Oregon Veterans Dependent and Purple Heart Tuition Waiver
A full tuition waiver at Oregon public universities and OHSU for the child or spouse of a veteran rated 100% or killed in service. The age limit for a child rose from 23 to 31 in 2025, and some university pages still print the old number.
Also called: tuition waiver, dependent tuition, ORS 350.285, HB 3920, Purple Heart, age 31, 100 percent, OHSU, Chapter 35, four years.
ORS 350.285 requires Oregon's public universities and Oregon Health and Science University to waive tuition for certain family members of veterans.
Two eligibility routes exist. The first covers a child, spouse, or unremarried surviving spouse of a member of the armed forces who died on active duty, died as a result of a service-connected disability, or is 100 percent disabled as the result of a service-connected disability as certified by VA or any branch. The second covers a child of a Purple Heart recipient who was relieved or discharged with an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions and was awarded the Purple Heart in 2001 or thereafter for wounds received in combat. The Purple Heart route reaches children only, not spouses.
The age limit changed in 2025 and this is where families are being given wrong answers. HB 3920, chaptered as 2025 Oregon Laws chapter 100, raised the age at which a child may apply from 23 to 31. It also allows a master's degree waiver whether or not the student ever received a bachelor's waiver, removes the old requirement to apply for the master's within 12 months of finishing the bachelor's, and allows a master's waiver where the student shows proof of eligibility for federal Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance. As of this writing some Oregon public university pages still state the 23-year limit, and at least one statute mirror site still shows the pre-2025 text. A child between 24 and 31 who was told they are too old should ask the institution to check chapter 100 of the 2025 session laws.
The waiver covers attempted credit hours equal to four years of full-time attendance for a bachelor's degree and two years for a master's, and it is for a first degree at each level.
How other aid interacts is the second thing to get right, and it cuts in the family's favor in one specific way. Tuition waived may be reduced by federal aid scholarships or grants and by institutional aid. It may not be reduced by Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance under 38 U.S.C. chapter 35. So a dependent using Chapter 35 keeps the full state waiver on top of it, which is the most valuable combination available here. A dependent with a large Pell or institutional grant will see the waiver shrink instead, and should talk to financial aid before assuming the two add up.
The waiver covers tuition only. Fees remain the student's responsibility, and it does not apply to study abroad or self-support credits. It is not retroactive: it will not be applied to any term before eligibility is confirmed, so file before the term starts.
The student must be admitted to a degree program and must meet Oregon residency requirements for tuition purposes. A nonresident student cannot use it. A student who used the waiver at another Oregon institution still has to apply again at the new one.
Attempts to widen this benefit have failed recently. HB 3534 in the 2025 session would have extended it to community colleges and apprenticeship programs, added fees and textbooks, and barred any reduction for other student aid. It has no chapter number and did not become law.
ODVA certifies eligibility; reach the education benefits staff at 503-580-9049 or [email protected], then submit the institution's waiver form to its veteran certification office.
Thresholds
Thresholds for Oregon Veterans Dependent and Purple Heart Tuition Waiver
Gate
Rule
The veteran must be at 100%, or have died
The family route requires a service member who died on active duty, died as a result of a service-connected disability, or is 100 percent disabled as the result of a service-connected disability, certified by VA or a branch. This is a certification about the veteran rather than about the student, so the rating filter cannot test it.
Purple Heart route, children only
A child of a Purple Heart recipient awarded the medal in 2001 or later for wounds received in combat qualifies with no rating involved. A spouse cannot use this route.
Student conditions
A child must be 31 or younger when applying, following HB 3920 in 2025, with a master’s waiver available past that age to a student who qualified earlier. The student must be admitted to a degree program and classified as an Oregon resident for tuition purposes.
▲Expands benefitsWould have extended the tuition waiver to community colleges and apprenticeships, with fees and textbooks.
No chapter number and did not become law. It would have reached community colleges and apprenticeship programs, added fees and textbooks, and barred any reduction for other student aid. None of that is available.
▲Expands benefitsRaises the dependent tuition waiver age from 23 to 31 and eases the master's waiver.
Also allows a master's waiver whether or not the student ever received a bachelor's waiver, removes the requirement to apply within 12 months of finishing the bachelor's, and allows a master's waiver on proof of eligibility for federal Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance. Some Oregon public university pages still state the 23-year limit. A child between 24 and 31 who was told they are too old should ask the institution to check chapter 100.
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Disclaimer
VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.