As Introduced

136th General Assembly

Regular Session H. B. No. 793

2025-2026

To enact section 3333.0421 of the Revised Code and to amend Section 381.400 of H.B. 96 of the 136th General Assembly regarding cost of attendance at institutions of higher education.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That section 3333.0421 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 3333.0421. (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Institution of higher education" means either of the following:

(a) A private college, as defined in section 3365.01 of the Revised Code;

(b) A state institution of higher education, as defined in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Ohio resident" means a resident of this state under rules adopted under section 3333.31 of the Revised Code.

(B) Annually, each institution of higher education shall report to the chancellor, in a form and manner prescribed by the chancellor, the cost of attendance for an Ohio resident who is enrolled as an undergraduate student in the institution in that academic year.

(1) The definition of "cost of attendance" prescribed in 20 U.S.C. 1087ll;

(2) Each cost of attendance reported by an institution of higher education under this section.

Section 2. That Section 381.400 of H.B. 96 of the 136th General Assembly be amended to read as follows:

Sec. 381.400. GOVERNOR'S MERIT SCHOLARSHIP

(A) The foregoing appropriation item 235530, Governor's Merit Scholarship, shall be used by the Chancellor of Higher Education to administer the Governor's Merit Scholarship Program and to award merit-based aid to qualifying institutions on behalf of eligible students. Funds awarded under this section shall be used in a manner consistent with the goal of allowing high-achieving high school graduates to remain in Ohio to pursue their post-secondary studies and contribute to Ohio's expanding economic opportunities.

(B) In awarding funds under this section, and to the extent that funds are sufficient to do so, the Chancellor shall provide per-student awards of $5,000 per academic year to eligible students determined to be in the top five per cent of their public or nonpublic high school graduating class at the end of their junior year, as determined by their public or nonpublic high school using criteria established by the Chancellor in consultation with the Director of Education and Workforce. School districts and nonpublic high schools shall provide the information as requested by the Chancellor to determine scholarship eligibility. Eligible students shall receive an award for up to the equivalent of four academic years of instruction at a qualifying institution, contingent on satisfactory academic progress.

(C) The Chancellor, in consultation with the Director, shall determine eligibility for graduating high school students who were home schooled to provide a level of access to the program described in this section that is reasonably commensurate with the merit-based criteria used to determine eligibility for students graduating from a public or nonpublic high school.

(D) The Governor's Merit Scholarship shall be used to pay eligible expenses, as determined by the Chancellor, included within the published cost of attendance at a qualifying institution.

(E) A qualifying institution shall not make changes to scholarship or financial aid programs offered by that institution that have the goal or net effect of shifting the cost burden of those programs to the program described in this section. Institutions of higher education that enroll students receiving merit-based financial aid grants under this section shall maintain the same level of merit-based financial aid the institution provided in the most recent academic year in the aggregate to all students or on a per-student basis.

No qualifying institution shall reduce the amount of institutional financial aid it has offered to a student who receives a scholarship under this section, unless the student's total financial aid exceeds the institution's cost of attendance posted under section 3333.0421 of the Revised Code. In that case, the qualifying institution shall reduce the student's institutional financial aid until the student's total financial aid is equal to the cost of attendance.

(F) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the Chancellor may establish guidelines for the purpose of implementing this section, except that the Chancellor shall not place limits on the number of students receiving an award under this section that enroll at a qualifying institution.

(G) As used in this section, "qualifying institution" means any of the following:

(1) A state institution of higher education, as defined in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code;

(2) A private nonprofit institution of higher education holding a certificate of authorization under Chapter 1713. of the Revised Code.

Section 3. That existing Section 381.400 of H.B. 96 of the 136th General Assembly is hereby repealed.