HB2963 amends the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OLAAP), the state scholarship/tuition assistance program commonly known as Oklahoma’s Promise. The bill removes the ACT test requirement from the eligibility criteria for students who graduate from non-accredited high schools or complete their education through nontraditional means, while leaving in place the alternative SAT or CLT score options as determined by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. The measure otherwise preserves the program’s existing residency, citizenship/lawful presence, GPA, curriculum, admission, enrollment, and financial-need requirements, as well as the special eligibility pathway for certain children of military members killed in the line of duty.
The bill also keeps the current retention rules for students already in the program, including academic standing, satisfactory progress, and conduct requirements, and it continues to authorize the State Regents and the State Board of Career and Technology Education to promulgate rules. The act is set to take effect July 1, 2026, and includes an emergency clause, which would make it effective immediately upon passage and approval.
In terms of state law impact, HB2963 would amend 70 O.S. 2021, Section 2603, narrowing the standardized testing requirement by eliminating the ACT as a mandatory pathway for some applicants. This would affect students seeking OLAAP awards, especially homeschool students, students from non-accredited schools, and students educated outside traditional school settings, while leaving the broader structure of the program intact.
The available voting history suggests generally favorable sentiment, with the House Appropriations and Budget Education Subcommittee advancing the bill on a 7-3 do pass vote. No committee transcript is available, so the record does not show detailed debate, but the vote indicates support for easing access to the program by reducing one testing barrier.
The main point of contention is likely the policy choice to remove the ACT requirement. Supporters would view the change as expanding access and reflecting broader testing flexibility, while opponents may worry about lowering academic screening standards or reducing a uniform benchmark for eligibility. Because the bill retains SAT and CLT alternatives, the dispute appears to center on whether the ACT should remain a required option at all for these applicants.
HB2963 would amend Oklahoma’s Higher Learning Access Act, specifically the eligibility statute for Oklahoma’s Promise, by removing the ACT test requirement for certain applicants while preserving other academic and financial eligibility standards. The change would primarily affect students from non-accredited schools and nontraditional education settings, and it would leave the State Regents’ rulemaking authority and the program’s retention requirements unchanged.
The bill appears to have favorable momentum based on the 7-3 do pass vote in the House Appropriations and Budget Education Subcommittee. With no transcript available, the discussion record does not show detailed arguments, but the committee action suggests support for making the scholarship program more accessible by eliminating a testing hurdle.
The likely controversy is whether standardized testing should remain part of eligibility for Oklahoma’s Promise. Supporters of the bill likely favor removing the ACT as an unnecessary barrier for homeschool, private, and nontraditional students, while critics may argue that the test helps ensure readiness and consistency in program admissions. The bill does not eliminate testing entirely, since SAT and CLT equivalents remain available, which may reduce but not eliminate concerns about academic standards.