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2015 SESSION

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HB 1692 Higher educational institutions; alternative tuition or fee structures offered to students.

Introduced by: Nick Rush | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles | history

SUMMARY AS PASSED HOUSE:

Four-year public institutions of higher education; alternative tuition or fee structures. Permits each public institution of higher education to offer alternative tuition or fee structures to students. The bill provides that if a public institution of higher education, with the approval of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (the Council), offers alternative tuition or fee structures, including discounted tuition, four-year flat tuition rates, discounted student fees, or student fee and student services flexibility, to any Virginia-domiciled, first-time, incoming freshman undergraduate student who enrolls full time with the intent to earn a degree in a program that leads to employment in a high-demand field in the region, according to guidelines established by the Council, each student who receives the benefits of such an alternative tuition or fee structure shall count one and a half times for the purpose of (i) targeted economic and innovation incentives pursuant to subdivision 3 of § 23-38.87:16, (ii) the base adequacy funding guidelines adopted and periodically updated by the Joint Subcommittee Studying Higher Education Funding Policies, or (iii) biennial assessments of institutional performance as set forth in Part 4 of the general appropriation act and consistent with § 23-9.6:1.01.

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Four-year public institutions of higher education; alternative tuition or fee structures. Permits a four-year public institution of higher education, with the approval of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (Council), to offer alternative tuition or fee structures, including discounted tuition, four-year flat tuition rates, discounted student fees, or student fee and student services flexibility, to any Virginia-domiciled, first-time, incoming freshman undergraduate student who enrolls full time with the intent to earn a degree in a program that leads to employment in a high-demand field in the region, according to guidelines established by the Council. Such an alternative tuition or fee structure may be renewed each year if the recipient maintains continuous full-time enrollment. The bill requires such student to pay to the institution as a financial obligation the financial benefits of the alternative tuition or fee structure if he fails to maintain continuous full-time enrollment, subsequently enrolls in an ineligible degree program, or fails to complete the eligible degree program within four years. The bill requires each student who receives the benefits of an alternative tuition or fee structure to count one and a half times for the purpose of (i) targeted economic and innovation incentives pursuant to subdivision 3 of § 23-38.87:16, (ii) the base adequacy funding guidelines adopted and periodically updated by the Joint Subcommittee Studying Higher Education Funding Policies, or (iii) biennial assessments of institutional performance as set forth in Part 4 of the general appropriation act and consistent with § 23-9.6:1.01.