Bill Making RI Promise Scholarship Permanent Heads To Governor

PROVIDENCE, RI — The Rhode Island Promise scholarship is on its way to becoming law. The bill making the scholarship permanent is headed to Gov. Dan McKee's desk after it was approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Final votes on the legislation came Tuesday evening.

The scholarship, first proposed by then-Gov. Gina Raimondo in 2017, provides up to two years of free community college tuition to eligible Rhode Island residents.

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, the House sponsor, said the program "is an excellent example of how we can prioritize affordable college options for all Rhode Islanders."

"The best investment we can make to help individuals achieve their goals is to give them the access to a college education, which is the pathway to a brighter future," he continued.

When introduced, the program had a sunset provision that would have ended it with the graduation high school class of 2020. The General Assembly extended the program by one year in the 2021 state budget. Currently, the program costs the state about $7 million per year, the General Assembly said.

The scholarship is open to graduating high school seniors who start classes at CCRI the following fall. To remain eligible, students must qualify for in-state tuition, have a GPA of at least 2.5 and be on track to graduate on time. The bill changed the requirements slightly to allow students with disabilities to keep their scholarship, even if it takes more than two years to graduate.

RI Promise is a "last-dollar" program, meaning it kicks in to cover remaining tuition only after Pell grants, scholarships and other financial aid are factored in.

Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, the Senate sponsor, said that with a college degree so necessary in today's economy, it's important to make affordable college options available to Rhode Islanders.

"Rhode Island, the nation and the world are increasingly knowledge economies," Ruggerio said. "Higher education is more necessary than ever before, and it has to be available and affordable for all Rhode Islanders. Rhode Island Promise has proven itself effective, significantly improving two-year graduation rates for students. Removing barriers to higher education, particularly its high cost, supports families, helps Rhode Islanders land better jobs, makes our workforce more attractive to employers and strengthens our economy. Rhode Island Promise is a great program that has proven itself effective, and we strongly support making it a permanent resource for students."