| 13 | 13 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1 |
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| 14 | 14 | | AN ACT TO EXPAND NORTH CAROLINA 'S WORKFORCE BY PROVIDING IN -STATE 2 |
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| 15 | 15 | | TUITION TO NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES WHO MEET 3 |
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| 16 | 16 | | CERTAIN CRITERIA. 4 |
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| 17 | 17 | | Whereas, a one percentage point (1%) increase in the postsecondary attainment rate 5 |
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| 18 | 18 | | would have resulted in over five hundred million dollars ($500,000,000) in additional economic 6 |
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| 19 | 19 | | growth for North Carolina over just one year according to the United States Bureau of Economic 7 |
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| 20 | 20 | | Analysis; and 8 |
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| 21 | 21 | | Whereas, over eighty percent (80%) of the State's employers reported difficulty in 9 |
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| 22 | 22 | | finding employees for jobs requiring industry-valued credentials, and these high-skills jobs are 10 |
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| 23 | 23 | | expected to increase by more than eleven percent (11%) in the next six years; and 11 |
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| 24 | 24 | | Whereas, while North Carolina's employers report difficulty in finding skilled 12 |
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| 25 | 25 | | employees, postsecondary enrollment for The University of North Carolina constituent 13 |
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| 26 | 26 | | institutions and North Carolina community colleges has fallen on average by 2.7% since 2019; 14 |
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| 27 | 27 | | and 15 |
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| 28 | 28 | | Whereas, North Carolina must pursue multiple strategies to increase postsecondary 16 |
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| 29 | 29 | | enrollment so the State can have more potential employees entering the workforce with 17 |
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| 30 | 30 | | industry-valued credentials; Now, therefore, 18 |
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| 31 | 31 | | The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 19 |
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| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 1. G.S. 116-143.1 is amended by adding the following new subsections 20 |
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| 33 | 33 | | to read: 21 |
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| 34 | 34 | | "(n) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a person who meets all of the 22 |
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| 35 | 35 | | following qualifications shall be eligible to be charged the in-State tuition rate: 23 |
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| 36 | 36 | | (1) The person graduated and received a high school diploma from a school 24 |
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| 37 | 37 | | within North Carolina that is not a nonpublic residential school. 25 |
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| 38 | 38 | | (2) The person enrolled in the institution of higher education in the school year 26 |
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| 39 | 39 | | immediately following his or her graduation and receipt of a high school 27 |
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| 40 | 40 | | diploma. 28 |
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| 41 | 41 | | (3) The person attended North Carolina public or nonpublic schools for a 29 |
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| 42 | 42 | | minimum of four consecutive years immediately prior to high school 30 |
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| 43 | 43 | | graduation and receipt of a high school diploma. 31 |
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| 44 | 44 | | (4) The person holds an unexpired North Carolina drivers license or special 32 |
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| 45 | 45 | | identification card issued under G.S. 20-37.7. 33 |
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| 46 | 46 | | (5) The person has received a social security number and card from the United 34 |
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| 47 | | - | States Social Security Administration. 35 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 |
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| 48 | | - | Page 2 House Bill 689-First Edition |
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| 49 | | - | This subsection does not make a person a resident of North Carolina for any other purpose. 1 |
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| 50 | | - | (o) A person who is eligible to be charged the in-State tuition rate as provided in 2 |
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| 51 | | - | subsection (n) of this section shall provide evidence of his or her unexpired North Carolina 3 |
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| 52 | | - | drivers license or special identification card at the beginning of each semester of enrollment to 4 |
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| 53 | | - | continue to be eligible to be charged the in-State tuition rate. 5 |
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| 54 | | - | (p) Any information obtained as part of the process of applying for the in-State tuition 6 |
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| 55 | | - | rate pursuant to subsection (n) or (o) of this section shall be confidential and is not a public 7 |
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| 56 | | - | record." 8 |
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| 57 | | - | SECTION 2. G.S. 116-143.4 reads as rewritten: 9 |
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| 58 | | - | "§ 116-143.4. Admissions status of persons charged in-State tuition. 10 |
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| 59 | | - | (a) A person eligible for the in-State tuition rate pursuant to this Article shall be 11 |
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| 60 | | - | considered an in-State applicant for the purpose of admission; provided that, admission. 12 |
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| 61 | | - | However, a person eligible for in-State tuition pursuant to G.S. 116-143.3(c) shall be considered 13 |
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| 62 | | - | an in-State applicant for the purpose of admission only if at the time of seeking admission he the 14 |
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| 63 | | - | person is enrolled in a high school located in North Carolina or enrolled in an adult high school 15 |
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| 64 | | - | equivalency diploma program in an institution located in this State. 16 |
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| 65 | | - | (b) A person eligible for the in-State tuition rate pursuant to G.S. 116-143.1(n) shall not 17 |
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| 66 | | - | be considered an in-State applicant for the purposes of admission to a constituent institution of 18 |
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| 67 | | - | The University of North Carolina." 19 |
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| 68 | | - | SECTION 3. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025, and applies beginning with 20 |
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| 69 | | - | the 2025-2026 academic year. 21 |
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| 47 | + | States Social Security Administration. 35 |
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| 48 | + | This subsection does not make a person a resident of North Carolina for any other purpose. 36 |
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| 49 | + | H.B. 689 |
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| 50 | + | Apr 1, 2025 |
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| 51 | + | HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 |
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| 52 | + | Page 2 DRH10295-MT-13 |
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| 53 | + | (o) A person who is eligible to be charged the in-State tuition rate as provided in 1 |
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| 54 | + | subsection (n) of this section shall provide evidence of his or her unexpired North Carolina 2 |
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| 55 | + | drivers license or special identification card at the beginning of each semester of enrollment to 3 |
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| 56 | + | continue to be eligible to be charged the in-State tuition rate. 4 |
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| 57 | + | (p) Any information obtained as part of the process of applying for the in-State tuition 5 |
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| 58 | + | rate pursuant to subsection (n) or (o) of this section shall be confidential and is not a public 6 |
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| 59 | + | record." 7 |
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| 60 | + | SECTION 2. G.S. 116-143.4 reads as rewritten: 8 |
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| 61 | + | "§ 116-143.4. Admissions status of persons charged in-State tuition. 9 |
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| 62 | + | (a) A person eligible for the in-State tuition rate pursuant to this Article shall be 10 |
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| 63 | + | considered an in-State applicant for the purpose of admission; provided that, admission. 11 |
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| 64 | + | However, a person eligible for in-State tuition pursuant to G.S. 116-143.3(c) shall be considered 12 |
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| 65 | + | an in-State applicant for the purpose of admission only if at the time of seeking admission he the 13 |
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| 66 | + | person is enrolled in a high school located in North Carolina or enrolled in an adult high school 14 |
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| 67 | + | equivalency diploma program in an institution located in this State. 15 |
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| 68 | + | (b) A person eligible for the in-State tuition rate pursuant to G.S. 116-143.1(n) shall not 16 |
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| 69 | + | be considered an in-State applicant for the purposes of admission to a constituent institution of 17 |
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| 70 | + | The University of North Carolina." 18 |
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| 71 | + | SECTION 3. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025, and applies beginning with 19 |
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| 72 | + | the 2025-2026 academic year. 20 |
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