--- title: SB 149. Tuition Equalization Grants at Private Colleges and Universities; definition of approved school; revise collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sb149 cite_as: SB 149, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb149 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb149.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb149/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70240 date: 2025-04-30 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb148.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb150.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 952 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb149.md?full=1 bill_number: SB 149 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-04-30 last_action: Effective Date 2025-07-01 sponsors: - Billy Hickman - Clint Dixon - Ricky Williams - Max Burns - Russ Goodman - Houston Gaines text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB149/2025 upstream_id: 1968086 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - tuition equalization grants - private colleges - higher education funding - college eligibility rules --- # SB 149. Tuition Equalization Grants at Private Colleges and Universities; definition of approved school; revise ## Text 25 LC 49 2116 Senate Bill 149 By: Senators Hickman of the 4th, Dixon of the 45th, Williams of the 25th, Burns of the 23rd and Goodman of the 8th AS PASSED A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Code Section 20-3-411 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to1 definitions regarding tuition equalization grants at private colleges and universities, so as to2 revise the definition of approved school; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting3 laws; and for other purposes.4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:5 SECTION 1.6 Code Section 20-3-411 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated , relating to definitions7 regarding tuition equalization grants at private colleges and u niversities, is amended by8 revising division (2)(B)(i) as follows:9 "(B)(i) A qualified proprietary institution of higher education located in this state10 which is a baccalaureate degree-granting institution of higher education; which is11 accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on12 Colleges as a Level VI institution; which is not a Bible school or college (or, at the13 graduate level, a school or college of theology or divinity); which admits as regular14 students only persons who have a high school diploma, a state approved high school15 equivalency (HSE) diploma, or a degree from an accredited postsecondary institution;16 S. B. 149 - 1 - 25 LC 49 2116 whose students are eligible to participate in the federal Pell Grant program; which has17 been reviewed and approved for operation and for receipt of tuition equalization grant18 funds by the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commissi on; which is19 domiciled and incorporated in the State of Georgia; which has been in existence in the20 State of Georgia for at least ten years located in this state since on or before January21 1, 2021; and which met all of the requirements of this subparagraph by January 1,22 2011 2021; provided, however, that the criteria for approval for receipt of tuition23 equalization grant funds shall include but not be limited to ar eas of course study, ;24 quality of academic instruction,; student placement rate,; research and library sources,25 resources; faculty, ; support staff, ; financial resources, ; physical plant facilities26 resources, instructional campuses, facilities, or other physical sites; and support and27 equipment resources."28 SECTION 2.29 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.30 S. B. 149 - 2 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. Senate Bill 149 changes which private proprietary colleges in Georgia can qualify for state tuition equalization grants by updating the years-in-existence and approval deadline requirements. ### Plain-language summary Georgia's Tuition Equalization Grant program helps students at certain private colleges and universities pay tuition. To qualify, a proprietary (for-profit) institution must meet a list of conditions, including how long it has operated in Georgia and by when it met the program's standards. This bill rewrites part of that definition (O.C.G.A. § 20-3-411). Instead of requiring a school to have existed in Georgia for at least ten years, the bill requires the school to have been located in the state since on or before January 1, 2021. It also moves the deadline for meeting all requirements from January 1, 2011 to January 1, 2021. The bill also restates the list of factors the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission can weigh when approving a school, such as course offerings, instructional quality, student placement, and financial and physical resources. Conflicting laws are repealed. ### What it does - Replaces the ten-year existence requirement for qualifying proprietary colleges with a fixed cutoff: the school must have been located in Georgia on or before January 1, 2021. - Moves the deadline for meeting all eligibility requirements from January 1, 2011 to January 1, 2021, making more recently established schools potentially eligible. - Restates the list of factors the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission may consider when approving a school for grant funds, including course study, academic quality, and financial resources. - Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with these updated eligibility terms. ### Who it affects Private, for-profit (proprietary) colleges and universities in Georgia seeking approval to receive tuition equalization grant funds, the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission that reviews them, and students attending those schools who rely on the grants to help pay tuition. ### Why it matters By updating the eligibility dates, the bill could let newer proprietary colleges that were established after 2011 but before 2021 qualify for state tuition equalization grants, potentially expanding which schools' students can receive this state financial aid. ### Key provisions - Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-3-411(2)(B)(i), which defines an 'approved school' eligible for tuition equalization grant funds. - Changes the existence requirement from 'at least ten years' in Georgia to being located in the state 'since on or before January 1, 2021.' - Moves the compliance deadline for meeting all listed requirements from January 1, 2011 to January 1, 2021. - Retains other existing requirements, such as being a baccalaureate degree-granting institution accredited as a Level VI institution by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. - Section 2 repeals any conflicting state laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-04-30) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-07-01 (2025-04-30) - Sponsors: Billy Hickman, Clint Dixon, Ricky Williams, Max Burns, Russ Goodman, Houston Gaines - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70240 > The history, votes, and amendments (952 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb149.md?full=1