State SealARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 

SB1217: Arizona high school graduates; tuition

PRIME SPONSOR: Senator Carter, LD 15

BILL STATUS: Education

 

 

Overview

Establishes the Arizona high school graduate tuition rate (Arizona tuition rate) for graduating Arizona students who meet outlined requirements.☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note

History

The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) is the governing entity for Arizona's university system which consists of Arizona State University (ASU), Northern Arizona University (NAU) and the University of Arizona (UA). ABOR was created by the Arizona Constitution (Ariz. Const. art. 11 § 5). Pursuant to A.R.S. § 15-1626, ABOR’s general authority related to the universities includes fixing tuition rates and fees and differentiating between residents, nonresidents, undergraduate students, graduate students, students from foreign countries and students earning credit hours in excess of the credit hour threshold.

University undergraduate tuition, FY 2019 

University

Resident tuition

Non-resident tuition

ASU

$9,834

$24,858

NAU

$10,390

$24,654

UA

$11,047

$34,976

Source: ABOR, "Arizona University System Board-Approved 2018-2019 Base Tuition and Mandatory Fees."

A community college is an educational institution that is operated by a community college district governing board (district board) and that provides a program not exceeding two years' training in the arts, sciences and humanities beyond the 12th grade of the public or private high school course of study or vocational education, including terminal courses of a technical and vocational nature and basic adult education courses (A.R.S. § 15-1401). District boards adopt policies and set standards for the establishment, development, administration, operation and accreditation of community colleges within the district. This includes fixing tuition rates for institutions and residents, nonresidents and students from foreign countries (A.R.S. § 15-1445).

Community college tuition and fees, FY 2019 

District

Resident cost per credit hour

Resident annual cost

Out-of-state resident cost per credit hour

Non-resident annual cost

Cochise

$85

$2,550

$260

$7,800

Coconino

$109

$3,270

$381.50

$11,445

Gila

$80

$2,400

$370

$11,100

Graham

$90

$2,700

$380

$11,400

Maricopa

$85

$2,550

$326

$9,780

Mohave

$81

$2,430

$283.50

$8,505

Navajo

$74

$2,220

$355

$10,650

Pima

$83

$2,490

$304

$9,120

Pinal

$86

$2,580

$370

$11,100

Santa Cruz

$83

$2,490

$304

$9,120

Yavapai

$87

$2,610

$366

$10,980

Yuma/La Paz

$87

$2,520

$317

$9,510

Source: Review of each community college district's online tuition rates.

Currently, state or local public benefit is defined as any retirement, welfare, health, disability, public or assisted housing, postsecondary education, food assistance, unemployment benefit, or any other similar benefit for which payments or assistance are provided to an individual, household or family eligibility unit by an agency of a state or local government or by appropriated funds of a state or local government (8 U.S.C. § 1621).

Provisions

1.       Establishes the Arizona tuition rate for an individual who applies for admission to an Arizona university or community college after graduating from an Arizona public, private, charter or home school, or an individual who is educated pursuant to an empowerment scholarship account. (Sec. 2)

2.       Delegates to ABOR and the district boards the authority to prescribe the tuition rates and requires ABOR and the district boards to verify that the individual's high school diploma meets the outlined requirements. (Sec. 2)

3.       Specifies an individual who previously qualified for the Arizona tuition rate maintains eligibility for the same tuition rate, if that individual is continuously enrolled in the educational institution. (Sec. 2)

4.       Excludes postsecondary education from the definition of a state or local public benefit as prescribed in A.R.S. § 1-502. (Sec. 1).

5.       Defines continuously enrolled as without non-enrollment for 12 months or more. (Sec. 2)

6.        

7.        

8.       ---------- DOCUMENT FOOTER ---------

9.       Fifty-fourth Legislature                       SB 1217

10.   First Regular Session                            Version 1: Education

11.    

12.   ---------- DOCUMENT FOOTER ---------