2025 -- H 5748
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
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A N A C T
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP
Introduced By: Representatives Azzinaro, J. Brien, Fellela, Casimiro, Spears, Hull, J.
Lombardi, Shallcross Smith, and Kennedy
Date Introduced: February 26, 2025
Referred To: House Finance
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 16-107-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-107 entitled "Rhode 1
Island Promise Scholarship" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
16-107-6. Eligibility for scholarship. 3
(a) Beginning with the students who enroll at the community college of Rhode Island in 4
the fall of 2017, to be considered for the scholarship, a student: 5
(1) Must qualify for in-state tuition and fees pursuant to the residency policy adopted by 6
the council on postsecondary education, as amended, supplemented, restated, or otherwise modified 7
from time to time (“residency policy”); provided, that, the student must have satisfied the high 8
school graduation/equivalency diploma condition prior to reaching nineteen (19) years of age; 9
provided, further, that in addition to the option of meeting the requirement by receiving a high 10
school equivalency diploma as described in the residency policy, the student can satisfy the 11
condition by receiving other certificates or documents of equivalent nature from the state or its 12
municipalities as recognized by applicable regulations promulgated by the council on elementary 13
and secondary education; 14
(2) Must be admitted to, and must enroll and attend the community college of Rhode Island 15
on a full-time basis by the semester immediately following high school graduation or the semester 16
immediately following receipt of a high school equivalency diploma; provided, on and after July 17
1, 2025, the time for students to enroll and attend the community college of Rhode Island and 18
qualify for the scholarship pursuant to this section shall be extended to up to second semester after 19
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the student's high school graduation; 1
(3) Must complete the FAFSA and any required FAFSA verification, or for persons who 2
are legally unable to complete the FAFSA must complete a comparable form created by the 3
community college of Rhode Island, by the deadline prescribed by the community college of Rhode 4
Island for each year in which the student seeks to receive funding under the scholarship program; 5
(4) Must continue to be enrolled on a full-time basis; 6
(5) Must maintain an average annual cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or 7
greater, as determined by the community college of Rhode Island; 8
(6) Must remain on track to graduate on time as determined by the community college of 9
Rhode Island; 10
(7) Must not have already received an award under this scholarship program; and 11
(8) Must commit to live, work, or continue their education in Rhode Island after graduation. 12
The community college of Rhode Island shall develop a policy that will secure this 13
commitment from recipient students. 14
(b) Notwithstanding the eligibility requirements under subsection (a) of this section 15
(“specified conditions”): 16
(1) In the case of a recipient student who has an approved medical or personal leave of 17
absence or is unable to satisfy one or more specified conditions because of the student’s medical 18
or personal circumstances, the student may continue to receive an award under the scholarship 19
program upon resuming the student’s education so long as the student continues to meet all other 20
applicable eligibility requirements; 21
(2) In the case of a recipient student who is a member of the national guard or a member 22
of a reserve unit of a branch of the United States military and is unable to satisfy one or more 23
specified conditions because the student is or will be in basic or special military training, or is or 24
will be participating in a deployment of the student’s guard or reserve unit, the student may continue 25
to receive an award under the scholarship program upon completion of the student’s basic or special 26
military training or deployment; and 27
(3) Any student with a disability, otherwise eligible for a scholarship pursuant to the 28
provisions of this section, as of May 15, 2021, shall be entitled to access this program and shall be 29
afforded all reasonable accommodations, as required by the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act of 30
1973, including, but not limited to, enrolling on a part-time basis, attaining a high school 31
diploma/GED by age twenty-one (21), and taking longer than two (2) years to graduate with an 32
associate’s degree. 33
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SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 1
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP
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This act would extend the time for which a student may enroll in the community college 1
of Rhode Island Promise Scholarship program to one year after the student's high school graduation. 2
This act would take effect upon passage. 3
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