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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, Second Regular Session
Arizona promise scholarships; community colleges
Purpose
Establishes the Arizona Community College Promise Scholarship Program (Program), the Arizona Community College Promise Scholarship Fund (Fund) and the Arizona Community College Promise Scholarship Commission (Commission) to provide eligible students community college scholarship awards. Appropriates $10,000,000 from the state General Fund (state GF) in FY 2025 to the Fund.
Background
Community colleges are educational institutions that are operated by a community college district board and provide a program of not more than four years' training in the arts, sciences and humanities beyond grade 12 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).
The Arizona
Promise Program provides financial assistance to students who are pursuing a
baccalaureate degree in Arizona and who: 1) qualify for in-state student
status; 2) have graduated from an Arizona high school with a minimum of 2.5
cumulative grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale for all work attempted in
grades 9 through 12; 3) satisfy the admission standards as determined by an Arizona
public university; 4) complete and submit the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA) and meet the eligibility criteria for the Federal Pell
Grant; and
5) secure admission to, and be enrolled in, an Arizona public university for at
least full-time status as determined by federal student financial aid
guidelines. Arizona public universities must provide, to each eligible student,
an award up to the actual cost of in-state tuition and fees, except that an
award must be reduced by the amount of any other federal aid scholarships or
public grants and any other financial gifts, grants or aid received by that
person (A.R.S.
§ 15-1701).
S.B. 1489 appropriates $10,000,000 from the state GF in FY 2025 to the Fund.
Provisions
1. Establishes the Commission, consisting of the following members:
a) one president of a community college in a county with a population of more than 600,000 persons, who is appointed by the President of the Senate;
b) one president of a community college in a county with a population of 600,000 persons, who is appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
c) one member who has expertise in nontraditional students in higher education and who is appointed by the Governor;
d) one member who has expertise in higher education financial aid and resides in a county with a population of more than 600,000 persons, who is appointed by the Governor; and
e) one member who has expertise in higher education financial aid and who resides in a county with a population of 600,000 persons or fewer, who is appointed by the Governor.
2. Requires the Commission to contract with a vendor that is:
a) a nonprofit organization that has statewide experience in administering scholarships and awards for institutions of higher education; and
b) selected through a request for proposals to provide student support to outlined scholarship recipients.
3. Establishes the Program, to be administered by the Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA) and overseen by the Commission.
4. Establishes the Fund, consisting of legislative appropriations and private grants, gifts, contributions and devises made for the purpose of administering the Program.
5. Appropriates $10,000,000 from the state GF in FY 2025 to the Fund.
6. Requires ADOA to administer the Fund and establish criteria for distributing monies in the Fund to scholarship recipients.
7. Requires a student, to be eligible for a scholarship, to:
a) qualify for in-state student status;
b) have graduated from an Arizona high school with a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale for all work attempted in grades 9 through 12;
c) satisfy the admission standards as determined by an Arizona community college;
d) complete and submit the FAFSA and meet the eligibility criteria for the Federal Pell Grant; and
e) secure admission to, and be enrolled in, an Arizona community college for at least full-time status as determined by federal student financial aid guidelines.
8. Allows an eligible student to apply for a scholarship by applying to ADOA in a manner prescribed by ADOA.
9. Requires ADOA to award, to each eligible student applicant, a scholarship of up to $3,000 each year for a maximum of two years.
10. Allows a scholarship recipient to use the scholarship monies for any cost of attending the community college.
11. Requires a provided scholarship to be reduced by the amount of any other federal aid scholarships or public grants and any other public aid received by that person from or through the community college at which the person is enrolled, except that a scholarship may not be reduced by the amount of federal grants received by the person from the Department of Child Safety under the Arizona Education and Training Voucher Program.
12. Specifies that a scholarship recipient is not required to use the scholarship monies only for tuition.
13. Requires ADOA to provide the following student support services:
a) virtual mentoring;
b) access to a professional mentor with experience in helping community college students; and
c) a structured mentoring and advising program that has demonstrated results.
14. Allows a student to reapply to receive a scholarship for a second year if the student:
a) maintains satisfactory academic progress as required for eligibility for federal student financial aid;
b) completes and submits the FAFSA;
c) maintains at least full-time status as determined by federal student financial aid guidelines; and
d) complies with the standards related to maintenance of eligibility as adopted by the Commission.
15. Specifies that monies in the Fund are continuously appropriated and exempt from lapsing.
16. Allows ADOA to accept and spend private grants, gifts, contributions and devises to assist in administering the Fund.
17. Specifies that monies accepted by ADOA to assist in administering the Fund do not revert to the state GF at the end of a fiscal year.
18. Allows ADOA to use up to 10 percent of monies in the Fund for administrative expenses and student support services.
19. Defines community college.
20. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 12, 2024
MH/SDR/slp