5135-S2.E AMH HE H2629.1

E2SSB 5135 - H COMM AMD

By Committee on Higher Education

ADOPTED 04/17/2003

Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:

"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 28B.10 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Each four-year institution of higher education and the state board for community and technical colleges shall develop policies that ensure undergraduate students enrolled in degree or certificate programs complete their programs in a timely manner in order to make the most efficient use of instructional resources and provide capacity within the institution for additional students.

(2) Policies adopted under this section shall address, but not be limited to, undergraduate students in the following circumstances:

(a) Students who accumulate more than one hundred twenty-five percent of the number of credits required to complete their respective baccalaureate or associate degree or certificate programs;

(b) Students who drop more than twenty-five percent of their course load before the grading period for the quarter or semester, which prevents efficient use of instructional resources; and

(c) Students who remain on academic probation for more than one quarter or semester.

(3) Policies adopted under this section may include assessment by the institution of a surcharge in addition to regular tuition and fees to be paid by a student for continued enrollment.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) Each public four-year institution of higher education and the state board for community and technical colleges shall report to the higher education coordinating board by January 30, 2004, on the policies developed under section 1 of this act. The report shall include baseline data on the number and characteristics of students affected by the policies. If the policies were adopted before the effective date of this section, the report shall describe the impact of the policies.

(2) In the report, each four-year institution shall also describe policies developed and actions taken by the institution to eliminate barriers to timely completion of degree programs, including reducing the occasions where students cannot enroll in courses needed for their major due to overenrollment. The state board may select a sample of colleges to describe policies and actions to address course scheduling issues.

(3) The higher education coordinating board shall summarize the reports from the institutions and the state board and make a report to the higher education committees of the legislature by March 1, 2004. The report prepared by the higher education coordinating board shall include recommendations for additional legislative action, including whether increased tuition and fees should be uniformly charged to students as an additional incentive for timely completion of degree and certificate programs."

Correct the title.

EFFECT: Rather than requiring undergraduate students with more than 125 percent of the credits required for a degree to pay increased tuition, requires each four-year institution and the SBCTC to develop policies ensuring students complete degree programs in a timely manner. The policies must address students who: (a) Accumulate more than 125 percent of credits; (b) drop more than 25 percent of their class load during a term; and (c) are on academic probation for longer than one term. An institution may assess a surcharge for continued enrollment.

Institutions and the SBCTC report to the HECB by January 30, 2004, on the policies developed, including baseline data on students affected. The report also describes steps taken by the institution to improve the efficiency of course scheduling. The HECB summarizes the reports and makes a report to the Higher Education Committees of the Legislature by March 1, 2004, including recommendations for whether increased tuition should be uniformly charged to students as an additional incentive for timely completion of degrees.

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