Title 16
Education

Chapter 113
Rhode Island Hope Scholarship Pilot Program Act

§ 16-113-6. Eligibility for merit-based tuition reduction scholarship at Rhode Island college.

(a) Beginning with the students who enrolled at Rhode Island college in the fall of 2023, a student:

(1) Must qualify for in-state tuition and fees pursuant to the residency policy adopted by the council on postsecondary education, as amended, supplemented, restated, or otherwise modified from time to time (“residency policy”);

(2) Must be a currently enrolled full-time student who has declared a major and earned a minimum of sixty (60) total credit hours towards an eligible program of study, as determined by Rhode Island college;

(3) Must complete the FAFSA and any required FAFSA verification by the deadline prescribed by Rhode Island college for each year in which the student seeks to receive funding under the scholarship program; provided that, persons who are legally unable to complete the FAFSA must complete a comparable form created by Rhode Island college, by the deadline prescribed by Rhode Island college, for each year in which the student seeks to receive funding under the scholarship program;

(4) Must enroll or have enrolled full-time as a freshman as a first-time student and continue to be enrolled on a full-time basis at Rhode Island college, by the dates indicated within this chapter;

(5) Must maintain an average annual cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or greater, as determined by Rhode Island college, prior to obtaining the scholarship and also as a condition of being able to continue to be a scholarship recipient;

(6) Must remain on track to graduate on time as determined by Rhode Island college and must complete both the student’s freshman and sophomore years at Rhode Island college, or in the case of an adult student, have completed sixty (60) credit hours of tuition and mandatory fees at Rhode Island college over a duration of no more than four (4) years;

(7) Must not have already received an award under this program or under chapter 107 of this title; and

(8) Must commit to live, work, or continue their education in Rhode Island after graduation.

(b) Rhode Island college, in conjunction with the office of the postsecondary commissioner, shall develop a policy that will secure the commitment set forth in subsection (a) of this section from recipient students.

(c) Notwithstanding the eligibility requirements under subsection (a) of this section (“specified conditions”):

(1) In the case of a recipient student who has an approved medical or personal leave of absence or is unable to satisfy one or more specified conditions because of the student’s medical or personal circumstances, the student may continue to receive an award under the scholarship program upon resuming the student’s education so long as the student continues to meet all other applicable eligibility requirements;

(2) In the case of a recipient student who is a member of the national guard or a member of a reserve unit of a branch of the United States military and is unable to satisfy one or more specified conditions because the student is or will be in basic or special military training, or is or will be participating in a deployment of the student’s guard or reserve unit, the student may continue to receive an award under the scholarship program upon completion of the student’s basic or special military training or deployment; and

(3) Students enrolled in Rhode Island college as of July 1, 2021, who have attained junior status at Rhode Island college as of July 1, 2023, or who enrolled in Rhode Island college as of July 1, 2022, and who have attained junior status at Rhode Island college as of July 1, 2024, and who are otherwise in compliance with this chapter, shall be eligible for a hope scholarship under this chapter.

(4) Any student with a disability, otherwise eligible for a scholarship pursuant to the provisions of this section, shall be entitled to access this program and shall be afforded all reasonable accommodations, as required by the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, including, but not limited to, enrolling on a part-time basis and taking longer than four (4) years to graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

(d) The decision of whether or not a student has attained junior or senior status by the appropriate date shall be determined by the appropriate body of Rhode Island college, subject to the rules, regulations, and procedures established pursuant to § 16-113-8.