SB268: providing in-state tuition rates at any university system of New Hampshire institution for any person registered to vote in this state.

SB 268-FN - AS INTRODUCED

2019 SESSION

19-0926

04/06

SENATE BILL 268-FN

AN ACT providing in-state tuition rates at any university system of New Hampshire institution for any person registered to vote in this state.

SPONSORS: Sen. French, Dist 7

COMMITTEE: Education and Workforce Development

ANALYSIS

This bill offers in-state tuition at any institution in the university system of New Hampshire for any person who is registered to vote in this state.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

19-0926

04/06

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Nineteen

AN ACT providing in-state tuition rates at any university system of New Hampshire institution for any person registered to vote in this state.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 New Section; State College and University System; In-state Tuition for Persons Registered to Vote. Amend RSA 187-A by inserting after section 20-c the following new section:

187-A:20-d In-state Tuition for Persons Registered to Vote. The board of trustees shall provide the in-state undergraduate tuition rate at any institution in the university system of New Hampshire for up to 4 years for any person who submits to the board satisfactory written proof that such person is registered to vote in this state. To receive the in-state rate, such person shall submit to the board proof of registration to vote prior to the beginning of each academic year.

2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

LBAO

19-0926

1/24/19

SB 268-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

AN ACT providing in-state tuition rates at any university system of New Hampshire institution for any person registered to vote in this state.

FISCAL IMPACT: [ X ] State [ ] County [ ] Local [ ] None

Estimated Increase / (Decrease)

STATE:

FY 2020

FY 2021

FY 2022

FY 2023

Appropriation

$0

$0

$0

$0

Revenue

$0

Indeterminable Decrease

Indeterminable Decrease

Indeterminable Decrease

Expenditures

$0

$0

$0

$0

Funding Source:

[ ] General [ ] Education [ ] Highway [ X ] Other - University System of New Hampshire, Community College System of New Hampshire

METHODOLOGY:

This bill requires that out-of-state undergraduates enrolling at University System of New Hampshire (USNH) institutions, who submit proof of registration to vote in New Hampshire prior to the beginning of each academic year, be eligible for the resident tuition rates for up to four years. It is assumed this bill will result in an overall decrease in USNH revenue by an indeterminable amount starting in FY 2021 and each year thereafter. While it is difficult to estimate this bill's impact on enrollment, the table below, which includes FY 2019 tuition levels and total full-time equivalent undergraduate students (participation among eligible students is expected to be high), illustrates the potential single year revenue shortfall USNH could experience as result of this bill.

FY 2019 Data

University of New Hampshire (Durham)

University of New Hampshire (Manchester)

Plymouth State University

Keene

State

College

Granite State College

Non-Resident Tuition

$30,520

$30,150

$20,250

$20,432

$8,520

Resident Tuition

$15,140

$14,780

$11,580

$11,468

$7,536

Tuition Rate Differential

($15,380)

($15,370)

($8,670)

($8,964)

($984)

Non-Resident Undergraduate Full-Time Equivalents

6,845

23

1,899

1,929

217

Total Potential Revenue Difference

($105,276,100)

($353,510)

($16,464,330)

($17,291,556)

($213,528)

USNH Total

($139,599,024)

To address the revenue shortfall resulting from this bill, USNH states it would take one of the following actions: 1) increase tuition rates, 2) decrease institutional aid across the USNH’s approximately 25,000 students, or 3) a combination of increasing tuition rates and decreasing institutional aid to students. The USNH also notes efforts to increase tuition would likely result in reduced enrollment, particularly in-state students.

The Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH), while not included in the provisions of this bill, still may experience an impact on revenue to the extent a non-resident student that otherwise would have attended CCSNH opts to attend a USNH institution instead. Currently, CCSNH reports only seven percent of its students are non-residents. Any impact this bill may have on CCSNH revenue is indeterminable.

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

University System of New Hampshire and Community College System of New Hampshire