See what Southern Oregon (SOU)'s published rules mean for your student's numbers. Takes 30 seconds.
The merit-aid verdict at Southern Oregon (SOU)
SOU awards automatic, GPA-only (test-optional) merit scholarships on a published 2026-2027 grid that pays non-residents far more ($8,000–$12,000/yr) than Oregon residents ($1,000–$5,000/yr), on top of the ~$13,000 WUE tuition discount.
Rules that bite at Southern Oregon (SOU)
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Southern Oregon (SOU)'s own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalFirst Year Merit Scholarships grid (Raider Scholar, Laurels, Churchill, Siskiyou) — by residency: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable if recipient maintains full-time status AND good academic standing. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Southern Oregon (SOU)
Non-resident awards ($8,000–$12,000/yr) are roughly double the Oregon-resident awards ($1,000–$5,000/yr) at the same GPA — and 16 WUE states also receive the WUE tuition rate worth almost $13,000/yr.
Automatic merit consideration requires applying by the February 1 priority date; later applicants are considered only if funding remains.
Merit consideration is for fall term starts only and does not apply to resident-by-exception populations including American Samoa and the North State Promise program.
These scholarships are renewable only if you maintain full-time status AND good academic standing.
More than 80 additional scholarships are awarded only through the Southern Oregon Scholarship Application, which has an extended March 15 deadline and requires being admitted first.
Who this school is for
GPA-strong first-years applying by February 1 — out-of-state students benefit most (large non-resident awards plus, for the 16 WUE states, the WUE tuition rate). Test scores are not required.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $36,838 for 2026-2027. Source
Federal cost and outcome data
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Southern Oregon (SOU), what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
Average annual net price by family income at Southern Oregon (SOU), academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family income
Average net price paid
$0–$30,000
$11,830
$30,001–$48,000
$12,466
$48,001–$75,000
$15,813
$75,001–$110,000
$22,415
$110,001+
$24,181
All income levels (average)
$16,732
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$12,762
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$31,887
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$16,732
That works out to roughly a 39% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $27,636 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).
Southern Oregon (SOU) is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.
Outcomes for students who enrolled here
Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
43%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
68%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$20,332 (~$216/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$49,175
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
37%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
45%
Institutional merit aid tiers
Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.
$1,000-$12,000
First Year Merit Scholarships grid (Raider Scholar, Laurels, Churchill, Siskiyou) — by residency
AutomaticRenewable
GPA
3.00+ (Oregon) up to 3.95+ for top tier; thresholds differ slightly by residency
SAT
Not required (test-optional)
ACT
Not required (test-optional)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Automatically considered if admitted by February 1 priority date; fall term starts only; not for resident-by-exception populations (American Samoa, North State Promise)
Renewal terms
Renewable if recipient maintains full-time status AND good academic standing.
Notes
GPA-only, automatic. Awards differ sharply by residency. Raider Scholar (3.95+): OR $5,000 / WUE $3,000 / Non-res $12,000. Laurels (3.75-3.949): OR $3,000 / WUE $2,000 / Non-res $10,000. Churchill: OR (3.5-3.749) $2,000 / WUE (3.25-3.749) $1,000 / Non-res (3.25-3.749) $8,000. Siskiyou (3.00-3.499): OR $1,000 / WUE n/a / Non-res n/a.
Outside scholarships reduce loans and/or work-study first; institutional grants are only reduced if required to prevent an over-award.
Verified policy language (2026-07-02): Because the combination of these resources, your other financial aid typically cannot exceed the amount of your cost of attendance, otherwise your financial aid may be reduced (most often your loans but sometimes institutional funds if there is a large excess).
Apply for fall admission by the February 1 priority date for automatic merit consideration. The Southern Oregon Scholarship Application (SOSA) deadline is extended to March 15.
Does SOU require test scores for merit scholarships?
No. The 2026-2027 first-year merit grid is based on minimum GPA only.
How much are the awards for out-of-state students?
Non-resident awards range from $8,000/yr (Churchill) to $12,000/yr (Raider Scholar, 3.95+ GPA). Oregon residents receive $1,000–$5,000/yr and WUE-state residents $1,000–$3,000/yr.
How do I keep my scholarship?
Maintain full-time status and good academic standing.
What is the WUE rate?
Residents of the 16 participating Western Undergraduate Exchange states automatically receive the WUE tuition rate upon admission — a savings of almost $13,000 per year — separate from the merit scholarship.
How Southern Oregon (SOU) compares across our verified dataset
147 of 750 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.
Southern Oregon (SOU) is in a recognizable cluster (147 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
668 of 750 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Southern Oregon (SOU) is one of them. The cohort minority (82 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against Southern Oregon (SOU)’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
