Rhode Island § 16-113-4 - Rhode Island Hope Scholarship Pilot Program Act

§ 16-113-4. Definitions.

When used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(1) “ADA” means the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq., as may be amended from time to time.

(2) “Certificate” means any certificate program with labor market value as defined by the postsecondary commissioner.

(3) “College-level credit” means credit awarded by a college or university for completion of its own courses or other academic work.

(4) “FAFSA” means the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form.

(5) “General education coursework” means the educational foundation of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that prepares students for success in their majors and their personal and professional lives after graduation. It includes, but is not limited to, the required coursework of all degrees developed by each eligible postsecondary institution that is approved by the council on postsecondary education that is intended to ensure that all graduates of a state institution have a balanced core of competencies and knowledge. This does not necessarily include coursework specifically required for one’s major.

(6) “Mandatory fees and tuition” means the costs that every student is required to pay in order to enroll in classes, and does not include room and board, textbooks, program fees that may exist in some majors, course fees that may exist for some specific courses, meal plans, or travel.

(7) “On track to graduate on time” means the standards determined by Rhode Island college in establishing the expectation of a student to graduate with a bachelor’s degree within four (4) years of enrollment, or the prescribed completion time for a student completing a certificate (recognizing that some students, including students who require developmental education, are double majors, or are enrolled in certain professional programs may require an extended time period for degree completion).

(8) “Pilot program” and “scholarship program” means the Rhode Island hope scholarship pilot program that is established pursuant to § 16-113-3.

(9) “Reasonable accommodations” means any necessary modifications or adjustment to a facility, equipment, program, or manner of operation as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 791, as may be amended from time to time.

(10) “Recipient student” means a student attending Rhode Island college who qualifies to receive the Rhode Island hope scholarship pursuant to § 16-113-6.

(11) “State” means the state of Rhode Island.

(12) “Student with a disability” means any student otherwise eligible pursuant to this chapter who has a physical, developmental, or hidden disability or disabilities, as defined in § 42-87-1, that would create a hardship or other functional obstacles preventing participation in this program.