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HB0725 would expand Maryland’s definition of “dually enrolled student” to explicitly include students from nonpublic secondary schools and students who are homeschooled, in addition to students enrolled in public secondary schools. The bill makes those students eligible for existing higher-education financial aid programs tied to dual enrollment, including the Part-Time Grant Program and the Early College Access Grant, so long as they meet the programs’ other requirements such as residency and demonstrated financial need.
The bill also updates related statutory language to align the tuition and grant provisions with the broader definition of dual enrollment. It preserves the rule that public institutions of higher education may not charge tuition to dually enrolled students and maintains the county board payment structure for public-school students, while extending references in the law to include private and home school arrangements where applicable. The effective date is July 1, 2025.
HB0725 would amend several sections of the Education Article, primarily §§ 15-127, 18-1401, and 18-14A-01, to broaden eligibility for dual-enrollment-related tuition and grant benefits. In practical terms, it would allow nonpublic and homeschooled students to access state-supported higher education aid programs that were previously framed more narrowly around public secondary school students. The bill would affect institutions of higher education, the Maryland Higher Education Commission, county boards of education, and students participating in dual enrollment.
The available context suggests the bill is generally supportive of expanded educational access and choice, with the sponsors seeking to extend existing benefits to students outside the public school system. No committee transcript or recorded vote information is provided, so there is no direct evidence of formal support or opposition in the available materials. The bill’s framing indicates a policy preference for equalizing access to dual-enrollment opportunities across public, nonpublic, and homeschool settings.
The main policy issue is whether state-funded dual-enrollment aid should be extended beyond public-school students to include private-school and homeschool students. Supporters are likely to view the bill as a fairness and access measure, while potential critics may question the fiscal impact, whether county boards should help fund students outside the public system, and whether the expansion changes the original purpose of the grant programs. The bill text itself does not show any amendments or recorded objections, so specific opponents are not identified in the available record.