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BOR previews "Finish Line" transfer scholarship but warns current funding will cover only a fraction of eligible students
Summary
Chancellor John Maduco outlined a last-dollar transfer scholarship intended to make transfers from CT State debt-free; system modeling shows 5,587 statutory-eligible students but limited initial implementation and FY27 appropriations would cover far fewer students.
Interim Chancellor John Maduco told the Board of Regents the system plans to implement a new CT Finish Line transfer scholarship to cover remaining tuition and mandatory fees for eligible students after other aid is applied.
The program is designed as a last‑dollar scholarship for students transferring from CT State to one of the four state universities or Charter Oak State College. "Our institutional research teams at CT State conducted a modeling exercise to approximate the number of students who could be eligible per the statutory requirements," Maduco said, and that modeling produced a figure of 5,587 eligible students for the 2025–26 academic year.
Why it matters: the board heard that available appropriations do not match statutory eligibility. Maduco gave estimated award levels — "the estimated average annual finish line award is approximately $8,750 to $9,750 per student" — and said the governor's FY27 recommended appropriation of $3,850,000 would support only roughly 300–450 students, while an earlier FY27 figure of $7,700,000 would support about 800 students. To manage the funding shortfall, system leaders proposed narrowing initial eligibility to students who earn an associate degree during the 2025–26 academic year or later, reducing the modeled pool to about 1,300 students and enabling a fiscally constrained initial launch.
Board members pressed finance and policy considerations, emphasizing that reserves are not an appropriate ongoing funding source. Regent Ari Santiago and others noted the need for sustained state support. The finance committee asked for clarity on whether private fundraising could complement state funds; presidents cautioned about donor intent and recommended channeling private funds through foundations or grant mechanisms.
Next steps: the board placed the program framework on the consent agenda for approval of related policies; system staff said they will finalize communications, a website and operational procedures, and will pursue both legislative advocacy and bond releases to support program scale-up. Maduco said the program's launch will be subject to available appropriations and implementation priorities established by the system office.
