EDUCATION -- COUNCIL ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, the official text

S2650 2026 -- S 2650 ======== LC005305 ======== STATE OF RHODE ISLAND IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026 ____________ A N A C T RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COUNCIL ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION Introduced By: Senators Ciccone, Acosta, Mack, Quezada, and Vargas Date Introduced: February 27, 2026 Referred To: Senate Education It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: 1 SECTION 1. Section 16-59-9.3 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-59 entitled Council on 2 Postsecondary Education [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education Act] 3 is hereby amended to read as follows: 4 16-59-9.3. Student Success Act. 5 Notwithstanding any other provision of the general or public laws: 6 (1) A Any student , other than a nonimmigrant alien within the meaning of 8 U.S.C. § 7 1101(a)(15), who meets all of the following requirements shall be exempt from paying nonresident 8 tuition at Rhode Island public universities, colleges, or community colleges, if he or she the student : 9 (i) Attended an approved Rhode Island high school for three (3) or more consecutive years 10 at least one year ; 11 (ii) Continues to reside in the state of Rhode Island; 12 (iii) Has graduated from an approved Rhode Island high school or received a high school 13 equivalency diploma from the state of Rhode Island; and 14 (iv) Has filed, or will file, upon matriculation, with the Rhode Island public university, 15 college, or community college of expected attendance, an affidavit stating that : 16 (A) The the student meets the requirements of subsections (1)(i) and (1)(ii) through (1)(iii) 17 of this section ; and 18 (B) If the student is not a United States citizen and does not have a lawful immigration 19 status, that the student has filed an application for lawful immigration status, or will file the 1 application as soon as the student is eligible to do so. The affidavit shall not require students to 2 reveal their immigration or citizenship status. 3 (2) Any nonimmigrant foreign national student, who has resided in Rhode Island for three 4 (3) years and has attended a Rhode Island high school for three (3) years, will be eligible to pay the 5 same in-state tuition as any other Rhode Island student. 6 (3) (2) Identifiable student information obtained pursuant to subsection (1) of this section 7 shall be confidential to the extent provided by state and federal law (including the federal Family 8 Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)). If information obtained pursuant to this section 9 regarding a student’s immigration status is provided to any agency for purposes other than the 10 implementation of this section, the entity providing the information shall promptly notify the 11 student. 12 (4) (3) The Rhode Island council for postsecondary education shall prescribe rules and 13 regulations as may be necessary for the implementation of this section. 14 SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2026. ======== LC005305 ======== LC005305 - Page 2 of 3 EXPLANATION BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF A N A C T RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COUNCIL ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION *** 1 This act would provide an exemption from paying nonresident tuition to any student who 2 attended an approved Rhode Island high school for at least one year; continues to reside in the State 3 of Rhode Island; has graduated from an approved Rhode Island high school or received a high 4 school equivalency diploma from the State of Rhode Island; and has filed, or will file, upon 5 matriculation, with the Rhode Island public university, college, or community college of expected 6 attendance, the appropriate exemption request. 7 This act would take effect on July 1, 2026. ======== LC005305 ======== LC005305 - Page 3 of 3