Relating To The University Of Hawaii Promise Program.
The legislation addresses the financial barriers that students face in higher education despite the affordability measures previously in place. While Hawaii's tuition rates are relatively low nationally, many students still encounter significant challenges related to cost. The bill aims to alleviate these challenges by tailoring scholarship awards based on students' unmet direct costs, which could cover tuition, educational fees, and other essential expenses. By doing so, it seeks to enable more students to attain a postsecondary degree, thereby contributing to the state's workforce development goals and addressing the anticipated educational attainment gap by 2025.
House Bill 1114, also known as the University of Hawaii Promise Program, seeks to expand the existing Hawaii Promise program to provide scholarships for the unmet financial needs of qualified undergraduate students at four-year campuses of the University of Hawaii, including Manoa, Hilo, and West Oahu. This expansion is part of the larger Hawaii graduation initiative aimed at increasing the number of students who successfully enroll and complete their degrees, with a particular focus on native Hawaiians, low-income students, and individuals from underserved communities.
Critics of the program may raise concerns regarding the equitable distribution of available funds and whether the scholarship criteria will adequately support the students who need aid the most. As the funding for these scholarships relies on general revenues, questions may also arise about the sustainability of the program over the long term. The legislature will need to ensure that the criteria for eligibility are clear and effective in reaching the intended demographic while also maintaining transparency in how funds are allocated to avoid any potential misuse.
The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2023, upon its approval. It includes an appropriation for the fiscal years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 to fund the initiative. The program is to be administered by the board of regents, which will oversee scholarship distribution based on students’ direct cost needs as assessed through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This structured approach seeks to create a framework within which students who qualify can gain access to necessary financial resources to complete their education.