Adult Degree Completion
Reach Higher
Oklahoma Reach Higher is a statewide program designed to support working adults who want to go back to school to finish an associate degree. To start, choose a school — "home institution" — from among 14 Oklahoma schools, one of which is Rose State College.
Rose State's Reach Higher program coordinator will help develop a personalized degree completion plan that works around your schedule. We'll also evaluate existing college credits — you may be much closer to a degree than you realize!
The degree available at Rose State through the Reach Higher program is an Associate in Arts General Studies degree. To qualify, you must:
- Completed at least 18 hours of college credit
- 2.0 GPA from previous college credit
- Completed all required remedial coursework, if applicable
There is no application fee. Students can apply online anytime at the Oklahoma Reach Higher website. The program offers one-on-one advisement, flexible enrollment periods year-round, one-stop mentoring and problem-solving, and on-campus and online options to fit your schedule.
Enterprise Development, Reach Higher Emphasis Degree Worksheet (PDF)
GEER
Oklahoma’s public colleges and universities have received special funding to support adult students returning to college for summer 2024 through spring 2025. Interested students should complete the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Scholarship student interest form.
Awardee Selection Criteria
For the summer and fall 2024 semester:
- Eligible individuals aged 20 and above who have never attended a college or university;
- Eligible students of any age who started attending a college/university but have “stopped out” for at least one semester, prioritizing those who are:
- 45 credits or fewer of completion of an associate degree, or
- 90 hours or fewer of completion of a bachelor’s degree at a participating institution.
For the spring 2025 semester:
- Eligible individuals aged 20 and above who have never attended a college or university;
- Eligible students of any age who started attending a college/university but have “stopped out” for at least one semester, prioritizing those who are:
- 45 credits or fewer of completion of an associate degree, or
- 90 hours or fewer of completion of a bachelor’s degree at a participating institution;
- Current students aged 20 and above studying in programs aligned with critical workforce occupations in the state of Oklahoma.
Additional Eligibility Criteria
The student eligibility criteria for the scholarship are as follows:
- Enrollment minimums: Students must enroll in a minimum of 3 credit hours per semester for fall 2024 and spring 2025 with priority given to those enrolled in at least 6 credit hours per semester.
- FAFSA Completion: Students shall complete a FAFSA in order to qualify for aid.
- Note: OSRHE has submitted a request to waive this requirement and will notify institutions of any changes.
- GPA: Student must maintain a minimum of 2.0 Retention/Graduation GPA or minimum GPA required for the specific program by the institution.
- Oklahoma residency: OSRHE Residency Policy (See OSRHE Policy and Procedures Manual, Chapter 3 - Academic Affairs. View Section 3.18 of PDF file.)
- US citizen or eligible noncitizen: Must be consistent with federal student aid requirements.
Scholarship Term Limits
Funds may only be awarded for progress towards an associate or bachelor’s degree during the summer and fall 2024 and spring 2025 semesters.
If you have any questions or need help applying, contact Terrance Grayson.