[Higher Education] Oregon Increases Student Aid Money

This is a good thing:

For the first time, Oregon has so much grant money available for college students that it has mounted a TV, radio and Internet ad campaign to give it all away.

"Don't just dream about college . . . GO!" the ads say.

To help students get there, the state will hand out $72 million next fall -- twice as much money as students at Oregon's public and private colleges received this year.

And it's not all going to low-income students: Many middle-income families also qualify for the first time.

The income limit for a family of four will rise from $33,600 to $70,000, and the maximum award will go up from $1,752 to $3,200 a year for a public university. About 33,000 Oregon students are expected to qualify next school year. That's 6,000 more students than this year.

I have this feeling this is the direct result of the Democratic takeover of the State Legislature... now if they could just stop the corporatization of the Oregon University System I would be impressed.