STUDENT/TUITION: Provides relative to tuition and fees for certain distance education courses

Education

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Barbara Reich Freiberg
Last action: 2026-05-22
Official status: Signed by the Governor - Act 334
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest do not provide additional details beyond what is stated in the official bill text.

Tuition and Fees for Distance Education Courses

This act allows Louisiana public postsecondary education management boards to charge tuition and attendance fees for distance education courses, similar to traditional in-person classes.

What This Bill Does

Allows public postsecondary education management boards to set tuition and attendance fees for students taking undergraduate, graduate, or professional courses through distance education if such programs are comparable to traditional in-person classroom instruction.
Permits proportional amounts of tuition and fees for part-time students and summer sessions.

Who It Names or Affects

Students enrolled in distance education courses at Louisiana public postsecondary institutions.
Public postsecondary education management boards in Louisiana.

Terms To Know

Distance Education: Courses or programs that are offered online or through other remote methods, rather than in a traditional classroom setting.

Limits and Unknowns

The act does not specify the exact amount of tuition and fees for distance education courses.
It is unclear how these changes will affect students who cannot afford higher tuition rates.

Bill History

2026-05-22 H
Effective date: 08/01/2026.
2026-05-22 H
Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 334.
2026-05-19 H
Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
2026-05-18 S
Signed by the President of the Senate.
2026-05-18 H
Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
2026-05-18 H
Received from the Senate without amendments.
2026-05-13 S
Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 34 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
2026-05-05 S
Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
2026-05-04 S
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
2026-04-29 S
Rules suspended. Reported favorably.
2026-04-15 S
Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Education.
2026-04-14 S
Received in the Senate. Rules suspended. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
2026-04-14 H
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 85, nays 8. The bill, having received two-thirds vote of the elected members, was finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
2026-04-13 H
Scheduled for floor debate on 04/14/2026.
2026-04-09 H
Read by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
2026-04-08 H
Reported favorably (10-0).
2026-03-31 H
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Education.
2026-03-30 H
Read by title. Lies over under the rules.

Official Summary Text

STUDENT/TUITION: Provides relative to tuition and fees for certain distance education courses

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 1078
BY REPRESENTATIVES FREIBERG, CARLSON, CARPENTER, EDMONSTON, ST.
BLANC, AND TAYLOR
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 17:3351.17(A) and (B), relative to tuition and fees at public
3 postsecondary education institutions; to authorize public postsecondary education
4 management boards to impose tuition and attendance fees for certain distance
5 education courses; to authorize proportional amounts for certain academic periods;
6 and to provide for related matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 17:3351.17(A) and (B) are hereby amended and reenacted to read
9 as follows:
10 §3351.17. Distance education; tuition and attendance fees; waivers; public
11 postsecondary education management boards
12 A. In addition to the authority granted by any other provision of law,
13 including but not limited to R.S. 17:3139.5, and in accordance with Article VII,
14 Section 2.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana, the Board of Supervisors of Louisiana
15 State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, the Board of Supervisors
16 of Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, the Board of
17 Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System, and the Board of Supervisors
18 of Community and Technical Colleges may impose the following at each institution
19 under its respective management and supervision: for the Fall 2013 semester and
20 thereafter tuition
Page 1 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 1078 ENROLLED
1 (1) Tuition and attendance fees for students enrolled in an undergraduate,
2 graduate, or professional academic degree program offered entirely through distance
3 education. as defined by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools when
4 such program is comparable to a program offered through traditional in-person
5 classroom instruction.
6 (2) Tuition and attendance fees for students enrolled in an undergraduate,
7 graduate, or professional course offered entirely through distance education.
8 B. The authority granted in Subsection A of this Section shall include the
9 authority to impose proportional amounts for part-time students and for summer
10 sessions and academic periods other than semesters or quarters.
11 * * *
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 2 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.