable up to four years as long as the recipient maintains a minimum 3.25 GPA and progress toward a degree, could be worth as much as $4,000 to $8,000.

The new Dean’s Scholarships program is part of the Freshman Scholarship Initiative 1999. The initiative is one outcome of the UO’s comprehensive and ongoing Process for Change effort, as well as the success of The Oregon Campaign.

"We did some research last summer that reinforced the major role that scholarships play in a student’s decision about which university to attend. It was clear we needed to get more competitive in that area," says UO Admissions Director Martha Pitts. "We believe these new scholarships will help us attract even more of Oregon’s top-notch students, many of whom were choosing out-of-state universities."

"This program will raise the bar of excellence at the UO and that will enhance the educational experience of all our students," says Pitts.

Students eligible for Dean’s Scholarships also are invited to apply and compete for general university and presidential scholarships that may be valued at more than $4,000 per year.

Annual tuition at the UO is currently $3,771 for resident and $12,555 for nonresident students.

The university expects to award up to $ 2 million in the first year of the new scholarship program, which was made possible in large part due to the success of The Oregon Campaign. The university’s soon-to-be-completed capital campaign is the largest in the history of the state and raised more than $250 million.

"Support for students and guaranteeing access to a quality education has been a top priority of our Oregon Campaign," says Duncan McDonald, UO vice president for public affairs and development. "The response from donors to this call resulted in our more than tripling our available scholarship aid."

The Freshman Scholarship Initiative also includes funding for the recruitment of National Merit scholars; annual $4,000 U-Lane-O scholarships that are awarded based on academic merit, financial need and community involvement; as well as a number of small scholarships that recognize students in a variety of areas.

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