State Rep. Kim Rose (D-Milford) joined colleagues to roll out House Bill #5371, An Act Establishing The Free 2 Start Scholarship Program And The Free 2 Finish Scholarship Program, which promises state aid to help qualified Connecticut students start and complete their college careers at community colleges and state universities. The aim is to improve college graduation rates and prepare the state workforce for the thousands of new jobs needed in the near future.
If approved, the scholarship would take effect in the fall of 2019, and Connecticut would become one of several states in America – following recent efforts in New York, Rhode Island, and others – to provide a state-sponsored higher education scholarship for qualified students.
“One of main hindrances for students attempting to seek a degree is the prohibitive cost and subsequent debt they are left with when they finish their studies,” Rose said. “This bill will help employed graduates to contribute to the economy by alleviating their monthly outlays.”
Similar to New York’s Excelsior Scholarship Program and Rhode Island’s RI Promise, Connecticut’s Free 2 Start/Free 2 Finish college program is a so-called “last dollar” program which does not supplant existing institutional awards or other aid. It simply fills in the missing funding gaps.
According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, from 2009 to 2015, 74 percent of Connecticut students completed their four-year public college degree within six years (the fifth-best completion rate in the country), but only 34 percent of students completed their two-year community college degree within six years – placing Connecticut 33rd out of 50 states.
The Connecticut program would have two main components. The “Free 2 Start” portion would grant state aid for tuition and required fees for the first two academic years at a regional community-technical college. To be eligible, students would have to be full-time undergraduates in good academic standing. They would also have to meet annual family income guidelines of $48,060 for a family of two, $60,480 for a family of three, and $72,900 for a family of four. The state would provide a minimum benefit of $1,000 per year.
The “Free 2 Finish” portion would provide state aid for tuition and required fees to complete an associate’s or bachelor’s degree at a Connecticut public university. Eligible students would need to have graduated from a Connecticut high school. As with Free 2 Start, students would need to be full-time undergraduates who met annual income guidelines, and they would receive a minimum benefit of $1,000 per year. In addition, they would have to participate in a volunteer-based mentorship and counseling program.
“I am looking forward to working this session to move this bill forward and hope that it gains the support to pass,” Rose said. “This would be a great investment in Connecticut’s future.”