Hawaii Community College says more than 100 additional students could attend school for free if a proposed “Hawaii’s Promise” scholarship program is approved this year by the state Legislature.
Hawaii Community College says more than 100 additional students could attend school for free if a proposed “Hawaii’s Promise” scholarship program is approved this year by the state Legislature.
The program, as introduced in several bills, would provide state aid to eligible low-income students for tuition, fees, books, supplies and transportation costs not already covered by federal grants, state aid and private scholarships.
HCC Chancellor Rachel Solemsaas said the program would be a game-changer at the community college. Sixty-four percent of its roughly 2,900 students qualify for the Federal Pell Grant Program — higher than anywhere else in the state, she said.
Most Pell Grants are awarded to students whose families earn less than $30,000 per year.
“If this passed, it would be huge for Hawaii Community College,” Solemsaas said. “Because imagine if you don’t have to get a loan to fund your education — that (additional) $200 or $300 is enough (to convince those students) to wait and not enroll or say, ‘College is not for me.’ So, we really want this for our students.”
The University of Hawaii is requesting a $2.5 million appropriation, which it says would sufficiently fund “unmet need” for its current student population — about $1.7 million statewide — and a buffer for future unmet need, should enrollment increase once the program is implemented.
Unmet need is the amount of money a student pays after scholarships and grants are awarded.
Data provided by UH shows an estimated 116 HCC students had some amount of unmet need in the 2015-16 school year, averaging $368 each — the gap amount that would be covered by Hawaii’s Promise. Statewide, unmet need averaged $295 per student in 2015-16.
Full-time resident HCC students spend about $4,600 per year on tuition, fees and other “direct costs.”
“We don’t believe (college) should be free for everyone,” John Morton, UH vice president for community colleges, told the Tribune-Herald this week. “The people who can afford to pay, should pay. That’s a good public policy. … But at least for the students with need, we need to make sure the opportunity is there for them.”
The Tribune-Herald spoke with HCC students Thursday who said they’d support the program proposal.
Keala Bernabe, 19, said she thinks more aid could help those who otherwise might not be able to attend college “really accomplish their goals, get a job and probably give back to their community in that way.”
Student Jasmine Pacheo, 25, said she understands financial struggles firsthand because she currently is enrolled part-time so she can continue working to fund her education.
“I can afford (school) only because I work part-time,” Pacheo said. “But since I’m not able to be a full-time student, it’s taking a lot longer (to finish).”
Other states feature similar scholarship programs. Tennessee was among the first in the nation to adopt a Tennessee Promise program, and Oregon in 2015 signed into law Oregon Promise.
To be eligible for Hawaii’s Promise, students would need to qualify for resident tuition and be enrolled in a degree or certificate program for at least six credits per semester. Students also would need to first submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to determine their unmet need.
At least two Hawaii’s Promise bills, House bills 1594 and 1591, are slated to be heard next week.
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.