N.Y. Educ. Law § 6311

§ 6311. New York opportunity promise scholarship. 1. Eligibility. A\nNew York opportunity promise scholarship shall be awarded to an\napplicant who meets all of the following conditions:\n (a) is at least twenty-five years of age or older, but in no case more\nthan fifty-five years of age, as of January first of the calendar year\nfor the semester for which the applicant makes initial application;\n (b) has applied for a New York state tuition assistance program award\npursuant to section six hundred sixty-seven of this chapter, a federal\nPell grant pursuant to section 1070 of title 20 of the United States\ncode, et. seq., and any other applicable financial aid;\n (c) is matriculated at a New York state public institution of higher\neducation in an approved program directly leading to an associate's\ndegree in a high-demand field; provided that for the two thousand\ntwenty-five -- two thousand twenty-six academic year, such fields shall\ninclude but not be limited to advanced manufacturing, technology,\ncybersecurity, engineering, artificial intelligence, nursing and allied\nhealth professions, green and renewable energy, and pathways to teaching\nin shortage areas, provided further that such fields may be updated\nannually thereafter by the department of labor no later than one hundred\neighty days prior to the first start date of the fall term of such New\nYork state public institutions of higher education, and provided further\nthat the eligibility of such approved program established in the\nsemester for which the applicant makes initial application shall\ncontinue;\n (d) is eligible for the payment of tuition and fees at a rate no\ngreater than that imposed for resident students in the applicable New\nYork state public institution of higher education; and\n (e) has not already obtained any postsecondary degree, provided that\nnothing in this paragraph shall be construed to prohibit the eligibility\nof a student who is already enrolled in an eligible associate degree\nprogram on the effective date of this section and who meets all the\nother eligibility requirements of this subdivision, and provided further\nthat nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to prohibit the\neligibility of a student who, though having previously obtained a\npostsecondary degree, is enrolled in an approved program leading to an\nassociate's degree in nursing.\n 2. Amount. Within amounts appropriated therefor, and subject to\navailability of funds, awards shall be granted for the two thousand\ntwenty-five -- two thousand twenty-six academic year and thereafter to\napplicants who are determined to be eligible to receive such awards.\nSuch awards shall be calculated on a per term basis prior to the start\nof each term the applicant is successfully enrolled and shall not exceed\nthe positive difference, if any, of (a) the sum of actual tuition, fees,\nbooks, and applicable supplies charged to the applicant and approved by\nthe applicable New York state public institution of higher education,\nless (b) the sum of all payments received by the applicant from all\nsources of financial aid received by the applicant with the exception of\naid received pursuant to federal work-study programs authorized under\nsections 1087-51 through 1087-58 of title 20 of the United States code\nand educational loans taken by the applicant or guardian.\n 3. Additional provisions. An eligible recipient shall complete at\nleast six credits per semester, for a total of at least twelve credits\nper academic year, in an approved program of study. An eligible\nrecipient shall be continuously enrolled without a gap of more than one\nacademic year, provided that such duration may be extended for an\nallowable interruption of study including, but not limited to, death of\na family member, medical leave, military service, and parental leave.\nNotwithstanding any inconsistent provision of this section, if an\napplicant fails to meet the eligibility criteria of this section at any\npoint, no further awards shall be made to the applicant.\n 4. Conditions. (a) An eligible recipient shall continue to make\nsatisfactory academic progress in order to maintain continued\neligibility for an award pursuant to this section.\n (b) Each campus that enrolls students pursuant to this section shall\ntake steps consistent with established policy to maximize the award of\ncredit for prior learning for participating students.\n (c) No student shall receive an award pursuant to this section for\ngreater than ten semesters.\n (d) A student who earns college credit pursuant to this section shall\nbe entitled to transfer such credit to another state university of New\nYork or city university of New York campus consistent with transfer\npolicies established by the state university of New York or city\nuniversity of New York.\n 5. Reporting. By September first, two thousand twenty-six, and by\nSeptember first of each year thereafter, the chancellor of the state\nuniversity of New York and the chancellor of the city university of New\nYork shall each submit a report to the governor, the speaker of the\nassembly, and the temporary president of the senate, including but not\nlimited to the following information:\n (a) enrollment data by full and part-time status;\n (b) retention and completion rates by full and part-time status;\n (c) barriers to student participation;\n (d) demographic data related to the program;\n (e) average prior learning and transfer credit awarded;\n (f) the total amount of funds awarded and the average award per\nstudent; and\n (g) post-completion outcomes including transfer, employment, and\nwages, as applicable.\n