AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COUNCIL ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION (Provides any student, who meets the requirements of this section, with an exemption from paying nonresident tuition at Rhode Island public universities, colleges, or community colleges.)

S2650

2026 -- S 2650
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LC005305
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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:
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SECTION 1. Section 16-59-9.3 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-59 entitled "Council on
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Postsecondary Education [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]"
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is hereby amended to read as follows:
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16-59-9.3. Student Success Act.
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Notwithstanding any other provision of the general or public laws:
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(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
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tuition at Rhode Island public universities, colleges, or community colleges, if
he or she

the student
:
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(i) Attended an approved Rhode Island high school for
three (3) or more consecutive years

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at least one year
;
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(ii) Continues to reside in the state of Rhode Island;
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(iii) Has graduated from an approved Rhode Island high school or received a high school
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equivalency diploma from the state of Rhode Island;
and
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(iv) Has filed, or will file, upon matriculation, with the Rhode Island public university,
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college, or community college of expected attendance, an affidavit stating that
:
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(A) The

the
student meets the requirements of subsections (1)(i)
and (1)(ii)

through (1)(iii)

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of this section
; and
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(B) If the student is not a United States citizen and does not have a lawful immigration
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status, that the student has filed an application for lawful immigration status, or will file the

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application as soon as the student is eligible to do so. The affidavit shall not require students to
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reveal their immigration or citizenship status.
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(2) Any nonimmigrant foreign national student, who has resided in Rhode Island for three
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(3) years and has attended a Rhode Island high school for three (3) years, will be eligible to pay the
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same in-state tuition as any other Rhode Island student.
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(3)
(2)
Identifiable student information obtained pursuant to subsection (1) of this section
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shall be confidential to the extent provided by state and federal law (including the federal Family
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Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)).
If information obtained pursuant to this section
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regarding a student’s immigration status is provided to any agency for purposes other than the
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implementation of this section, the entity providing the information shall promptly notify the
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student.
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(4)
(3)
The Rhode Island council for postsecondary education shall prescribe rules and
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regulations as may be necessary for the implementation of this section.
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SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COUNCIL ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION
***
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This act would provide an exemption from paying nonresident tuition to any student who
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attended an approved Rhode Island high school for at least one year; continues to reside in the State
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of Rhode Island; has graduated from an approved Rhode Island high school or received a high
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school equivalency diploma from the State of Rhode Island; and has filed, or will file, upon
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matriculation, with the Rhode Island public university, college, or community college of expected
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attendance, the appropriate exemption request.
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This act would take effect on July 1, 2026.
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