Oklahoma Heroes Promise Scholarship for Children of Service Members Killed in the Line of Duty

Heroes Promise is a door into Oklahoma's Promise, the state's income-tested tuition scholarship, that waives the income test and the high school course requirements. Who qualifies. Title 70, section 2603, subsection B: a child "of any person killed after January 1, 2000, in the line of duty in any branch of the United States Armed Forces or who died after January 1, 2000, as a result of an injury sustained while in the line of duty", where the parent "filed an individual or joint Oklahoma income tax return for the tax year prior to the year during which the person was killed or died". The child must live in Oklahoma, enrol in a state system institution before age 21, meet ordinary admission standards and sign the program agreement. What it pays. An amount equal to resident tuition at a public college or university, part of tuition at an accredited private one, or technology center courses that count toward an associate in applied science degree, for up to five years or until a bachelor's degree. The State Regents say it began on July 1, 2011 under House Bill 1343. Two things to notice. The tax return condition, not residence or home of record, is what ties the fallen parent to Oklahoma, so a family who moved here after the death may still qualify if the parent filed in Oklahoma the year before. And section 2603 is printed in two versions from two 2025 acts; subsection B reads the same in both. From November 1, 2026 the separate Gold Star tuition waiver covers the spouse and children with no age limit; see that entry.