Linfield College is hosting a series of campus tours and information sessions for prospective students and their families to celebrate Oregon Private College Week, held July 24-28. Students who register in advance and visit at least four institutions during the week will receive application fee waivers. Students may use these fee waivers to apply to any Alliance member college or university.

On May 31, Governor Kate Brown declared July 24-28, 2017 Oregon Private College Week proclaiming the “indispensable contributions private, nonprofit colleges and universities to Oregon’s communities and to the state’s higher education attainment goals.”

Together, The Alliance’s 11 member colleges and universities offer degrees in more than 260 fields of study, including engineering, business, law, and computer science. Oregon’s private, nonprofit higher education sector enrolls 19 percent of the state’s undergraduate students, awards 23 percent of its undergraduate degrees, and confers one in four of STEM and health baccalaureate degrees earned by students of color.

The majority of undergraduate students (61 percent) enrolled in Alliance member institutions finish their bachelor’s degrees in four years, the highest rate of completion in the state. More than one in four graduate with zero school debt.

During Oregon Private College Week, prospective students and their families are invited to visit, explore, ask questions, learn about academic programs and financial aid, talk to admissions staff, and tour the campuses. College officials will also counter with facts about many commonly-held myths about private higher education:

• Nearly one in three undergraduates at an Alliance member institution receives/is eligible for Federal Pell grants.
• Student loan default rates of students who graduate from one of Oregon’s private, nonprofit colleges are the lowest in the state, and half that of four-year private nonprofit colleges and universities nationwide.
• Ninety-three percent of first time, first year students at private, nonprofit colleges and universities receive financial aid, with an average grant and scholarship award of over $20,000 per year.

Campus visitation sessions will begin on participating campuses at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, July 24-28. For more information about Oregon Private College Week, to view a list of participating colleges or to register,  visit http://www.oregonprivatecolleges.com/.