2023 Connecticut General Statutes › Title 10a - State System of Higher Education › Chapter 186 - State Financial Assistance › Section 10a-174. - Debt-free community college program.

(a) As used in this section:
(1) “Award” means the greater of: (A) The unpaid portion, if any, of a qualifying student's eligible institutional costs after subtracting his or her financial aid, or (B) a minimum award of two hundred fifty dollars for a full-time student or one hundred fifty dollars for a part-time student;
(2) “Eligible institutional costs” means the tuition and required fees incurred each semester by an individual student that are established by the Board of Regents for Higher Education for the regional community-technical colleges;
(3) “Financial aid” means the sum of all scholarships, grants and federal, state and institutional aid received by a qualifying student. “Financial aid” does not include any federal, state or private student loans received by a qualifying student;
(4) “Qualifying student” means any person who (A) graduated from a public or nonpublic high school in the state, (B) enrolls as a full-time or part-time student for the fall semester of 2020, or any semester thereafter, for the first time at a regional community-technical college in a program leading to a degree or certificate and continues to be enrolled as a full-time or part-time student at a regional community-technical college, (C) is classified as an in-state student pursuant to section 10a-29, (D) is making satisfactory academic progress while enrolled at a regional community-technical college, (E) has completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and (F) has accepted all available financial aid;
(5) “Full-time student” means a student who is enrolled at a regional community-technical college and (A) is carrying twelve or more credit hours in a semester, or (B) has a learning disability documented with the regional community-technical college in which he or she is enrolled and is enrolled in the maximum number of credit hours that is feasible for such student to attempt in a semester, as determined by such student's academic advisor;
(6) “Semester” means the fall or spring semester of an academic year. “Semester” does not include a summer semester or session; and
(7) “Part-time student” means a student who is enrolled at a regional community-technical college and is carrying not less than six but fewer than twelve credit hours in a semester.
(b) Not later than January 1, 2020, the Board of Regents for Higher Education shall (1) establish a debt-free community college program to make awards to qualifying students each semester, (2) adopt rules, procedures and forms necessary to implement the debt-free community college program, and (3) submit a report outlining such rules, procedures and forms, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher education.
(c) For the fall semester of 2020, and each semester thereafter, the Board of Regents for Higher Education shall make awards to qualifying students within available appropriations. An award shall be available to a qualifying student for the first seventy-two credit hours earned by the qualifying student during the first forty-eight months that such student is enrolled at a regional community-technical college, provided the qualifying student meets and continues to meet the requirements of this section. The board shall not use an award to supplant any financial aid, including, but not limited to, state or institutional aid, otherwise available to a qualifying student.
(d) (1) Any qualifying student who takes an administratively approved medical or personal leave of absence from a regional community-technical college may continue to qualify for the debt-free community college program upon resuming his or her enrollment as a student at a regional community-technical college, provided such student (A) continues to meet the requirements of this section upon reenrollment, and (B) the total amount of time of all approved leaves of absence does not exceed six months.
(2) Any qualifying student who is a member of the armed forces called to active duty during any semester may continue to qualify for the debt-free community college program upon resuming his or her enrollment as a student at a regional community-technical college, provided such student (A) continues to meet the requirements of this section upon reenrollment, and (B) reenrolls not later than four years after the date on which such student is released from active duty.
(e) Not later than March 1, 2021, and October 1, 2021, and each semester thereafter, the Board of Regents for Higher Education shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher education and employment advancement and appropriations and the budgets of the state agencies regarding the debt-free community college program, including, but not limited to, (1) the number of qualifying students enrolled at the regional community-technical colleges during each semester, (2) the number of qualifying students receiving minimum awards and the number of qualifying students receiving awards for the unpaid portion of eligible institutional costs, (3) the average number of credit hours the qualifying students enrolled in each semester and the average number of credit hours the qualifying students completed each semester, (4) the average amount of the award made to qualifying students under this section for the unpaid portion of eligible institutional costs, and (5) the completion rates of qualifying students receiving awards under this section by degree or certificate program.
(P.A. 19-117, S. 362; P.A. 22-118, S. 119.)
History: P.A. 19-117 effective July 1, 2019; P.A. 22-118 redefined “award” in Subdiv. (1), “qualifying student” in Subdiv. (4), added Subdiv. (7) defining “part-time student”, amended Subsec. (c) to change 36 months to 48 months, amended Subsec. (d)(1) by removing “full-time” and designating existing provisions re continuing to meet the requirements of the section and total leaves of absence not exceeding 6 months as Subparas. (A) and (B), amended Subsec. (d)(2) by removing “full-time” and amended Subsec. (e) by adding “and the budgets of the state agencies”, effective July 1, 2022.