Bill > SB2141

This bill makes several changes to Tennessee's higher education laws, primarily focusing on financial aid and student transfer pathways. It clarifies eligibility and award rules for the Tennessee Student Assistance Program, which provides financial aid to students with financial need, using the Student Aid Index (SAI) from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine need. The bill also modifies rules for scholarships like the Tennessee HOPE scholarship, including requirements for continuous enrollment and the duration for which awards can be received, and introduces provisions for a Tennessee HOPE foster child tuition grant. Additionally, it mandates that new and existing transfer pathways, which are structured courses designed to allow community college students to seamlessly transfer to four-year institutions, be reviewed every five years, and allows the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) to conduct private meetings for personnel or contract discussions, though no official actions can be taken in these private sessions. The bill also establishes a "transfer designation institution" status for public and private non-profit colleges that commit to improving transfer student outcomes and exempts education provided to apprentices through registered apprenticeship programs from certain fees.