BILL AS INTRODUCED H.297
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H.297 1
Introduced by Representatives Priestley of Bradford, Branagan of Georgia, 2
Burke of Brattleboro, Chapin of East Montpelier, Headrick of 3
Burlington, Howard of Rutland City, Marcotte of Coventry, 4
McCann of Montpelier, McGill of Bridport, Mrowicki of 5
Putney, Satcowitz of Randolph, Sweeney of Shelburne, and 6
White of Waitsfield 7
Referred to Committee on 8
Date: 9
Subject: Education; Community College of Vermont; scholarship 10
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to create the 11
Free Degree Promise Grant Program to provide funding toward a free 12
associate’s degree through the Community College of Vermont (CCV) for 13
eligible individuals. 14
An act relating to the creation of the Free Degree Promise Grant Program 15
for the Community College of Vermont 16
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 17
Sec. 1. FINDINGS 18
The General Assembly finds that: 19 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.297
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(1) According to the New England Secondary School Consortium, 1
Vermont’s high school graduates continue on to college at the lowest rates in 2
New England at 45 percent, with students with low income, Black students, 3
students with disabilities, and male students facing the deepest equity gaps in 4
continuation rates. 5
(2) Rapidly declining college aspirations among youth since 2020, as 6
revealed by survey data from the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation 7
(VSAC), signal that continuation rates will sink lower. 8
(3) College degrees, especially associate’s degrees, have enduring value. 9
Associate’s degree graduates in Vermont are the most likely in the country to 10
achieve a positive return on investment at 79 percent, according to Strada 11
Education Foundation. 12
(4) Free accelerated associate’s degree pathways are a high-leverage 13
opportunity to improve Vermont’s college continuation rates among students 14
furthest from opportunity. 15
(5) Vermont’s enabling conditions to improve college attainment 16
through accelerated associate’s degree pathways are strong due to the 17
following factors: 18
(A) Vermont has a single, statewide community college. The 19
Community College of Vermont (CCV) serves the greatest number of 20
Vermonters and of Vermonters with low income of any college in the State via 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.297
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12 locations and extensive learning options. Over 25 percent of CCV students 1
are high school students. 2
(B) With the enactment of 2013 Acts and Resolves No. 77, 3
Vermont’s flexible pathways bill, Vermont has a 10-plus year history of 4
offering flexible pathways to graduation that include a free year of full-time 5
college in lieu of a traditional 12th grade year. Historically, most participating 6
students enroll at CCV. 7
(i) Act 77 was established to develop and expand high-quality 8
secondary education experiences, to promote opportunities for postsecondary 9
readiness, and to increase high school completion and postsecondary 10
continuation. Act 77 offers Vermont students two free dual enrollment courses 11
plus the opportunity to enroll in Early College their senior year. 12
(ii) Early College in Vermont allows seniors to complete their last 13
year of high school and their first year of college at the same time, earning free 14
college credits that also count toward graduation from high school. 15
(C) Vermont has established cross-sector partnerships. The cross-16
sector Early College Equity Working Group has spent several years analyzing 17
data, building a shared vision, exploring promising practices, and addressing 18
barriers. In 2004, a cross-sector team from Vermont was invited to participate 19
in the national Accelerate ED community to build on this work. 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.297
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(D) Recent public investments in college affordability. Facing a 1
shrinking workforce and an economy with two job openings for every 2
jobseeker, policymakers have committed to investing in talent, particularly 3
through CCV and with the 802 Opportunity Grant. 4
(E) Since 2022, the McClure Foundation’s Free Degree Promise has 5
built on Vermont’s Early College program at CCV to create a free, fast-tracked 6
associate’s degree pathway available to all Vermont youth in the high school 7
classes of 2023–2026. 8
(F) Two and a half years since its launch, emerging data shows the 9
Free Degree Promise is working to equitably scale accelerated degrees for 10
Vermont youth. Since the Promise was announced in spring 2022, CCV has 11
seen a 150 percent increase in enrollment of students with low income in the 12
State’s Early College program at CCV and triple the number of CCV’s Early 13
College program completers persisting near-full-time at CCV toward a degree. 14
Over half of the 2024–2025 Free Degree Promise student cohort are first-15
generation college students. 16
(G) CCV majors closely align with Vermont’s identified workforce 17
needs. 18 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.297
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Sec. 2. 16 V.S.A. § 2189 is added to read: 1
§ 2189. FREE DEGREE PROMISE GRANT PROGRAM 2
(a) Program creation. There is created the Free Degree Promise Grant 3
Program to provide funding toward a free associate’s degree through the 4
Community College of Vermont (CCV) for eligible individuals. 5
(b) Eligibility. CCV shall be responsible for verifying Program eligibility. 6
To be eligible for the Program, an individual shall satisfy each of the following 7
requirements: 8
(1) be enrolled at CCV on a full-time basis, which shall be a minimum 9
of 12 credits, in an approved undergraduate program of study leading to an 10
associate’s degree; 11
(2) have successfully completed the State’s Early College program, 12
established under section 946 of this title, at CCV, with a minimum of 20 13
successful credits in the academic year prior to receipt of the individual’s first 14
award under this Program; 15
(3) have not earned a prior associate’s degree or the equivalent; 16
(4) have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or an 17
equivalent application for State-funded assistance; 18
(5) is not in default on any federal or state student loans for attendance 19
at any institution, or owe a refund for any previous state financial aid program; 20
and 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.297
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(6) meet satisfactory academic progress according to CCV’s 1
requirements. 2
(c) Program benefit. 3
(1) Free Degree Promise grants shall cover, after all other sources of 4
federal and State grant aid have been exhausted: 5
(A) any remaining tuition and fees due to CCV; and 6
(B) a stipend, per enrolled semester, for the cost of books, supplies, 7
and other expenses in the amount of: 8
(i) $1,000.00 for students whose household income is less than 9
400 percent of the federal poverty level per year; or 10
(ii) $500.00 for students whose household income is equal to or 11
greater than 400 percent of the federal poverty level per year. 12
(2) Eligible individuals may be awarded Free Degree Promise grants 13
and supports for a maximum of five semesters of full-time study, which shall 14
be a minimum of 12 enrolled credits per academic term, or until the individual 15
completes a degree program, whichever comes first. 16
(d) Disbursement of funds. CCV shall determine an individual’s eligibility 17
for the Program at the time of enrollment. Program funds shall be disbursed to 18
eligible individuals in the academic year in which funds are appropriated by 19
the General Assembly until funds are exhausted. Any funds remaining at the 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.297
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end of a fiscal year shall carry forward and shall be available to CCV in the 1
following fiscal year to award Program funds as set forth in this section. 2
(e) Administration, promotion, and evaluation. CCV shall adopt policies, 3
procedures, and guidelines necessary for implementation of the Program. Not 4
more than 12 percent of funds appropriated by the General Assembly for the 5
Program shall be used by CCV for student support services and the 6
administration and evaluation of the Program. 7
(f) Report. Annually on or before January 15, CCV shall report to the 8
General Assembly regarding implementation and administration of the 9
Program, including data regarding annual student enrollment in the Program, 10
dollar amounts spent and unspent, semester and degree completion 11
disaggregated by priority equity populations, and any recommendations for 12
legislative action regarding the Program. The provisions of 2 V.S.A. § 20(d) 13
(expiration of required reports) shall not apply to the required report to be 14
made under this subsection. 15
Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 16
This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. 17