{"data":{"id":"us-ct/conn.-gen.-stat.-10a-174d","jurisdiction":"us-ct","citation":"Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10a-174d","heading":"Finish line scholars program.","body":"(a) As used in this section:\n(1) “Award” means the greater of: (A) The unpaid portion, if any, of a qualifying student's eligible institutional costs after subtracting such student's financial aid, or (B) a minimum award of five hundred dollars for a full-time student or three hundred dollars for a part-time student;\n(2) “Eligible institutional costs” means the tuition and required fees incurred each semester by an individual student that are established by the Board of Regents for Higher Education for the Connecticut State University System and Charter Oak State College;\n(3) “Financial aid” means the sum of all scholarships, grants and federal, state and institutional aid received by a qualifying student. “Financial aid” does not include any federal, state or private student loans received by a qualifying student;\n(4) “Qualifying student” means any person who (A) participated in the debt-free community college program, established pursuant to section 10a-174, and completed not fewer than sixty credits through said program at the Connecticut State Community College, (B) enrolls as a full-time or part-time student for the fall semester of 2026, or any semester thereafter, at a state university within the Connecticut State University System or Charter Oak State College in a program leading to a bachelor's degree, (C) is classified as an in-state student pursuant to section 10a-29, (D) made satisfactory academic progress while enrolled at the Connecticut State Community College and continues to make satisfactory academic progress while enrolled at such state university or Charter Oak State College, (E) has completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and (F) has accepted all available financial aid;\n(5) “Full-time student” means a student who is enrolled at a state university within the Connecticut State University System or Charter Oak State College and (A) is carrying twelve or more credit hours in a semester, or (B) has a learning disability documented with such university in which he or she is enrolled and is enrolled in the maximum number of credit hours that is feasible for such student to attempt in a semester, as determined by such student's academic advisor;\n(6) “Semester” means the fall or spring semester of an academic year. “Semester” does not include a summer semester or session; and\n(7) “Part-time student” means a student who is enrolled at a state university within the Connecticut State University System or Charter Oak State College and is carrying not less than six but fewer than twelve credit hours in a semester.\n(b) The Board of Regents for Higher Education shall (1) establish a finish line scholars program to make awards to qualifying students each semester, (2) adopt rules, procedures and forms necessary to implement the finish line scholars program, and (3) submit a report outlining such rules, procedures and forms, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher education.\n(c) For the fall semester of 2026, and each semester thereafter, the Board of Regents for Higher Education shall make awards to qualifying students within available appropriations. An award shall be available to a qualifying student for the first seventy-two credit hours earned by the qualifying student at a state university within the Connecticut State University System or Charter Oak State College, as applicable, or until such qualifying student earns a bachelor's degree, whichever is earlier, provided the qualifying student meets and continues to meet the requirements of this section. The board shall not use an award to supplant any financial aid, including, but not limited to, state or institutional aid, otherwise available to a qualifying student.\n(d) Not later than November 1, 2026, and March 1, 2027, and each semester thereafter, the Board of Regents for Higher Education shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher education and employment advancement and appropriations and the budgets of the state agencies regarding the finish line scholars program, including, but not limited to, (1) the number of qualifying students enrolled at a state university within the Connecticut State University System and Charter Oak State College during each semester, (2) the number of qualifying students receiving minimum awards and the number of qualifying students receiving awards for the unpaid portion of eligible institutional costs, (3) the average number of credit hours the qualifying students enrolled in each semester and the average number of credit hours the qualifying students completed each semester, (4) the average amount of the award made to qualifying students under this section for the unpaid portion of eligible institutional costs, and (5) the degree completion rates of qualifying students receiving awards under this section by subject area.","path":["TITLE 10a. STATE SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION","CHAPTER 186. STATE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE"],"source_url":"https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/sup/chap_186.htm#sec_10a-174d","current_through":"Revised to January 1, 2026 (2026 Supplement to the General Statutes of Connecticut, applied over the base revision of January 1, 2025)","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-06T19:07:21Z","sha256":"4fd25ab535a899182f0c006e884eaaf170cf55d9a3d08f84b9d4d5cd917af3e1","source_id":"us-ct","stale":false,"prev":"us-ct/conn.-gen.-stat.-10a-175","next":"us-ct/conn.-gen.-stat.-10a-176"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}