(a) For the purposes of this section:

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(1) “Family contribution” means the expected family contribution for educational costs as computed from a student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid;

(2) “Student aid index” means the index used to determine eligibility for financial aid as computed from a student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid;

(3) “Eligible student” means a student who is (A) a resident of the state, (B) enrolled at an institution of higher education in a course of study leading to such student’s first associate or bachelor’s degree, and (C) carrying, for a full-time student, twelve or more semester credit hours, or, for a part-time student, between six and eleven semester credit hours at such institution of higher education;

(4) “Independent institution of higher education” means a nonprofit institution established in this state (A) that has degree-granting authority in this state; (B) that has its main campus located in this state; (C) that is not included in the Connecticut system of public higher education; and (D) whose primary function is not the preparation of students for religious vocation;

(5) “Public institution of higher education” means the constituent units of the state system of higher education identified in subdivisions (1) and (2) of section 10a-1, except the regional community-technical colleges;

(6) “Eligible educational costs” means the tuition and required fees for an individual student that are published by each public or independent institution of higher education participating in the grant program established under this section, plus a fixed amount for required books and educational supplies as determined by the Office of Higher Education.

(b) The Office of Higher Education shall establish the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program to annually make need-based financial aid available for eligible educational costs to eligible students enrolled at Connecticut’s public and independent institutions of higher education. Within available funds, the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program shall include a need and merit-based grant, a need-based grant and a Charter Oak grant. The need and merit-based grant shall be funded at not less than twenty per cent but not more than thirty per cent of available funds or ten million dollars, whichever is greater. The need-based grant shall be funded at up to eighty per cent of available funds. The Charter Oak grant shall be not less than one hundred thousand dollars of available funds. There shall be an administrative allowance based on one-quarter of one per cent of the available funds, but not less than one hundred thousand dollars annually. The Office of Higher Education shall use the funds appropriated or allocated for the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, to make awards pursuant to subsection (c) of this section and allocate funds pursuant to subsections (d) and (f) of this section for the academic years commencing July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024, provided the office shall use all funds allocated for the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program from the federal funds designated for the state pursuant to the provisions of Section 602 of Subtitle M of Title IX of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, P.L. 117-2, as amended from time to time, on or before December 31, 2024.

(c) The Roberta B. Willis Scholarship need and merit-based grant shall be available to any eligible student at any public or independent institution of higher education. The Office of Higher Education shall determine qualification for financial need based on family contribution prior to July 1, 2024, and, on and after July 1, 2024, based on student aid index and qualification for merit based on either previous high school academic achievement or performance on standardized academic aptitude tests. The Office of Higher Education shall make awards according to a sliding scale, annually determined by said office, up to a maximum family contribution or student aid index and based on available funds and the number of eligible students who qualify for an award. The Roberta B. Willis Scholarship need and merit-based grant shall be awarded in a higher amount than the need-based grant awarded pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. Recipients of the need and merit-based grant shall not be eligible to receive an additional need-based award. The order of institutions of higher education provided by an eligible student on such student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid shall not affect the student’s qualification for an award under this subsection. The institution of higher education in which an eligible student enrolls shall disburse sums awarded under the need and merit-based grant for payment of such student’s eligible educational costs.

(d) The Roberta B. Willis Scholarship need-based grant shall be available to any eligible student at any public or independent institution of higher education. The amount of the annual funds to be allocated to each institution of higher education shall be determined by its actual full-time equivalent enrollment of eligible students with a family contribution or student aid index during the fall semester of the fiscal year two years prior to the grant year of an amount not greater than two hundred per cent of the maximum family contribution or student aid index eligible for a federal Pell grant award for the academic year one year prior to the grant year. Not later than July first, annually, each institution of higher education shall report such enrollment data to the Office of Higher Education. Not later than October first, annually, the Office of Higher Education shall (1) publish such enrollment data on its Internet web site, (2) notify each institution of higher education of the proportion of the annual funds that such institution of higher education will receive the following fiscal year, and (3) publish the proportions for each institution of higher education on its Internet web site. Participating institutions of higher education shall make awards (A) to eligible full-time students in an amount up to four thousand five hundred dollars, and (B) to eligible part-time students in an amount that is prorated according to the number of credits each student will earn for completing the course or courses in which such student is enrolled, such that a student enrolled in a course or courses earning (i) at least nine but less than twelve credits is eligible for up to seventy-five per cent of the maximum award, and (ii) at least six but less than nine credits is eligible for up to fifty per cent of the maximum award. Each participating institution of higher education shall expend all of the moneys received under the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program as direct financial assistance only for eligible educational costs.

(e) Participating institutions of higher education shall annually provide the Office of Higher Education with data and reports on all eligible students who applied for financial aid, including, but not limited to, students receiving a Roberta B. Willis Scholarship grant, in a form and at a time determined by said office. If an institution of higher education fails to submit information to the Office of Higher Education as directed, such institution shall be prohibited from participating in the scholarship program in the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which such institution failed to submit such information. Each participating institution of higher education shall maintain, for a period of not less than three years, records substantiating the reported number of eligible students and documentation utilized by the institution of higher education in determining qualification of the student grant recipients. Such records shall be subject to audit or review. Funds not obligated by an institution of higher education shall be returned by May first in the fiscal year the grant was made to the Office of Higher Education for reallocation. Financial aid provided to eligible students under this program shall be designated as a grant from the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program.

(f) The Roberta B. Willis Scholarship Charter Oak grant shall be available to any eligible student enrolled in Charter Oak State College. The Office of Higher Education shall allocate any funds to Charter Oak State College to be used to provide grants for eligible educational costs to eligible students who demonstrate substantial financial need and who are matriculated in a degree program at Charter Oak State College. Individual awards shall not exceed a student’s calculated eligible educational costs. Financial aid provided to eligible students under this program shall be designated as a grant from the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program.

(g) In administering the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program, the Office of Higher Education shall develop and utilize fiscal procedures designed to ensure accountability of the public funds expended. Such procedures shall include provisions for compliance reviews that shall be conducted by the Office of Higher Education on any institution of higher education that participates in the program. Commencing with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, and biennially thereafter, each such institution of higher education shall submit the results of an audit done by an independent certified public accountant for each year of participation in the program. Any institution of higher education determined by the Office of Higher Education not to be in substantial compliance with the provisions of the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program shall be ineligible to receive funds under the program for the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the institution of higher education was determined not to be in substantial compliance. Funding shall be restored when the Office of Higher Education determines that the institution of higher education has returned to substantial compliance.