Provides an annual scholarship of $1,000 for students with a minimum 3.0 high school GPA who attend a New York state public postsecondary institution.
Summary
This bill creates a new “state college attendance award” in the Education Law for certain New York students who graduate from a public high school in the state with at least a 3.0 cumulative average across all semesters of grades 9 through 12. To qualify, the student must enroll within one year of completing high school core graduation requirements in an associate or baccalaureate program at a public postsecondary institution in New York. Eligible students would receive $1,000 per year as an additional academic performance award.
The award is structured to last for up to four academic years of undergraduate study, subject to continued enrollment and the institution’s minimum academic standards. The bill sets the award at up to $2,000 total for students attending a community college in a two-year program and up to $4,000 total for students attending a public four-year college or university. The scholarship cannot exceed the student’s cost of attendance, but it may be combined with other scholarships or awards so long as the total aid does not surpass that cost.
Impact
The bill would amend the New York Education Law by adding a new section establishing a state-funded scholarship program tied to high school academic performance and enrollment in public higher education. It would create a new financial aid entitlement for qualifying students and require implementation rules to be in place by the effective date, which is 180 days after enactment. The program would affect public high school graduates, public colleges and universities, and state education administrators responsible for awarding and administering aid.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the available context, the measure appears to be presented as a student-support and college-access proposal with a straightforward, positive policy goal: rewarding strong high school performance and encouraging enrollment in New York public institutions. There are no recorded committee transcripts or votes in the provided materials, so there is no documented opposition or support beyond the bill’s introduction and referral to committee.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided record. Potential areas of debate, based on the bill’s design, could include the cost of the scholarship program, whether the 3.0 GPA threshold is the right eligibility standard, and whether limiting eligibility to students from New York public high schools and public postsecondary institutions is too narrow. Another possible issue is whether the award should be available to students attending private or out-of-state institutions, but the bill expressly limits the benefit to public institutions in New York.
Same As
Provides an annual scholarship of $1,000 for students with a minimum 3.0 high school GPA who attend a New York state public postsecondary institution.
Concerning the Washington college grant and college bound scholarship program for students attending private four-year not-for-profit institutions of higher education in Washington.
"Georgia Promise Scholarship Act"; public schools with a state-wide attendance zone and certain charter schools shall not be included in the separate list of public schools annually reported by the Office of Student Achievement; provide
Concerning the Washington college grant and college bound scholarship program for students attending private four-year not-for-profit institutions of higher education in Washington.
Requires public institutions of higher education to provide student-athletes who lose athletic scholarships because of injuries sustained while participating in athletic program with equivalent scholarships.