A 7389: Establishes graduate tuition assistance program awards; sets amounts of such awards; provides for restrictions on such awards; makes related provisions.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7389 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY March 25, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. HYNDMAN -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. SEAWRIGHT -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Educa- tion AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to graduate tuition assistance program awards The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 6 of section 661 of the education law is 2 amended by adding a new paragraph d to read as follows: 3 d. No provision of this article shall be deemed to restrict eligible 4 graduate students from receiving awards pursuant to section six hundred 5 sixty-seven-b of this part. 6 § 2. The opening paragraph of subparagraph 1 of paragraph b of subdi- 7 vision 3 of section 663 of the education law, as amended by section 5 of 8 part J of chapter 58 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows: 9 The applicant is a student who was married on or before December thir- 10 ty-first of the calendar year prior to the beginning of the academic 11 year for which application is made or is an undergraduate or graduate 12 student who has reached the age of twenty-two on or before June thirti- 13 eth prior to the academic year for which application is made and who, 14 during the calendar year next preceding the semester, quarter or term of 15 attendance for which application is made and at all times subsequent 16 thereto up to and including the entire period for which application is 17 made: 18 § 3. Paragraph d of subdivision 3 of section 663 of the education law, 19 as amended by section 6 of part J of chapter 58 of the laws of 2011, is 20 amended to read as follows: 21 d. Any undergraduate or graduate student who was allowed to exclude 22 parental income pursuant to the provisions of subdivision three of 23 section six hundred three of this chapter as they existed prior to July 24 first, nineteen hundred seventy-four may continue to exclude such income EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD08410-01-5 
 A. 7389 2 1 for so long as [he] such undergraduate or graduate student continues to 2 comply with such provisions. 3 § 4. The education law is amended by adding a new section 667-b to 4 read as follows: 5 § 667-b. Graduate tuition assistance program awards. 1. Recipient 6 qualifications. Notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation 7 to the contrary, graduate tuition assistance program awards shall be 8 available for all students who are enrolled in approved post-baccalau- 9 reate programs leading to a graduate, first professional, or doctoral 10 degree in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, education or a 11 licensed healthcare profession, and who demonstrate the ability to 12 complete such courses, in accordance with standards established by the 13 commissioner, provided, however, that no award shall exceed one hundred 14 percent of the amount of tuition charged. 15 2. Duration. No graduate student shall be eligible for awards for more 16 than two years of post-baccalaureate studies. A student may not receive 17 awards under this section at the same time they receive awards under 18 section six hundred sixty-seven of this subpart, nor while they are 19 enrolled as an undergraduate student. 20 3. Graduate tuition assistance awards. The president shall make awards 21 to graduate students enrolled in approved programs at degree granting 22 institutions in the following amounts: 23 (a) for each year of graduate studies, an eligible graduate student 24 may receive up to five thousand six hundred sixty-five dollars or the 25 cost of their tuition, whichever is less; and 26 (b) the base amount as determined under paragraph (a) of this subdivi- 27 sion shall be reduced in relation to income as follows: 28 Amount of income  Schedule of reduction 29 of base amount 30 (i) Less than seven thousand  None 31 dollars 32 (ii) Seven thousand dollars or  Seven per centum of excess 33 more, but less than eleven  over seven thousand dollars 34 thousand dollars 35 (iii) Eleven thousand dollars or  Two hundred eighty dollars 36 more, but less than eighteen  plus ten per centum of excess 37 thousand dollars  over eleven thousand dollars 38 (iv) Eighteen thousand dollars or  Nine hundred eighty dollars 39 more, but not more than eighty  plus twelve per centum of 40 thousand dollars  excess over eighteen 41 thousand dollars. 42 (c) if the amount of reduction is not a whole dollar, it shall be 43 reduced to the next lowest whole dollar; and 44 (d) the minimum award pursuant to this section shall be one thousand 45 dollars. 46 4. Restrictions. In no event shall any award: 47 (a) exceed the amount of annual tuition charged to such student after 48 federal, state, or other education aid is received or receivable by such 49 student during the school year for which such award is applicable, that 50 in the judgement of the president would duplicate the purposes of this 51 award. The president shall promulgate rules and regulations to distin- 52 guish between duplicative aid, and non-duplicative aid such as research 53 and fellowship funding; 
 A. 7389 3 1 (b) be made when income exceeds the maximum income set forth in this 2 section; or 3 (c) be made for less than one thousand dollars, except where such 4 award is reduced pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivision. 5 § 5. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 6 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or 7 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of 8 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed 9 on or before such effective date.