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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 3, 2015 04:44 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Anthony H. Williams |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Fly in 4 - Ensuring On-Time College Graduation |
| In the near future, I will introduce legislation called “Fly in 4” that will give college students the support they need to graduate on-time, which saves students money and allows them start their careers sooner. Time is money. In Pennsylvania, only 55% of first-time, full-time bachelor’s degree students graduate in four years or less, according to the PA Department of Education’s 2014 Higher Education Completion Rate Report published in January. Every extra year of education costs students thousands of dollars in both tuition and interest. A study by Temple University and University of Texas-Austin found that extending a 4-year degree program by two years can increase student debt by 70%. Named after a similar initiative at Temple University, “Fly in 4” is a pilot program to be administered by the Department of Education that will offer a $4,000 stipend per year to students that meet the following criteria: complete 30 credits per year, work 20 hours or less a semester, meet with an academic advisor every semester, more strictly follow an academic program map, register timely for classes, promptly notify an advisor when unable to schedule a required class, and complete a graduation review two semesters before the student’s target graduation date. In exchange, participating schools will guarantee access to academic advising and graduation maps, early warnings when academic progress may not satisfy on-time graduation, and appropriate academic course alternatives or substitutes when a required course is unavailable. Both community colleges and schools in the PA State System of Higher Education are eligible to participate in this pilot program. Participating schools may receive a grant from the Department of Education to increase support for academic advising and resources. The pilot will be paid for by a $10 million appropriation on a first-come, first-served basis. Please join me to give college students the support they may need to graduate on-time. Pennsylvania has some of the highest costs for public, private and community college education in the nation. Pennsylvania funds public higher education at approximately 50 percent of the national average. In Pennsylvania, an estimated 71 percent of students graduate with debt, with the average of $32,258 per student. This bill is part of the multi-faceted College Access Plan (CAP). CAP is a comprehensive package of legislation designed to improve student access to higher education, reduce student debt and jump-start Pennsylvania’s economy. |
Introduced as SB102