STATEWIDE — The Florida House Appropriations Committee is set to vote Wednesday on a higher education reform bill that would dramatically reduce the number of students eligible for EASE scholarships.
What You Need To Know
- EASE program provides tuition assistance to undergraduate
- Bill seeks to slash EASE scholarships
- If the bill is approved, thousands of students could lose scholarships
- RELATED: Senate Bill 86 Would Require College Students to Select Major That Leads Directly to Employment
The Effective Access to Student Education (EASE) program provides tuition assistance to undergraduate Florida residents attending the state’s private colleges and universities.
The bill would bar giving EASE scholarships to students attending half of the state’s 34 private colleges due to job placement, on-time graduation, and academic retention rates, which the bill’s sponsors say are far too low.
The scholarships average $2,841 per student and are generally thought of as a form of Bright Futures awards for students who do not choose to attend one of Florida's public universities. But some Republican lawmakers say the program has become a free-for-all.
If the bill is approved by the legislature, 12,826 students could lose their scholarships.