SB540: Community College Transfer Grant Program Fund; created.

Chief Patron

Sen. Walter Stosch (R-12)

Status

Bill is Dead

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Summary

Community College Transfer Grant Program.  Establishes the Community College Transfer Grant Program for the purpose of providing higher education grants or vouchers to domiciles of Virginia who have successfully completed an acceptable associate degree program at a Virginia community college or Richard Bland College and have been admitted to an accredited nonprofit public or private institution of higher education in the Commonwealth.  The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) is designated as the administering agency of the program and must promulgate necessary and appropriate regulations for its administration.

The amount of the award will either be based on the difference between the cost of tuition paid by the recipient at a Virginia community college and the cost of such tuition at the four-year institution of higher education in which the student has been enrolled, or in the case of transfer to a private four-year college or university, the difference between the cost of tuition paid by the recipient at a Virginia community college and the average cost of such tuition at a Virginia public four-year institution of higher education.  The grants must be used to reimburse the eligible students for a portion of the tuition and mandatory fees paid by the student to such institution for the academic year. 

Eligibility for the program is limited to domiciles of the Commonwealth, and recipients of grants or vouchers may only receive such tuition assistance for two academic years or the equivalent number or credit hours.  Enactment clauses provide that after July 1, 2011, grant payments under the Program must be paid from higher education cost savings resulting from increased enrollments at Virginia community colleges and Richard Bland College and that the provisions of the act will not become effective unless an appropriation of general funds effectuating the purposes of the act is included in a general appropriation act passed by the 2008 Session.  Incorporates SB 130 (O'Brien).   View Full Text »