Community College Tuition Help Bill Advances

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A plan to pay community college tuition for recent Mississippi high school graduates who are not covered by other financial aid is advancing.

Representatives passed House Bill 424 Tuesday by a vote of 115-4. It now goes to the Senate for more debate.

The bill would set up a two-year pilot program at all of Mississippi’s 15 community colleges. Local governments and private donors are already running such plans in 20 of Mississippi’s 82 counties.

Officials estimate it would cost less than $4.5 million a year more to pay outstanding tuition for the system’s 75,000 students.

Federal Pell Grants typically cover the average $2,400-a-year tuition, plus books, at the state’s 15 community colleges for the poorest students. State grants contribute $500 a year for students with a 2.5 GPA.