16100689D
HOUSE BILL NO. 568
Offered January 13, 2016
Prefiled January 11, 2016
A BILL to amend and reenact §23-38.53:6 of the Code of
Virginia, relating to Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program grants.
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Patron-- Cox
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Committee Referral Pending
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §23-38.53:6 of the Code of Virginia is amended and
reenacted as follows:
§23-38.53:6. Eligible students; criteria for awarding grants;
renewals.
A. Only students who (i) are domiciled residents of Virginia
as defined by §23-7.4 and who are graduates of a high school in the
Commonwealth with a cumulative secondary school grade point average of at least
2.5 on a scale of 4.0 or its equivalent, or (ii) are dependent children of
active duty military personnel residing outside the Commonwealth pursuant to
military orders and claiming Virginia on their State of Legal Residence
Certificate and satisfying the domicile requirements for such active duty
military personnel pursuant to subsection B of §23-7.4, and who are graduates
of a high school inside or outside the Commonwealth with a cumulative secondary
school grade point average of at least 2.5 on a scale of 4.0 or its equivalent, and who
(iii) (ii) (a)
are accepted for enrollment as dependent students in any public institution of
higher education in Virginia, and (iv) (b) are not receiving state discretionary aid a Virginia Commonwealth Award,
and (c) demonstrate financial need
as defined by the State Council of Higher Education for
Virginia shall be eligible to receive such awards grants.
B. The amount of the
Guaranteed Assistance Program grant awarded students shall be determined
annually by the State Council of Higher Education. Eligibility for such awards
shall be determined according to the Congressional methodology for determining
financial need and eligibility for financial aid. Each eligible student shall receive such a grant from
the institution's appropriations for undergraduate student financial assistance
before grants are awarded to students with equivalent remaining need.
C. Each eligible student
shall receive a grant in an amount greater
than other grants awarded to students with equivalent remaining need.
D. Beginning with
first-time students enrolled in the fall semester in 2017, each eligible
student shall receive a grant in an
amount greater than the grant of
each eligible student with equivalent remaining need in the next-lowest class
level.
E. The amount of each grant shall
vary according to each student's remaining need and the total of tuition, fees,
and other necessary charges, including books. The actual amount of each grant shall
be determined by the proportionate award schedule adopted by each institution.
C. F. All grants shall be awarded
for one year, but may be renewed annually for no more than three subsequent
years of study and students shall not
receive subsequent grants until
they have satisfied the requirements to move to the next class level. Each
recipient may receive a maximum of one year of support per class level for a
maximum total of four years of support at a four-year public institution of
higher education and a maximum total of two years of support at a
two-year public institution of
higher education, provided that in no case shall a recipient
receive more than a combined total of four years of support,
if the recipient:
1. Maintains at least a 2.0 grade point average on a scale of
4.0 or its equivalent;
2. Demonstrates continued financial need;
3. Makes satisfactory academic progress toward a degree, earning not less than the minimum number of hours
of credit required for full-time standing in each academic period during
enrollment at a public institution of higher education in Virginia;
and
4. Maintains continuous enrollment for not less than two
semesters or three quarters in each successive academic year, unless granted an
exception for cause by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.
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