S-2052.2 _______________________________________________
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5924
_______________________________________________
State of Washington 54th Legislature 1995 Regular Session
By Senate Committee on Higher Education (originally sponsored by Senators Kohl, Wood, Bauer, A. Anderson, Sheldon, Prince, Drew, Quigley, McAuliffe, Fairley and West)
Read first time 02/28/95.
AN ACT Relating to increased tuition fees for excess credits taken at institutions of higher education; and adding new sections to chapter 28B.15 RCW.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 28B.15 RCW to read as follows:
(1) For resident undergraduate students who have accumulated more than one hundred fifteen percent of the number of credits required to complete their respective baccalaureate degree programs at a state university, regional university, or The Evergreen State College, tuition fees shall equal one hundred fifty percent of the standard resident undergraduate tuition rate at each respective institution as prescribed in this chapter.
(2) For nonresident undergraduate students who have accumulated more than one hundred fifteen percent of the number of credits required to complete their respective baccalaureate degree programs at a state university, regional university, or The Evergreen State College, tuition fees shall equal one hundred fifty percent of the standard nonresident undergraduate tuition rate at each respective institution as prescribed in this chapter.
(3) The following exceptions apply to subsections (1) and (2) of this section:
(a) Credits earned at private institutions of higher education in the state of Washington, at public or private institutions of higher education in other states, or through advanced placement programs shall not be applied to the total accumulated for the purposes of this section;
(b) For community college transfer students, credits earned at a community college that are in excess of the credits necessary to complete an associate degree shall not be applied to the total accumulated for the purposes of this section;
(c) This section shall not apply to any dislocated worker as defined by RCW 50.04.075 or to any person engaging in a job training program under the purview of the work force training and education coordinating board;
(d) This section shall not apply to students who are enrolled in institutionally established double-degree programs;
(e) This section shall not apply to certificated teachers of the K-12 school system who are pursuing continuing education credits according to certification requirements;
(f) Any credits earned before the 1991-92 academic year shall not be applied to the total accumulated for the purposes of this section.
(4) The total amount of tuition fees collected from each student according to subsections (1) and (2) of this section that is in excess of one hundred percent of the respective tuition fees in RCW 28B.15.202 and 28B.15.402 or successor tuition statutes shall be used for quality enhancements that are of direct benefit to students. These quality enhancements may include:
(a) Increased number of offerings per term of class sections of required general education courses;
(b) Increased financial aid dollars available to qualified students;
(c) Increased undergraduate enrollment; and
(d) Additional opportunities for students seeking a specific vocational degree.
(5) Quality enhancements do not include dollars for faculty salaries.
(6) Students who believe they are under extraordinary or unforeseen academic or personal circumstances or were unable to complete their baccalaureate degree program within the number of credits specified due to institutional constraints may petition the institution for a special waiver from the tuition provision of subsections (1) and (2) of this section. The governing board of each institution shall create a process through which student petitions may be fairly processed, heard, and determined.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28B.15 RCW to read as follows:
The general fund‑-state appropriation may not be reduced by the amount of operating fees revenue collected as a result of section 1 of this act.
--- END ---