SCHOOLS

WOU offers in-state tuition to federally enrolled Indigenous students

Indigenous students attending Western Oregon University will be eligible for in-state tuition starting this fall, regardless of their state or country of residence.

The university announced Wednesday it will offer the discount to any enrolled member of the 574 federally recognized tribes in the U.S.

The difference in tuition is substantial, with Oregon residents paying $8,730 for tuition in 2022-23, compared with $28,710 for out-of-state residents, according to the university’s website.

“Western Oregon University maintains a commitment to the education of all students and maintains a welcoming campus serving a diverse student body,” says President Jesse Peters in a statement. “Boarding schools and then colleges and universities were built on Native American homelands. The educational system itself was often implemented as a tool used to destroy indigenous languages, communities, and cultures. At Western, we want to provide more access to positive educational choices for citizens of Native Nations.”

The university is Oregon’s oldest public college, headquartered in Monmouth with a satellite campus in downtown Salem.

Last fall, the university enrolled about 4,000 students, 80% of them Oregon residents.

To be eligible for in-state tuition, Indigenous students can submit their tribal identification card or a letter issued by their tribe’s enrollment office to WOU’s admissions office, according to a university news release.

The announcement follows similar announcements this year from Oregon State University, Portland State University and Southern Oregon University, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported.

The change is in addition to a recent state grant program for students from Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes that’s intended to make attending a state university or community college free.

Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.

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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.