Wisconsin grants and other financial aid for higher education. (FE)

This bill makes the following changes to the Wisconsin grant program:

1. The bill removes the requirement that a student must be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for a Wisconsin grant. The bill also specifies that, to be eligible for a Wisconsin grant, a student must be enrolled in a degree, certificate, or other program leading to a recognized educational credential and be maintaining satisfactory academic progress.

2. The bill extends, from 10 semesters to 12 semesters or the equivalent, the limit on the total number of semesters a student may receive a Wisconsin grant. The bill also specifies that, if a student receiving a grant is enrolled less than full time in a semester or session, only the fraction of the student's enrollment, in proportion to full-time enrollment, is applied toward this 12-semester limit.

3. The bill eliminates the statutory mathematical calculation used to determine the amount of a Wisconsin grant awarded to a student enrolled in a private nonprofit college. Instead, the bill aligns the statutory language for HEAB to determine the amount of a Wisconsin grant for each of the four types of higher education institution. Under the bill, HEAB must award Wisconsin grants based on the current federal need analysis formula. This standard accommodates changes to the federal need analysis methodology included in the federal FAFSA Simplification Act of 2019 that are scheduled to take effect in the 2024-25 academic year.

4. The bill modifies provisions related to minimum and maximum grant amounts, which are currently established by statute. Under current law, the minimum annual grant amount is $250. For students enrolled in UW System schools, technical colleges, and tribal colleges, the maximum annual grant amount is $3,150. For students enrolled in private nonprofit colleges, HEAB establishes the maximum annual grant amount, subject to the limitation that HEAB may not make initial grant awards exceeding 122 percent of the amount appropriated for this purpose. This bill repeals all of these provisions. Instead, HEAB must annually establish a minimum and maximum amount for grants and must integrate the minimum and maximum grant amounts into its formula for awarding grants.

5. The bill specifies that a Wisconsin grant is available to a student enrolled in a private nonprofit college only if the private nonprofit college is headquartered in Wisconsin.

6. The bill repeals a provision related to private nonprofit colleges that requires HEAB to prescribe and make available at locations in the state convenient to the public Wisconsin grant application forms and, upon request, to advise and assist applicants in making out these forms.

7. The bill also requires HEAB to ensure that eligible UW System students enrolled in a certificate program currently known as the farm-and-industry short course are included in the award of Wisconsin grants.

Talent incentive grants Under current law, HEAB awards talent incentive grants to uniquely needy students enrolled at least half-time in the UW System, a technical college, a private nonprofit college, or a tribal college. Awarded to first-year students with the greatest financial need, the grant may be continued in the students' sophomore, junior, and senior years. However, HEAB may not award a grant to a student for more than 10 semesters or their equivalent, and HEAB may not award a grant to a student more than six years after its initial grant award to the student.

The bill allows HEAB to award a talent incentive grant to a student for up to 12 semesters or their equivalent.

Grants to meet emergency financial need Under current law, the UW System and technical colleges may award a grant to an eligible student at a two-year UW System campus or a technical college to pay the student's expense resulting from a financial emergency. An “eligible student” is defined as a student whose “expected family contribution” is less than $5,000. An eligible student may receive up to two grants in a total amount of not more than $500 per academic year. Each two-year UW System campus and technical college must collect certain information related to the grant program and submit a report by June 30 to, respectively, the Board of Regents of the UW System or the Technical College System Board.

The bill modifies the definition of “eligible student” for the purpose of these grants. The bill eliminates the term “expected family contribution,” which is a need-based methodology derived from federal standards that were changed in the federal FAFSA Simplification Act of 2019. Under the bill, an eligible student is defined as a student whose financial need meets the eligibility criteria for a federal Pell grant. The bill also allows these grants to be awarded to any UW System student, not just to students at two-year UW System campuses. The bill increases the maximum amount of the grants awarded to a UW System or technical college student in an academic year from $500 to $1,000. The bill also changes the reporting deadline for the program from June 30 to September 1.

Selective Service registration as a condition for financial aid The bill repeals provisions that prohibit HEAB and the UW System from providing state financial assistance to a person required to register with the federal Selective Service system who is not so registered.