Oklahoma’s Promise-OHLAP (Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program) is the state scholarship program that allows high school students to earn free college tuition if they meet certain eligibility requirements.

Putnam City took top honors in the state and top honors in Class 6A with 78 OHLAP graduates. Broken Arrow was second with 76 graduates.

"We were thrilled to receive the award, but more thrilled to know that so many of our students are taking advantage of this wonderful program in order to attend college," says Dr. Don Wentroth, Putnam City High principal.

Counselor Debbie Brown says staff works hard to make sure students and parents know about the program. Information and applications are handed out and discussed at pre-enrollment conferences for middle school students getting ready to go to high school. They are again distributed and discussed with 9th- grade and 10th-grade students and their parents, and teachers also raise the subject and provide information.

Students who apply for the program are tracked closely by school counselors to make sure they are taking the correct classes and succeeding in classes so they will be eligible for OHLAP assistance.

Wentroth says college graduates have more job opportunities and also make a much higher average salary than students who have just a high school degree. Recent Census information shows adults 18 and older with a bachelor’s degree earned an average of $51,554 in 2004, compared to $28,645 for those with only a high school degree. The difference of almost $23,000 a year amounts to more than $1 million in lifetime earnings.

		The Putnam City High School counselors who helped the school win the OHLAP state championship are (from left to right) Trisha Wiseman, Mary Greene, Debbie Brown, Jerry Rickerts, Kathy Purin and Marilyn Carr Carbone.

"There are so many benefits to a college degree. It’s fantastic that the state of Oklahoma offers a program that helps students earn a degree if they study and work hard, regardless of their family’s economic situation," Wentroth says.

OHLAP was created by the Oklahoma Legislature in 1992 to reward middle and high school students from families earning $50,000 or less a year who have demonstrated a commitment to academic success. The scholarship is good until the student receives a bachelor’s degree or five years, whichever comes first, at any Oklahoma public college or university. It will also cover a portion of the tuition at an accredited private institution or for select courses at public technology centers.

According to the State Regents, OHLAP students tend to have above-average high school grade point averages, ACT scores and college-going rates, and also have above-average college persistence and degree completion rates.