Relating To The University Of Hawaii Promise Program.
Summary
HB542 expands the University of Hawaii Promise Program beyond the community college system to include qualified undergraduate students at UH Manoa, UH Hilo, and UH West Oahu. The bill would authorize need-based scholarships for students with unmet direct educational costs, including tuition, fees, books, supplies, and transportation, so long as they meet residency, FAFSA, enrollment, and satisfactory academic progress requirements. It also keeps the existing community college program in place while revising the statute to reflect that the program now applies to all University of Hawaii campuses.
The bill sets eligibility rules by campus type: community college students must enroll in at least six credits per semester, while students at four-year campuses must enroll in at least twelve credits per semester. Awards would be limited to the student’s unmet need after other aid such as Pell Grants, scholarships, and other non-repayable assistance, and would be distributed based on available funding and greatest need. The measure also includes a general fund appropriation for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to support implementation of the expanded scholarship program.
Impact
HB542 would amend section 304A-506, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to broaden the Hawaii Promise Program from a community college-only scholarship program into a statewide University of Hawaii need-based aid program covering both two-year and four-year campuses. It would create new statutory eligibility criteria for undergraduate students at UH Manoa, UH Hilo, and UH West Oahu, while preserving and updating the existing community college provisions. The bill also appropriates general funds to the University of Hawaii to pay for the expanded scholarships, thereby increasing state support for higher education access and potentially affecting future budget planning and scholarship administration.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee transcripts or votes, the overall sentiment appears supportive and policy-driven. The findings section frames the measure as a response to affordability barriers, unmet student need, and the state’s workforce and degree-attainment goals. The bill’s structure suggests a broadly favorable view of expanding financial aid to help more Hawaii residents complete degrees, especially at four-year campuses where students currently do not benefit from the Promise Program.
Contention
The main policy issue embedded in the bill is cost and scope: expanding need-based scholarships to four-year campuses would require additional state funding and could increase demand on limited appropriations. Another possible point of concern is eligibility design, including the requirement that students accept all other non-repayable aid, maintain satisfactory academic progress, and meet full-time or near-full-time credit thresholds depending on campus type. However, no committee discussion or vote record is provided, so no specific opposition or competing viewpoints can be identified from the available materials.