This program assists adult members of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde while attending post-secondary schooling, generally on a part-time basis, at accredited colleges and universities. Participating students can be pursuing associates, bachelors or graduate-level degrees, or simply taking coursework for their own enrichment.
The goal of the program is to assist tribal members with the direct financial costs associated with acquiring higher education – thereby providing the opportunity for personal and professional development that leads to self-sufficiency, economic independence, and life-long learning.
Through direct payments to colleges and universities, the Part-time College (PTC) program supports participants with payment of tuition, fees, textbooks and required supplies. Qualified applicants in the PTC program are eligible for funding not to exceed $1,000.00 for undergraduate students at a two year college, $1,500 for undergraduate students at a four year college, and $2,000.00 for graduate students, funding amount is per term/quarter. Students in schools operating on a semester system are eligible for funding not to exceed $2,000.00 per 6 months for undergraduate and $4,000.00 for graduates.
The Part-Time College program will not duplicate funding the student receives from other sources, such as: financial aid, tribal scholarship, tribal vocational rehabilitation assistance, etc. (Example; A student takes courses through a community college that totals $500.00 for the term. The Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation program awards the student $300.00 towards the costs of tuition and books. The student would then be eligible to receive only $200.00 through the Part Time College Program.
There are no residency or income restrictions on eligibility. Over the past year the PTC program has served an average of 115 tribal members per school term, ranging in age from 18 to 61 and living in 22 different states and 2 foreign countries. The program historically has a student success rate between 85% and 88% each term, with successful completion rates of 86.6% and 89.1% in the two most recent terms.
The initial PTC application must be completed and submitted to the Education Division at least ten (10) days prior to the start of the school term when first entering the program. For subsequent terms of enrollment a new application does not need to be completed; students can contact the PTC program specialist by phone or email to make arrangements for continuing in the program after the first term of participation.
Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress by achieving a minimum grade of a C, per course or equivalent as defined by the educational intuition. If a student does not meet the academic requirements they are required to reimburse the Education Division for all cost associated with the course.
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For more information on the PTC program or to have an application sent to you contact John Harp at 1-800-422-0232, x4591 or by email at john.harp@grandronde.org.