§ 10a-77 — (Formerly Sec. 10-38h). Regional community-technical colleges: Tuition, fees and refunds. Operating fund. Operating accounts. Waivers. Reimbursement of fund. Course reenrollment for student members of the armed forces called to active duty. Graduation fees.

Connecticut § 10a-77

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 10a: State System of Higher Education
• Ch. 185b: Constituent Units

Text

(a) Subject to the provisions of section 10a-26, the Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges shall fix fees for tuition at the regional community-technical colleges and shall fix fees for such other purposes as the board deems necessary at the regional community-technical colleges, and may make refunds to the same. (b) The Board of Regents for Higher Education shall establish and administer a fund to be known as the Regional Community-Technical Colleges Operating Fund. Appropriations from general revenues of the state and, upon request by the board and with an annual review and approval by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, the amount of the appropriations for fringe benefits and workers' compensation applicable to the regional community-technical colleges pursuant to subsection (a) of section 4-73 , shall be transferred from the Comptroller, and all tuition revenue received by the regional community-technical colleges in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall be deposited in said fund. Income from student fees or related charges; the proceeds of auxiliary activities and business enterprises, gifts and donations; federal funds and grants for purposes other than research, and all receipts derived from the conduct by the colleges of their education extension programs and summer school sessions shall be credited to said fund but shall be allocated to the central office and institutional operating accounts which shall be established and maintained for the central office and each community-technical college. If the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management disapproves such transfer, the secretary may require the amount of the appropriation for operating expenses to be used for personal services and fringe benefits to be excluded from said fund. The State Treasurer shall review and approve the transfer prior to such request by the board. The board shall establish an equitable policy, in accordance with section 10a-8 , for allocation of appropriations from general revenues of the state, fringe benefits transferred from the Comptroller and tuition revenue deposited in the Regional Community-Technical Colleges Operating Fund. At the beginning of each quarter of the fiscal year, the board shall allocate and transfer, in accordance with said policy, moneys for expenditure in such institutional operating accounts, exclusive of amounts retained for central office operations and reasonable reserves for future distribution. All costs of waiving or remitting tuition pursuant to subsection (f) of this section shall be charged to the Regional Community-Technical Colleges Operating Fund. Repairs, alterations or additions to facilities supported by operating funds and costing one million dollars or more shall require the approval of the General Assembly, or when the General Assembly is not in session, of the Finance Advisory Committee. Any balance of receipts above expenditures shall remain in said fund, except such sums as may be required for deposit into a debt service fund or the General Fund for further payment by the Treasurer of debt service on general obligation bonds of the state issued for purposes of the regional community-technical colleges. (c) Commencing December 1, 1984, and thereafter not later than sixty days after the close of each quarter, the board of trustees shall submit to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, the Office of Higher Education and the Office of Policy and Management a report on the actual expenditures of the Regional Community-Technical Colleges Operating Fund. (d) Said board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition at any of the regional community-technical colleges (1) for any dependent child of a person whom the armed forces of the United States has declared to be missing in action or to have been a prisoner of war while serving in such armed forces after January 1, 1960, which child has been accepted for admission to such institution and is a resident of the state at the time such child is accepted for admission to such institution, (2) subject to the provisions of subsection (e) of this section, for any veteran, as defined in section 27-103 , who performed service in time of war, as defined in section 27-103 , except that for purposes of this subsection, “service in time of war” shall not include time spent in attendance at a military service academy, which veteran has been accepted for admission to such institution and is domiciled in this state at the time such veteran is accepted for admission to such institution, (3) for any resident of the state sixty-two years of age or older, provided, at the end of the regular registration period, there are enrolled in the course a sufficient number of students other than those residents eligible for waivers pursuant to this subdivision to offer the course in which such resident intends to enroll and there is space available in such course after accommodating all such students, (4) for any student attending the Connecticut State Police Academy who is enrolled in a law enforcement program at said academy offered in coordination with a regional community-technical college which accredits courses taken in such program, (5) for any active member of the Connecticut Army or Air National Guard who (A) has been certified by the Adjutant General or such Adjutant General's designee as a member in good standing of the guard, and (B) is enrolled or accepted for admission to such institution on a full-time or part-time basis in an undergraduate degree-granting program, (6) for any dependent child of a (A) police officer, as defined in section 7-294a , or supernumerary or auxiliary police officer, (B) firefighter, as defined in section 7-323j , or member of a volunteer fire company, (C) municipal employee, or (D) state employee, as defined in section 5-154 , killed in the line of duty, (7) for any resident of the state who is a dependent child or surviving spouse of a specified terrorist victim who was a resident of this state, (8) for any dependent child of a resident of the state who was killed in a multivehicle crash at or near the intersection of Routes 44 and 10 and Nod Road in Avon on July 29, 2005, and (9) for any resident of the state who is a dependent child or surviving spouse of a person who was killed in action while performing active military duty with the armed forces of the United States on or after September 11, 2001, and who was a resident of this state. If any person who receives a tuition waiver in accordance with the provisions of this subsection also receives educational reimbursement from an employer, such waiver shall be reduced by the amount of such educational reimbursement. Veterans and members of the National Guard described in subdivision (5) of this subsection shall be given the same status as students not receiving tuition waivers in registering for courses at regional community-technical colleges. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 10a-30 , as used in this subsection, “domiciled in this state” includes domicile for less than one year. (e) (1) If any veteran described in subsection (d) of this section has applied for federal educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, the board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition at any of the regional community-technical colleges for such veteran in accordance with subdivision (2) of this subsection. If any such veteran certifies to said board that such veteran's application for such federal educational assistance has been denied or withdrawn, said board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition in accordance with subsection (d) of this section. (2) (A) For purposes of this subdivision, “veteran tuition benefit” means the portion of federal educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 to be paid to a regional community-technical college on behalf of a veteran that represents payment for tuition. Such portion shall be calculated by multiplying (i) the total amount of such federal educational assistance to be paid to a regional community-technical college on behalf of such veteran by (ii) an amount obtained by dividing (I) the actual tuition charged by such college to such veteran by (II) the sum of the actual tuition and fees charged by such college to such veteran. (B) Said board of trustees shall waive the payment of tuition in excess of the veteran tuition benefit at any of the regional community-technical colleges for such veteran. (f) Said board shall set aside from its anticipated regional community-technical college tuition revenue, an amount not less than that required by said board's tuition policy. Such funds shall be used to provide tuition waivers, tuition remissions, grants for educational expenses and student employment for residents enrolled in regional community-technical colleges as full or part-time matriculated students in a degree-granting program, or enrolled in a precollege remedial program, who demonstrate substantial financial need. Said board may also set aside from its anticipated tuition revenue an additional amount equal to one per cent of said tuition revenue for financial assistance for students who would not otherwise be eligible for financial assistance but who do have a financial need as determined by the college in accordance with this subsection. In determining such financial need, the college shall exclude the value of equity in the principal residence of the student's parents or legal guardians, or in the student's principal residence if the student is not considered to be a dependent of his parents or legal guardians and shall assess the earnings of a dependent student at the rate of thirty per cent. (g) The Regional Community-Technical Colleges Operating Fund shall be reimbursed for the amount by which the tuition waivers granted under subsection (d) of this section exceed five per cent of tuition revenue through an annual state appropriation. The board of trustees shall request such an appropriation and said appropriation shall be based upon an estimate of tuition revenue loss using tuition rates in effect for the fiscal year in which such appropriation will apply. (h) Said board of trustees shall allow any student who is a member of the armed forces called to active duty during any semester to enroll in any course for which such student had remitted tuition but which was not completed due to active duty status. Such course reenrollment shall be offered to any qualifying student for a period not exceeding four years after the date of release from active duty without additional tuition, student fee or related charge, except if such student has been fully reimbursed for the tuition, fees and charges for the course that was not completed. (i) The Board of Regents for Higher Education shall not assess or charge a graduation fee to any student enrolled in a regional community-technical college for the purpose of graduating from such regional community-technical college. See Sec. 4-73a re determination of actual rate for fringe benefits for funds of the constituent units of the state system of higher education. See Sec. 10a-104b for definition of “specified terrorist victim”.

Legislative History

(February, 1965, P.A. 330, S. 28; 1969, P.A. 530, S. 3; June, 1971, P.A. 5, S. 125; P.A. 73-542, S. 1; P.A. 74-266, S. 1, 5; 74-282, S. 1; P.A. 75-484, S. 1, 5; P.A. 76-181, S. 1, 5; 76-313, S. 2, 3; P.A. 77-573, S. 24, 30; P.A. 78-175, S. 1, 5; 78-331, S. 45, 58; P.A. 81-157, S. 1, 14; 81-252, S. 1, 5; 81-468, S. 8, 11; P.A. 82-218, S. 37, 46; 82-463, S. 1, 7; P.A. 83-457, S. 1, 6; P.A. 84-241, S. 2, 5; 84-365, S. 2, 12; 84-438, S. 1, 5; P.A. 85-553, S. 1, 5; P.A. 86-325, S. 1, 5; P.A. 87-450, S. 7, 17; P.A. 88-136, S. 20. 37; P.A. 89-260, S. 24, 41; 89-380, S. 2, 7; P.A. 90-147, S. 4, 5, 20; P.A. 91-174, S. 7, 16; 91-208, S. 5, 11; 91-256, S. 16, 69; 91-303, S. 6, 22; 91-407, S. 29, 42; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-7, S. 16, 22; P.A. 92-126, S. 24, 48; P.A. 93-293, S. 3, 7, 11; P.A. 96-244, S. 59, 63; P.A. 97-247, S. 19, 27; P.A. 00-204, S. 10, 13; P.A. 01-173, S. 31, 67; P.A. 02-126, S. 6; P.A. 03-19, S. 22; 03-33, S. 1; 03-69, S. 1; 03-278, S. 128; P.A. 04-27, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3, S. 16; P.A. 06-141, S. 3; P.A. 08-71, S. 1; P.A. 09-159, S. 4; P.A. 10-66, S. 1; P.A. 11-48, S. 218, 219; P.A. 13-137, S. 1; P.A. 18-47, S. 8; P.A. 21-79, S. 9; 21-132, S. 9; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 21-2, S. 54; P.A. 22-16, S. 3.) History: 1969 act allowed board to set fees other than tuition and made all fees subject to approval of commission for higher education; 1971 act set tuition fees at $200 or less for state residents and at $850 or more for nonresidents and deleted provision for remission of fees for deserving students; P.A. 73-542 added Subsecs. (b) and (c) concerning waiver of fees for veterans and for dependents of missing-in-action persons or former prisoners of war; P.A. 74-266 made former Subsec. (c) provisions a subdivision of Subsec. (b); P.A. 74-282 amended Subsec. (b) to waive fees for persons 62 or older under certain conditions; P.A. 75-484 added Subsec. (c) re waiver of fees for those in financial need; P.A. 76-181 amended Subsec. (a) to change residents' fees to not less than $250 and nonresidents' fees to not less than $950 with the increase to be included in appropriations for community colleges for educational purposes and amended Subsec. (c) to raise from 1% to 10% the number of enrolled students whose fees may be waived; P.A. 76-313 amended Subsec. (b) to include waiver of fees for students attending the state police academy; P.A. 77-573 substituted board of higher education for commission for higher education; P.A. 78-175 substituted veteran “having served in time of war” for “Vietnam era” veteran in Subsec. (b); P.A. 78-331 clarified board with “of trustees” in Subsecs. (b) and (c) to avoid possible confusion with board of higher education; P.A. 81-157 required that student be “matriculated student” for waiver of fees to apply in Subsec. (c) and rewrote provision limiting waivers to change limit basis from certain number of students, i.e. 10%, to amount of tuition payable by 10% of full-time students; P.A. 81-252 amended Subsec. (b) to authorize waiver of tuition for eligible members of the Connecticut army or air national guard and to provide for reduction of waiver when eligible person receives educational reimbursement from employer; P.A. 81-468 amended Subsec. (a) increasing tuition fees from $250 to $300 for residents and from $950 to $1,140 for nonresidents; P.A. 82-218 reorganized system of higher education, replacing board of higher education with board of governors, effective March 1, 1983; P.A. 82-463 amended Subsec. (c) to restrict waivers to “resident” students enrolled on a full-time or part-time basis in a degree-granting program or in a precollege remedial program, and to include part-time students in calculation of total waiver amount; Sec. 10-38h transferred to Sec. 10a-77 in 1983; P.A. 83-457 amended Subsec. (c) to repeal provision that tuition waived or remitted shall not exceed 10% of tuition revenue payable by number of full-time and part-time resident students matriculated in degree-granting programs and enrolled in precollege remedial programs at the regional community colleges for the current academic year, and substituted provision that tuition waived or remitted shall not exceed 10% of tuition revenue due during the preceding year, including revenue lost due to tuition waivers and remissions, adjusted for tuition changes, or the appropriation to the regional community colleges for the current fiscal year for tuition waiver or remittance, whichever is less, and added provision that only the funds in the scholarship aid tuition refund account may be used for the purposes of this section; P.A. 84-241 added “of higher education” to board of governors' title; P.A. 84-365 inserted new Subsecs. (b) and (c) establishing a tuition fund for the regional community colleges, relettering the remaining Subsecs. accordingly, and deleting provisions in Subsec. (a) which required inclusion in community colleges appropriation of tuition above stated amounts and in Subsec. (e) (formerly (c)) which limited tuition waivers and remittances to the amount appropriated for the purpose; P.A. 84-438 amended Subsec. (b) authorizing tuition waivers for veterans who served in Grenada or Lebanon; P.A. 85-553 inserted new Subsec. (e) which required board to set aside from its anticipated tuition fund revenue an amount not less than that required by the board of governors' tuition policy to provide funds for tuition waivers and remissions, grants for educational expenses and student employment, replacing former provisions re waiver or remittance of tuition; P.A. 86-325 in Subsec. (b) increased 2% of the expenditure level to 102% and added Subsec. (f) to provide for reimbursement of the tuition fund for waivers; P.A. 87-450 in Subsec. (b) provided that the expenditure authority may be increased by the amount the fund income exceeds the authority rather than by the amount the income exceeds the authority up to 2% and eliminated the transfer of fund income for student financial aid; P.A. 88-136 deleted obsolete provision in Subsec. (b) re tuition revenue received for the 1984-1985 academic year; P.A. 89-260 substituted “board of trustees of the community-technical colleges” for “board of trustees of the regional community colleges” and specified that the section applies to tuition and students at the regional community colleges; P.A. 89-380 in Subsec. (b) substituted “fund balance or projected fund balance, including reserves and interest earnings from investments” for “fund income, including interest earnings from investments” as the amount which must exceed the expenditure authority in order for the authority to be increased by the board of trustees and provided that if the authority is increased it be increased by the amount that the fund balance rather than the fund income exceeds the expenditure authority, in Subsec. (d) amended Subdiv. (3) to provide that tuition waivers for persons 62 years of age or older be only on a space available basis and deleted provision that they be granted for any such person who is enrolled in a degree-granting program and made a technical change and in Subsec. (f) provided for reimbursement for the amount by which tuition waivers exceed 5% rather than 2.5% of the fund; P.A. 90-147 in Subsec. (b) expanded the authority of the board of trustees to increase expenditures from the tuition fund beyond the governor's recommended expenditure authority and in Subsec. (d) required that a person 62 years of age or older be a resident of the state to be eligible for a tuition waiver; P.A. 91-174 in Subsec. (a) deleted requirement for approval by the board of governors of higher education; P.A. 91-208 in Subsec. (e) added provision concerning the set aside of 1% of tuition revenue for financial assistance and specifying how financial need is to be determined; P.A. 91-256 removed provision for a tuition fund and established an operating fund, in Subsec. (a) deleted requirement for fees to be approved by the board of governors of higher education and made technical changes throughout section; P.A. 91-303 in Subsec. (d)(1) removed requirement of residency at the time of entering the armed forces and substituted requirement that the child be a resident of the state at the time of acceptance to the institution, in Subsec. (d)(2) added dates of the actions in Grenada and Lebanon, added reference to Panama and removed requirement that the veteran be a resident at the time he entered the armed forces or be a resident while serving and in Subsec. (d)(3) added requirement that a sufficient number of students other than those eligible for a waiver be enrolled to offer the course; P.A. 91-407 amended Subsec. (b) to add exception re appropriation for personal services; June Sp. Sess. 91-7 amended Subsec. (b) to provide for the deposit of federal funds and grants for purposes other than research in the fund; P.A. 92-126 changed the references to “community college” to “community-technical college”, removed language specifying the tuition in Subsec. (a) and added requirement in Subsec. (b) that appropriations for the community-technical colleges and the higher education center in the central Naugatuck Valley region be deposited in the fund; P.A. 93-293 amended Subsec. (b) to delete a reference to the higher education center in the central Naugatuck Valley region and added Subsec. (d)(6) re dependent child of a police officer or firefighter killed in the line of duty, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 96-244 amended Subsec. (d) to provide that veterans and members of the National Guard have the same status as students not receiving tuition waivers in registering for courses, effective June 6, 1996; P.A. 97-247 amended Subsec. (d) to make a technical change, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 00-204 amended Subsec. (d) to designate existing provisions of Subdiv. (6) as Subparas. (A) and (B) and to add Subparas. (C) and (D) re municipal employee and state employee, respectively, and to make technical changes, effective June 1, 2000; P.A. 01-173 amended Subsec. (d)(6) to include a dependent child of a supernumerary police officer or auxiliary police officer or of a member of a volunteer fire company, effective July 1, 2001; P.A. 02-126 added Subsec. (d)(7) requiring tuition waiver for any state resident who is a dependent child or surviving spouse of a specified terrorist victim who was a state resident, effective June 7, 2002; P.A. 03-19 made a technical change in Subsec. (d)(6)(A), effective May 12, 2003; P.A. 03-33 added Subsec. (g) re course reenrollment for students who are members of the armed forces called to active duty during any semester; P.A. 03-69 amended Subsec. (b) to revise provisions re deposit in the operating fund of the amount of appropriations for operating expenses to be used for personal services and fringe benefits and to add provisions re deposit in the operating fund of the amount of appropriations for workers' compensation, re review and approval by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and by the State Treasurer and re transfer from the Comptroller, effective July 1, 2003; P.A. 03-278 changed effective date of P.A. 03-33, S. 1 from October 1, 2003, to May 12, 2003; P.A. 04-27 made a technical change in Subsec. (g), effective April 28, 2004; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3 amended Subsec. (d)(2) by replacing language re residency with language re domicile, amended Subsec. (d)(5) by replacing language re residency in Subpara. (A) with language re the Adjutant General in existing Subpara. (B) and redesignating existing Subpara. (C) as new Subpara. (B) and amended Subsec. (d)(7) by adding language describing “domiciled in this state”, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-141 amended Subsec. (d) by adding Subdiv. (8) re dependents of victims of multivehicle crash in Avon, effective June 6, 2006; P.A. 08-71 amended Subsec. (d) by adding Subdiv. (9) re tuition waiver applicable to resident of state who is dependent child or surviving spouse of armed forces member killed in action on or after September 11, 2001, effective July 1, 2008; P.A. 09-159 made technical changes in Subsecs. (b) and (c), amended Subsec. (d)(2) by providing that tuition waivers for veterans be subject to provisions of Subsec. (e), added new Subsec. (e) re tuition waivers for veterans who have applied for federal educational assistance under Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 and redesignated existing Subsecs. (e) to (g) as Subsecs. (f) to (h), effective July 1, 2009; P.A. 10-66 amended Subsec. (d)(2) by replacing “having served” with “who performed service”, deleting provisions re service in invasions of Grenada and Panama and peace-keeping mission in Lebanon, and redefining “service in time of war” to exclude time spent in attendance at a military service academy, effective May 18, 2010; P.A. 11-48 amended Subsec. (c) to remove provisions re Board of Governors of Higher Education and amended Subsec. (f) to remove reference to tuition policy of Board of Governors of Higher Education, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-137 amended Subsec. (c) to add “the Office of Higher Education”, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 18-47 amended Subsec. (d)(2) to designate existing provision re veteran who performed service in time of war as Subpara. (A), add Subpara. (B) re person with qualifying condition and discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable who served in time of war, and made technical and conforming changes; P.A. 21-79 amended Subsec. (d) to redefine “veteran”, delete “(A)” and former Subpara. (B) re person with qualifying condition in Subdiv. (2), and make conforming changes; P.A. 21-132 added Subsec. (i) re prohibition on assessing or charging graduation fee, effective July 1, 2021; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 21-2 made identical changes as P.A. 21-132, effective July 1, 2021; P.A. 22-16 amended Subsec. (b) by changing “Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges” to “Regents for Higher Education”, adding “regional” before “community-technical colleges” and adding a reference to Sec. 10a-8, effective July 1, 2022.