(a) The governing boards shall make provision for institutions under their respective jurisdictions to award tuition and fee waivers for undergraduate and graduate courses at state institutions of higher education beginning in the 2022 fall semester or term for any student who has completed service in West Virginia as a participant in an AmeriCorps State, National, VISTA, or Senior Corps program in accordance with the following:

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Terms Used In West Virginia Code 18B-10-7d

  • approval: when used in reference to action by the commission or the council, means action in which the governance rationale of a governing board under its jurisdiction is given due consideration, and the action of the commission is to additionally establish whether the proposed institutional action is consistent with law and established policy and is an appropriate advancement of the public interest. See West Virginia Code 18B-1-2
  • boards: means the institutional boards of governors created by §. See West Virginia Code 18B-1-2
  • commission: means the commission created by §. See West Virginia Code 18B-1-2
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Council: means the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education created by §. See West Virginia Code 18B-1-2
  • rules: means a regulation, standard, policy, or interpretation of general application and future effect. See West Virginia Code 18B-1-2
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
  • State institution of higher education: means any university, college, or community and technical college under the jurisdiction of a governing board as that term is defined in this section. See West Virginia Code 18B-1-2

(1) The student has applied and been accepted at the institution;

(2) The student has filed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and has accepted all offers of state and federal financial assistance for which he or she is eligible: Provided, That the student is not required to accept offers of student loan or work study assistance;

(3) The student has accepted the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award;

(4) The student has successfully completed his or her term of service as defined by the AmeriCorps program and consistent with regulations of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the service was completed in West Virginia, and the Certification of Service Letter is provided to the state institution of higher education as documentation of the completion of service;

(5) The student shall be awarded a tuition and fee waiver for one semester if the student successfully completed a term of service consisting of at least 600 hours of service, or if the student successfully completed multiple terms of service that in the aggregate consist of at least 600 hours of service. The student shall be awarded a tuition and fee waiver for two semesters if the student successfully completed a term of service consisting of at least 1,200 hours of service, or if the student successfully completed multiple terms of service that in the aggregate consist of at least 1,200 hours. The hours of service used to qualify for an award may not be again used to qualify for another award;

(6) A student may successfully complete additional terms of service while enrolled at a state institution of higher education or between semesters and provide the documentation specified in subdivision (4) of this subsection to the state institution for waivers of tuition and fees in accordance with this section;

(7) The total number of tuition and fee waivers that may be granted to a student pursuant to this section is limited to eight semesters of enrollment at the undergraduate or graduate levels combined;

(8) The nominal value of a tuition and fee waiver is the remaining cost of tuition and fees after the state and federal financial assistance accepted by the student in accordance with subdivision (2) of this subsection has been applied: Provided, That if the subsequent application of the student’s Segal AmeriCorps Education Award causes the total of the student’s financial assistance, waivers, and grants to exceed the student’s cost of attendance, the nominal value of the tuition and fee waiver may be further reduced to reach the cost of attendance; and

(9) The award of a tuition and fee waiver is contingent upon the student meeting the academic progress standards established by the institution.

(b) The award of tuition and fee waivers granted pursuant to this section is in addition to the tuition and fee waivers otherwise permitted in this article.

(c) The governing boards may establish any limitations on the provisions of this section as they consider proper.

(d) The commission and the council may propose rules for legislative approval, pursuant to the provisions of § 29A-3A-1 et seq. of this code, if necessary, to provide for uniformity in the administration and tracking of awards made pursuant to this section.