The Arizona Board of Regents has come out against a bill in the state legislature that would limit financial aid to students at state universities.
House Bill 2675 would require all undergraduate students at state universities to pay at least $2,000 per year toward tuition and fees.
According to the Arizona Daily Sun, the bill’s sponsor, Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, says many students who qualify for free tuition are academically challenged and would fare better at community colleges.
The bill would preclude students from using Pell grants or other financial aid to pay the $2,000 required tuition.
Arizona Board of Regents Chairman Fred Duval says that would essentially negate full-ride, need based scholarships for the state’s neediest students,
According to the Board, the legislation would affect half of Arizona’s 75,000 full-time university students.
For Arizona Public Radio, I’m Shelley Smithson.