Lawmakers across the country considered more than 2,300 bills related to postsecondary education during the 2024 legislative session. All tracked bills are all available in the NCSL Postsecondary Legislation Database.
Financial Aid and Affordability
States considered nearly 450 bills in 2024 related to state financial aid and scholarship programs, comprising the largest category of tracked legislation. Colorado passed a statewide last-dollar promise program that will cover tuition and fees at trade schools, community colleges and up to two years of credit at four-year universities for students from families with a household income of less than $90,000. The scholarship will provide tax credits to students and families for the tuition they have paid in the past year beginning in 2025. Michigan modified the state’s Promise Zones to allow financial aid to be used for expenses including on-campus room and board.
States continue to modify existing financial aid programs to increase flexibility and expand access. Alaska passed legislation to modify its Performance Scholarship including, adding program options for career and technical education, requiring school districts to notify students about eligibility for the scholarship and increasing the maximum number of years students may use the scholarship to eight. Louisiana tweaked the MJ Foster Promise Program to lower the eligible age for a student from 21 to 17 by the 2027-28 award year. New Mexico also changed its promise program to modify credit hour eligibility requirements and exclude dual credit classes from counting towards the cap. States also passed legislation to modify or create scholarship programs for certain professions including educators in Utah, behavioral health specialists in Washington and STEM professions in West Virginia. Connecticut will require higher education institutions to disclose policies on scholarship displacement in the initial financial aid package offered to each student.
States continue to consider programs for certain student populations such as incarcerated individuals. Maryland passed legislation to require the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to assist incarcerated individuals in accessing federal Pell Grants, set goals for the number of incarcerated individuals in education programs and establish tracking systems relating to the number of incarcerated individuals. Legislation passed in Oklahoma will make financial aid available to incarcerated individuals who are within five years of release.
Student Supports
As lawmakers continued to address affordability, states also focused on student support programs to increase completion rates. Virginia became at least the 11th state to pass a ‘hunger-free campus’ bill and will require the State Council of Higher Education to survey each public institution of higher education and make available a guidance document on addressing on-campus food insecurity.
Maryland also created the Financial Well-Being Pilot Program to provide comprehensive financial guidance and coaching to help students who may benefit from financial coaching service. New Hampshire passed legislation that will include student housing in municipal housing regulations and create a committee to study options for student housing.
Governance and Finance
After spending more than $112 billion to support higher education institutions in fiscal year 2023, state lawmakers continued to examine higher education funding models and governance. Legislators in Kentucky made several changes to the state’s funding formula including: adding language to define nontraditional students by age, removing race-based metrics, and weighting credentials aligned with state economic needs. The legislation also increases the share of funding distributed based on student success outcomes to 40% of funding, compared to 35% in prior years. Iowa lawmakers passed a measure that will allow the state’s 15 community colleges to develop a funding formula to replace the previous fixed distribution funding model. The formula must be agreed to by at least 10 of the community college presidents. Pennsylvania passed a law to create Performance-Based Funding Council to develop a process to distribute funding to universities.
Utah became the second state to pass legislation that requires university leadership to develop policies for a post-tenure review for higher education faculty. Indiana passed a law that includes provisions that allow limiting or restrictions for tenure if conditions related to intellectual diversity and free expression are not met.
Transfer
Facilitating successful and efficient transfer of college credits remains a significant challenge for state postsecondary systems. Only about one-third of students who start a postsecondary education at a community college transfer to four-year schools, and only 16% earn a bachelor's degree.
State lawmakers continue to address transfer issues through a variety of strategies. Georgia passed legislation that requires a biennial report listing courses approved to be transferable between units of the university system and the technical college system and Indiana passed a measure that will create a reverse transfer program for associates degrees.
Colorado amended its Rights of Higher Education Students to include guaranteed transfer pathways for all lower-division general education courses and provided students with the right to appeal an institution’s decision not to accept a student’s request to transfer.
Admissions
States continue to address policies governing admissions standards at colleges and universities. In 2024, California, Illinois, Maryland, and Virginia passed legislation to prohibit the use of legacy admissions at colleges and universities. Wisconsin passed a measure that will create a guaranteed admissions program for students who are in the upper 10% of their high school graduating class.
Credentials and Skills-Based Hiring
The popularity of skills-based hiring continued to accelerate in 2024, with Idaho joining at least 20 other states in eliminating degree requirements for state jobs.
States also continued to examine nondegree credential offerings. Colorado passed legislation requiring numerous state agencies to evaluate nondegree credentials offered through state-recognized programs to ensure the credentials meet quality standards. The legislation also requires the Colorado Department of Higher Education to complete a stakeholder process focusing on adopting the International Standard Classification of Education as a state framework for classifying nondegree credentials.
Virginia passed legislation to require the state board of education to develop and maintain a list of industry-recognized workforce credentials. The list must be developed in collaboration with the Virginia Community College System, local career and Technical Education directors, and relevant industry partners.
Oklahoma created the Access and Achievement Scholarship to support students with intellectual disabilities to pursue postsecondary education including nondegree credential options. Washington expanded career and technical education programs including provisions to develop an allied health professions career and technical education program for providing instruction to students who are pursuing industry-recognized nondegree credentials. Georgia passed legislation to raise incentives for apprenticeships under the Higher Demand Apprenticeship program.
Campus Safety
Lawmakers responded to a variety of campus safety concerns including sexual misconduct, drug abuse and firearms on campus.
California passed a measure requiring public colleges to annually update sexual violence and harassment training to students and mandate the training include a focus on drug-facilitated sexual assault. Vermont will also require annual training on sexual misconduct.
Washington became the second state to mandate public resources and prevention education for opioid and fentanyl abuse, while also requiring naloxone and fentanyl strips and trainings be provided in student housing.
South Carolina passed a constitutional carry law in 2024 that maintains possession of a firearm at a postsecondary institution as unlawful, unless kept in a locked vehicle. Colorado passed legislation that prohibits the possession of a firearm, either open or concealed at all public colleges and universities.
Student Loans
States continue to respond to challenges created by student loan debt for borrowers and families. Kentucky created the Teacher Recruitment Student Loan Forgiveness Pilot Program to provide up to $5,000 for students who are accepted into eligible programs of study and agree to teach for at least one year in a public school within the commonwealth. The legislation also provides stipends of up to $5,000 for student teachers. Georgia enacted a measure that will provide for student loan repayment for mental health and substance use professionals. Illinois raised the amount of loan forgiveness for its behavioral healthcare professional loan forgives program by up to $8,000 per year. Kansas passed legislation to create an OBGYN medical loan repayment fund for medical students who complete a postgraduate residency training program.
Connecticut passed a law expanding tax credits for employers who make loan payments on behalf of qualified employees to any student loan. Rhode Island became one of a dozen states to address withholding transcripts for student loan borrowers, passing a law that prohibits loan servicers from withholding a student’s transcript.
Ballot Measures
- California: Proposition 2 would allow the state to issue $10 billion in bonds to fund construction of educational facilities, including $1.5 billion for community college facilities. Pass
- Nevada: Question 1 would remove provisions governing the Board of Regents and allow the state legislature to review and change the governing organization of state universities. Fail
- Rhode Island: Question 2 would allow the issuing of $160.5 million in bonds for improvements to higher education institutions. Pass