{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-2501","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-2501","heading":"Short title — Oklahoma Access and Achievement Act —","body":"Creation of Oklahoma Access and Achievement Program — Eligibility.\n\nA. This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Oklahoma\n\nAccess and Achievement Act”.\n\nB. As used in this act:\n\n1. “CTP program” means a degree, certificate, or nondegree\n\nprogram that:\n\na. is offered by an institution of higher education or a\n\ntechnology center school,\n\nb. is delivered to students physically attending the\n\ninstitution of higher education or technology center\n\nschool,\n\nc. is designed to support students with intellectual\n\ndisabilities who are seeking to continue academic,\n\ncareer and technical, and independent living\n\ninstruction at an institution of higher education or\n\ntechnology center school to prepare for gainful\n\nemployment,\n\nd. includes an advising and curriculum structure,\n\ne. requires students with intellectual disabilities to\n\nparticipate on not less than a half-time basis as\n\ndetermined by the institution of higher education or\n\ntechnology center school, with participation focusing\n\non academic components and occurring through one or\n\nmore of the following activities:\n\n(1) regular enrollment in credit-bearing courses with\n\nnondisabled students offered by the institution\n\nof higher education or technology center school,\n\n(2) auditing or participating in courses with\n\nnondisabled students offered by the institution\n\nfor higher education or technology center school\n\nfor which the student does not receive regular\n\nacademic credit,\n\n(3) enrollment in noncredit-bearing, nondegree\n\ncourses with nondisabled students, or\n\n(4) participation in internships or work-based\n\ntraining in settings with nondisabled persons,\n\nf. requires students with intellectual disabilities to be\n\nsocially and academically integrated with nondisabled\n\nstudents to the maximum extent possible, and\n\ng. is approved by the United States Department of\n\nEducation pursuant to Public Law 110-315, the Higher\n\nEducation Opportunity Act, as amended;\n\n2. “Eligible student” means a student with an intellectual\n\ndisability who is eligible for the scholarship program;\n\n3. “Scholarship program” means the Oklahoma Access and\n\nAchievement Program;\n\n4. “State educational institution” means an institution of\n\nhigher education or technology center school supported wholly or in\n\npart by direct legislative appropriations that provides a CTP\n\nprogram;\n\n5. “State Regents” means the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher\n\nEducation; and\n\n6. “Student with an intellectual disability” means a student:\n\na. with a cognitive impairment, characterized by\n\nsignificant limitations in intellectual and cognitive\n\nfunctioning and adaptive behavior as expressed in\n\nconceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills, and\n\nb. who is currently or was formerly eligible for a free\n\nappropriate public education under the Individuals\n\nwith Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including a\n\nstudent who was determined eligible for special\n\neducation or related services under IDEA but attended\n\na private school or was educated pursuant to the other\n\nmeans of education exception provided for in\n\nsubsection A of Section 10-105 of Title 70 of the\n\nOklahoma Statutes.\n\nC. There is hereby created a program to be known as the\n\nOklahoma Access and Achievement Program. The purpose of the program\n\nis to provide an award to eligible students with intellectual\n\ndisabilities who are pursuing studies in this state at a CTP\n\nprogram. The award shall be an amount equal to the nonguaranteed\n\nresident tuition at an institution of higher education or the\n\ntuition at a technology center school.\n\nD. A student with an intellectual disability shall be eligible\n\nfor the Oklahoma Access and Achievement Program if the student:\n\n1. Is a resident of this state or enrolled in a school district\n\nlocated in this state that serves students who reside in both this\n\nstate and an adjacent state pursuant to a contract authorized by\nution of higher education or the\n\ntuition at a technology center school.\n\nD. A student with an intellectual disability shall be eligible\n\nfor the Oklahoma Access and Achievement Program if the student:\n\n1. Is a resident of this state or enrolled in a school district\n\nlocated in this state that serves students who reside in both this\n\nstate and an adjacent state pursuant to a contract authorized by\n\nSection 5-117.1 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes;\n\n2. Is a United States citizen or lawfully present in the United\n\nStates. A student who is not a United States citizen or lawfully\n\npresent in the United States shall not be eligible to participate in\n\nthe scholarship program and qualify for an award;\n\n3. Has graduated within the previous six (6) years from a\n\npublic high school accredited by the State Board of Education or a\n\nprivate school, or has satisfactorily completed, within the previous\n\nsix (6) years, an educational program that was provided through a\n\nmeans other than a public or private school;\n\n4. Has secured admission to and enrolled in a CTP program at a\n\nstate educational institution that meets the requirements to be\n\neligible for federal student financial aid; and\n\n5. Has established financial need according to the provisions\n\nof Section 3 of this act and standards and provisions promulgated by\n\nthe State Regents.\n\nE. To retain eligibility in the scholarship program, a student\n\nwith an intellectual disability shall:\n\n1. Meet the requirements for retention and completion as\n\nestablished by the state educational institution where the student\n\nis enrolled;\n\n2. Maintain satisfactory academic progress as required by the\n\nCTP program criteria;\n\n3. Comply with the standards related to maintenance of\n\neligibility as promulgated by the State Regents; and\n\n4. Refrain from conduct that leads to expulsion or suspension\n\nof more than one semester from a state educational institution. A\n\nstudent who violates the provisions of this paragraph shall\n\npermanently lose eligibility for scholarship program benefits.\n\nF. The State Regents shall promulgate rules relating to the\n\nestablishment and maintenance of eligibility under the scholarship\n\nprogram.","path":["OK Code","Title 70"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os70.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"3c9f9119fc195400152f215f9c8d96c734d7afc65a2a4783ac1787a04ffaa1d4","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-2407","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-2502"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}