PROVIDENCE — Hours after Governor Dan McKee signed the state budget that included funding for a pilot program to provide free tuition for in-state residents who have exhausted other financial aid, leaders at Rhode Island College said Friday that they would begin awarding the scholarship immediately this fall.
The Hope Scholarship will make the final two years of a four-year bachelor’s degree at Rhode Island College, a state public school, tuition-free for state residents who meet the criteria.
”Despite being the most affordable [four-year] college, the number one reason why students drop out is because of the cost,“ said John Taraborelli, a Rhode Island College spokesman.
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Students must commit to living, working, or continuing their education in Rhode Island upon graduation to be considered. It’s unclear how the school might keep track of this data, but the overwhelming majority of the college’s students are alreadystate residents. Most of the students also come from lower-income backgrounds.
A source at the college with close knowledge of the scholarship said a student would not have to repay any part of the scholarship if they do move away from Rhode Island after graduation.
Dr. Jack Warner, president of Rhode Island College, said the scholarship is a tool in building an educated workforce to “drive Rhode Island’s economic future.”
The legislation funds a five-year pilot to create an earned merit, last-dollar scholarship that will close the gap after students in their junior and senior years have exhausted all other forms of financial aid.
The pilot program was included in the state’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget, which was passed by the General Assembly minutes before 2 a.m. on June 16. McKee signed the budget that day on the State House grounds.
The scholarship will be available to both new and current RIC students, as well as some adult students. Recipients must be enrolled full-time, have declared a major, and maintained a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5. The students must also have completed at least 60 credits.
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Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.