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Higher Education and Career Path Skills & Personal Financial Education: Oregon’s Newest Diploma Requirements

Personal Financial Education Requirements and Higher Education and Career Path Skills Requirement

With the passage of Senate Bill 3, beginning with the class of 2027, the Oregon diploma requirements will include 0.5 credit in Personal Financial Education and 0.5 credit in Higher Education and Career Path Skills. Visit the Overview to learn more about these new requirements.

Opportunities to Provide Feedback

The public comment period for Personal Financial Education Requirements and Higher Education and Career Path Skills standards has closed. Stay tuned for future engagement opportunities!

If you have any questions, please contact ODE.StateGraduationRequirements@ode.oregon.gov

The updated law requires:

  • 0.5 credits of higher education and career path skills, and
  • 0.5 credits of personal financial education

as part of the 24 credit requirements for a high school diploma.
Districts must ensure that students who will be awarded high school diplomas on or after January 1, 2027​, are able to satisfy these credit requirements.

Implementation ​​Manual Regarding Oregon's Newest Diploma Requirements ​(​version 2 coming soon!)

This document provides guidance on the implementation of the content areas for Personal Financial Education and Higher Education and Career Path Skills, in accordance with Senate Bill 3 (ORS 329.451) and OAR 581-021-003. ​


Frequently Asked Questions about Oregon's Newest Diploma Requirements ​(​version 2 coming soon!)

This is a companion document to the Senate Bill 3 Implementation Manual which provides clarification to districts and schools on the requirements related to the content areas of Personal Financial Education (PFE) and Higher Education and Career Path Skills (HECPS), in accordance with SB 3 (ORS 329.451) and OAR 581-021-003. This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document is organized into broad categories to help districts easily navigate to​ the information they need on a topic for supporting implementation and will continue to be updated.​


Tools for Communicating Oregon's Newest Diploma Requirements​​ ​​​

This document is intended to support districts in communicating Oregon's new graduation requirements to their students, families, and community, reflecting our shared commitment to education.​


Informational Webinar (Version 2 coming soon!!)

This Introduction to New Diploma Requirements recording introduces the timeline and requirements established by 2023's Senate Bill 3.​


Guidance for Personal Financial Education in Secondary CTE​

This document provides guidance on how Personal Financial Education (PFE) courses can be structured to meet PFE and Career Technical Education program requirements.


Report by Oregon Kitchen Table (rev. 8/6/24)​

Between December 2023 and April 2024, the Oregon Department of Education again partnered with Oregon’s Kitchen Table (OKT) inform the development of instructional standards for these two requirements, with a particular focus on students who have experienced educational disparities. OKT conducted 13 individual interviews and held 10 community conversations across the state, including following up with many people who were part of the prior engagement process for Senate Bill 744. It was important and meaningful for many participants to hear what had happened with their earlier input and to be invited into this next phase of shaping high school graduation requirements. ​

​Instructional Resources

The resources in the following groups have been curated by ODE content specialists and Oregon educators to supplement materials that districts may use to meet the new requirements.

Materials in groups are free and openly-licensed, but have not been evaluated by ODE. As ODE develops criteria for ​Higher Education and Career Path Skills and Personal Financial Education instructional materials, resources will be evaluated for quality and added to a collection. ​
​​

Requirements


Districts or public charter schools may apply for a one-year waiver of the new diploma requirements due to a lack of educators qualified to provide the courses. Approved waivers apply to all students who will be awarded an Oregon diploma or Modified diploma on or after January 1, 2027 and before January 1, 2028. Please note that the waiver application is not for individual students, but rather the entire graduating class of students.


How to Apply


To apply for a waiver, districts or public charter schools must provide the following information in the Request for Waiver of Oregon's Newest Diploma Requirements (2026-27):

  • The reason for seeking a waiver;

  • The subject(s) for which the waiver is sought;

  • The projected dates for implementation of required courses; and

  •  Assurance of local school board approval of the application and the date of such approval.


Waivers may be approved at the Oregon Department of Education’s discretion. Denied waivers may be appealed to the State Board of Education. Waivers must be submitted to the Oregon Department of Education no later than July 1, 2026. No waivers shall be granted for students graduating on or after January 1, 2028.