I’m currently a community college student in California and Oregon State is one of my top picks for when I transfer which will be Fall 2026. My concern is the out of state tuition cost because I don’t think I would be able to afford it without getting WUE and I’ve heard WUE at OSU is very competitive especially for California students. I currently have a 3.3 gpa which is obviously not nearly high enough to get me WUE. Had a bad semester early on but I have straight A’s now in much more rigorous STEM classes (I’m a biology major). If I continue to get straight A’s over the summer and in the fall then I’ll have a 3.6 GPA when I apply and a 3.7 GPA after spring semester. Would a 3.6-3.7 be high enough to get considered for WUE? I know I’d get around $3,000 for the Provost Scholarship if I didn’t get WUE but that wouldn’t be enough.
Transfer funding is very difficult because the schools reserve most of their funding for freshman applicants.
You’re targeting a school that is funded by the Oregon state taxpayers, so their budget is limited to begin with.
When our prospective freshman applied to the Oregon and Washington schools, we were told that they had a finite number of WUE spaces. Those two states know that a large number of California students hope to attend their universities. If you are looking for a full ride, that’s not gonna happen.
I suggest that you look at schools, within the state, that may be somewhat similar to what you’re seeking in Oregon.
Humboldt and Chico come to mind because of the geography. But you should also search private WUE universities in those states.
Ask OSU what is needed to secure WUE funding as a transfer. They would know.