Gavin Smith won't pay a dime of Syracuse University's $69,180 annual tuition.

The Tualatin High School student secured a full Army ROTC scholarship covering tuition, fees, books and a monthly stipend to study finance at the private New York university, which raised its undergraduate tuition to that figure for 2026-27.

"A major motivator… is that I have a full ride to go [to Syracuse] for Army ROTC. I think that I will really enjoy being a part of the… program there and building my leadership skills," Smith told The Wolf, Tualatin High's student newspaper, in a profile published Monday, Aug. 24.

Smith plans to commission as an Army officer after graduating from Syracuse and serve four years on active duty.

What the scholarship covers

Army ROTC national scholarships pay full tuition and fees at any school that accepts the recipient, according to Army ROTC program details.

Recipients also receive a $1,200 annual book allowance and a $420 monthly living stipend during the school year.

At Syracuse, where the estimated on-campus cost of attendance hit $95,676 for 2026-27, the scholarship eliminates the largest expense a student faces.

A local trend: rising costs, creative paths

Smith's choice comes as Oregon college tuition climbs at about 4.3% per year, one of the steepest rates in the western United States, according to a separate Wolf report on rising tuition pressures.

Jennifer Butts, who works in the Tualatin High College and Career Center, told The Wolf that the school has seen "an uptick in students attending community college" as costs rise.

ROTC represents a different workaround. Rather than scaling back ambitions, students like Smith are trading a service commitment for access to schools they otherwise couldn't afford.

Tualatin High enrolls about 1,687 students as part of the Tigard-Tualatin School District's 19-school system. After completing his finance degree, Smith said, he will commission into the Army for four years of active duty.