Bill would give college dropouts refund ‘vouchers’
Ohio students who attended a public university or college but never graduated could get 50% of their tuition back in a “voucher” for another program under one state senator's proposal.
“One of my concerns has always been students who drop out after two years, 2.5 years in a college or university,” Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-kirtland, said. “This is intended to give those students a second chance.”
Partial refunds are just the start. The bill, which didn't yet have a number Wednesday, proposes a number of sweeping changes to the way Ohio's public colleges and universities operate. The goals, Cirino said, are to push back against the rising cost of higher education, raise graduation rates and make sure more kids are graduating with “skills the labor market is seeking.”
“Nothing in my bill is intended to be a slap on the hand of higher education,” Cirino said. “But sometimes you need a little push from the outside.”
Students would have 10 years to request a “second-chance voucher” and 75% of the money would come from their former college or university. It could be used for that school, a trade school or other certificate program. Online courses would need to cost less than in-person classes. Chancellors would expand or close majors based on their graduation rates and “in-demand jobs.” And community colleges would be able to open nursing degree programs.
Cirino assumed the voucher will be the most controversial part of his bill because of the number of students who would eligible for a partial refund.
Ohio State University graduated about 90% of the students who started college on its main campus in 2014, according to data from the Ohio Department of Higher Education. Central State University had the lowest six-year graduation rate at 42%, and the University of Akron's main campus was 67%.
“All those kids are leaving with college debt and without a degree,” Cirino said. “I'm not blaming the institutions solely for this, but the universities do have some responsibility.”
He thinks being on the hook financially might motivate universities to hiring more counselors and implement other changes that would get more students across the graduation stage.
Without bill language available, few were willing to comment Wednesday on Cirino's proposal.
Ohio State University plans to review the legislation once it's released, spokesman Ben Johnson said, and “will continue to work with the General Assembly to advance degree and certificate attainment at Ohio State and all of Ohio's universities.”
Senate Democrats are also just starting to shift through the legislation.
Sen. Teresa Fedor, D-toledo, has long supported the idea that college and other post-secondary degrees need to be both more accessible and affordable for Ohio kids.
“I'm not sure that this is a one-sizefits-all solution to the idea that we want universities to have a high graduation rate,” Fedor said.
She'd like more work done in high school to help kids pick majors and schools that fit their interests.
The bill also attempts to codify a commitment to free speech by requiring schools to adopt policies that give students the “broadest possible latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge, learn and discuss any issue.”
Lawmakers passed a different campus speech bill at the end of last year. Senate Bill 40 banned public colleges and universities from charging security fees to organizations that wanted to host controversial speakers.