HB693: HB693 Postsecondary education; tuition equalization grants at private colleges and universities; expand definition of approved school

Georgia's tuition equalization grant program (O.C.G.A. § 20-3-411) sends state money to students at certain approved private colleges to offset the cost difference between private and public tuition. This bill rewrites the definition of an 'approved school' that qualifies for that program. It changes the cutoff date for qualifying proprietary (for-profit) institutions from January 1, 2021 back to January 1, 2015, meaning schools must show they met the requirements by the earlier date and have been located in Georgia since then. It also adds a brand-new category: nonproprietary institutions that offer a baccalaureate nursing degree, are accredited by nursing and regional accreditors, have a nursing licensing exam pass rate of at least 80 percent, and have had a Georgia campus for at least ten years as of June 30, 2025. Only the nursing program itself would count as approved, and that approval would not extend to other state scholarship or dual enrollment programs.

• Moves back the eligibility date for qualifying proprietary colleges from January 1, 2021 to January 1, 2015, changing which schools count as long-established in Georgia.
• Creates a new approved-school category for nonproprietary institutions with baccalaureate nursing programs that meet specific accreditation and licensing exam pass-rate standards.
• Requires the new nursing-program category to have a Georgia campus in place for at least ten years as of June 30, 2025 to qualify.
• Limits the new nursing category so only the nursing degree program itself, not the whole institution, is treated as an approved school for grant purposes.
• Blocks institutions approved under the new nursing division from also being treated as eligible for HOPE scholarships, dual enrollment funding, or other unrelated state grant programs.
• Renumbers and reorganizes the existing divisions of the approved school definition to fit in the new nursing category.

Private, nonprofit and for-profit colleges and universities in Georgia, especially those with long-standing nursing programs or older proprietary institutions, along with the students who receive tuition equalization grants and the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission, which reviews and approves schools for the program.

Changing the qualifying dates and adding a nursing-specific pathway could make some colleges newly eligible for state tuition grants while others lose or retain eligibility based on when they were established in Georgia, directly affecting which students can receive this state financial aid.

• Section 1 revises paragraph (2) of O.C.G.A. § 20-3-411, the definition of 'approved school' for tuition equalization grants.
• Subparagraph (A) keeps existing rules for nonproprietary in-state institutions accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, including grace periods for lapsed or pending accreditation.
• New division (B)(ii) creates eligibility for nonproprietary institutions with baccalaureate nursing programs meeting accreditation, Pell eligibility, and a required National Council Licensure Examination four-year average pass rate of at least 80 percent.
• The nursing division requires at least one Georgia instructional campus in place for ten years as of June 30, 2025 and limits approval to the nursing program itself.
• The nursing division explicitly excludes approved programs from counting as eligible institutions under the Dual Enrollment Act (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-161.3) or for HOPE scholarships and grants.
• Division (B)(i) changes the qualifying date for proprietary baccalaureate institutions from January 1, 2021 to January 1, 2015.
• Section 2 repeals conflicting laws, a standard closing provision.

1. 2026-03-06House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
2. 2025-03-04House Second Readers (House)
3. 2025-03-03House First Readers (House)
4. 2025-02-28House Hopper (House)

• Kasey Carpenter (R, HD-004)Primary sponsor

• tuition equalization grants
• higher education funding
• private colleges
• nursing programs
• postsecondary education