Chemeketa Scholars FAQs

Our district includes most of Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties, and part of Linn County. If your permanent residence is located within the boundaries of Chemeketa's district or if you attend high school within the district boundaries, you are eligible for the scholarship. If you’re not sure, you can contact your county’s elections office to verify.

See Chemeketa Scholars important dates. Applications submitted before the application period will be returned to you. Late and incomplete applications will not be considered.

No, you must submit all application materials online. If you are unable to do this, contact us.

• The scholarship pays full tuition for up to two years. Fees, books and other miscellaneous expenses are not covered.
• The scholarship funds are applied before the start of each term, as long as you are registered for classes.

Yes, technical certificate and associate degree programs are eligible.

Applicants must:

• Be graduating with a regular diploma from a high school within Chemeketa's district or
  Be residing permanently within our district (if attending a high school outside our district)
  or
  Be receiving a home-school diploma (while residing permanently within our district)
• High school students must have a cumulative, unweighted GPA of 3.50 or better as of Quarter 2 (first semester) or first trimester grades of final year in high school
• Homeschool students must have the required minimum ACT or SAT test scores and minimum placement into Writing 115 and Math 095
• Enroll at Chemeketa in fall term immediately following your high school diploma completion
• Enroll full-time at Chemeketa with a minimum of 12 credits

Yes, as long as your permanent residence is within Chemeketa's district and you earn the minimum ACT or SAT test scores, as well as the minimum placement. Your homeschool status must also be registered with the Willamette Education Service District. You should have a WESD Home School Student Confirmation letter. 

You can request a "verification" letter from the WESD confirming that you are a registered home-school student. For more information, contact the WESD Home School program at 503.385.4623

Yes, seniors graduating a semester early and juniors graduating a year early are all eligible. Your cumulative, unweighted GPA must be 3.50 or better as of Quarter 2 (first semester) or first trimester of your final year in high school. If your high school transcript indicates a graduation year other than the current year, provide a letter from your school indicating that you are graduating this year.

Yes, as long as your high school transcript shows a cumulative, unweighted GPA is 3.50 or better.

No, only students receiving a regular high school (or home school) diploma are eligible

Yes, as long as you can verify that your permanent residence is within the boundaries of Chemeketa's district. If you’re unsure, contact your county’s elections office. You also must have a cumulative, unweighted GPA of 3.50 or better (as of your first semester/quarter grades from your final year of high school).

Yes, newly discharged military personnel are eligible as long as the following criteria are met:

• Graduated from a high school within Chemeketa’s district
• Graduated with a cumulative, unweighted GPA of 3.50 or better
• Joined the military within three months of graduating from high school
• Enroll at Chemeketa within six months of military discharge

Yes, you must submit a complete Chemeketa Scholars application packet during the Scholars application period in order to confirm your eligibility as a Chemeketa Scholar. In addition to your application packet, please submit a letter that includes the dates of your training and your anticipated return.

If you have it, please also supply your military orders that would include this information or a letter from your military liaison explaining your assignment. The Chemeketa Scholars committee will review this and will respond with a letter explaining your steps for when you return from training in order to start receiving your scholarship.

No, this scholarship award is intended for students who reside permanently in the US and within our district only.

A minimum 3.50 GPA is required to qualify for the scholarship. No exceptions will be granted and no appeals can be made for decisions regarding ineligibility due to grade point average.

A 3.495 to 3.499 GPA will be rounded up to 3.50 and qualify for the scholarship.

A 3.49 GPA, however, does not meet the minimum requirement.

No, your GPA must be at least 3.50, unweighted

High school students are not required to complete Chemeketa's placement for Scholars eligibility, but must complete it prior to advising and class registration. Homeschool students must complete Chemeketa's placement and place into Writing 115 and Math 095 or higher for Scholars eligibility.

No, you do not have to qualify for federal financial aid in order to be considered for Chemeketa Scholars. However, we still encourage you to apply for financial aid.

The Chemeketa Scholars scholarship begins the fall term immediately following high school graduation or diploma completion. Enrolling in courses at Chemeketa prior to fall term will not affect your Chemeketa Scholars eligibility. You will be responsible for paying tuition, fees, etc. for classes taken prior to fall term.

Yes, the scholarship will pay up to a maximum of 18 credits each term, including the summer term between your first and second year.

Yes, Chemeketa offers classes at a variety of locations and learning modalities. You may take your classes at locations convenient for you, including online, remote, and hybrid.

You must earn a total of 36 credits by the end of spring term of the first year. If 12 credits are not completed during a term, the remaining credits must be made up before the end of spring term. For example, if you register for 12 credits during winter term, but drop a class and only complete nine credits, you would need to take 15 credits during spring term to make up those three credits in order to have a total of 36 credits by the end of the academic year.

Grades are checked at the end of spring term to verify that a cumulative 3.25 GPA has been maintained to determine eligibility for the following year.

Yes, college policy allows for a course to be repeated and that only the latest attempt with the highest grade will be included in your cumulative GPA. All attempted courses and grades will still show on your Chemeketa transcript, but the excluded courses will be marked as excluded and no longer count toward your GPA. If you repeat a course your record will be automatically assessed after final grades for a term have been collected. Please note: repeat rules may differ for classes that can be repeated for additional credit and it is recommended to consult with your advisor about how repeating a course may impact your academic record.