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Higher-education package advances with new graduation metrics and tuition-review conditions
Summary
Amendments to HB 1833 split THEC appointments among appointing authorities, set on-time graduation metrics (4 years for public universities, 2 for community colleges) measured for full-time freshmen only, remove the 75%-online-course provision, and require university plans to use out-of-state revenue to reduce in-state tuition; committee advanced the bill 6–0.
Chairman Cipicci said the amendment to HB 1833 rewrites the bill and addresses several topics: a 3-3-3 appointment structure for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, on-time graduation measures (four-year targets for public universities and two-year targets for community colleges applied to first-time full-time freshmen), limitations on tuition increases tied to demonstrated graduation-rate improvement, and a requirement that institutions submit plans to THEC showing how they will use out-of-state tuition revenue to lower costs for in-state students. "What the bill states is everybody's entitled to get what THEC recommends," Cipicci said, adding that institutions seeking increases above a standard recommendation must show positive growth in graduation rates.
Members raised equity concerns about whether the on-time graduation metric would disincentivize admitting nontraditional or part-time students; Cipicci and THEC clarified the metric applies only to first-time, full-time freshmen and would not include part-time students or students on rotations. The online-course pricing requirement was removed from the amendment after conversations with institutions. The committee voted 6–0 to send HB 1833 to full Education.
