Revise Private Need-Based Scholarship.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 601

Short Title: Revise Private Need-Based Scholarship. (Public)
Sponsors: Senator Hise (Primary Sponsor).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 26, 2025
*S601-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO REVISE ELI GIBILITY REQUIREMENT S FOR NEED -BASED 2
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STU DENTS ATTENDING PRIV ATE INSTITUTIONS OF 3
HIGHER EDUCATION AND TO MAKE CERTAIN CONFORMING CHANGES. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
SECTION 1.(a) G.S. 116-280 reads as rewritten: 6
"§ 116-280. Definitions. 7
The following definitions apply to this Article: 8
… 9
(3) Eligible private postsecondary institution. – A school that is any of the 10
following: 11
a. A nonprofit postsecondary educational instituti on with a main 12
permanent campus located in this State that is not owned or operated 13
by the State of North Carolina or by an agency or political subdivision 14
of the State or by any combination thereof that satisfies all of the 15
following: 16
1. Is either (i) acc redited by a regional accrediting agency, as 17
defined in G.S. 115D-6.2 and G.S. 116-11.4, or the 18
Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools 19
or (ii) was accredited by SACSCOC on January 1, 2021, and, 20
beginning January 1, 2021, was a member of the Transnational 21
Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. 22
2. Awards a postsecondary degree as defined in G.S. 116-15. 23
a1. A postsecondary educational institution with a permanent campus 24
located in this State that is not owned or operated by the State of North 25
Carolina or an agency or political subdivision of the State or by any 26
combination thereof that satisfies all of the following: 27
1. Is accredited by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools 28
Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and designated by 29
SACSCOC as a level VI degree-granting institution. 30
2. Awards a postsecondary degree as defined in G.S. 116-15. 31
b. A postsecondary institution owned or operated by a hospital authority 32
as defined in G.S. 131E-16(14) or school of nursing affiliated with a 33
nonprofit postsecondary educational institution as defined in 34
sub-subdivision a. of this subsection. 35
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 601-First Edition
(4) Main permanent campus. – A campus owned by the eligible private 1
postsecondary institution that provides permanent on-premises housing, food 2
services, and classrooms with full -time faculty members and administration 3
that engages in postsecondary degree activity as defined in G.S. 116-15. 4
(4a) Permanent campus. – A campus owned by an eligible private postsecondary 5
institution that provides permanent classrooms with full-time faculty members 6
and administration that engages in postsecondary degree activity as defined in 7
G.S. 116-15. 8
…." 9
SECTION 1.(b) G.S. 116-209.100(1)c. reads as rewritten: 10
"c. A nonprofitAn eligible private postsecondary institution as defined in 11
G.S. 116-280(3)." 12
SECTION 2. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with 13
scholarships awarded in the 2025-2026 academic year. 14