HB2928 - Relieve College Costs Pilot Program Act

• Creates a pilot 4-year "Fundamental Issues and Texts Humanities Degree" program with a maximum cost of $20,000 for the entire degree pathway, complying with Higher Learning Commission standards.

• Designates one public high school, one public community college, and one public university to develop a competency-based baccalaureate degree program focused on canonical texts of western civilization and the Enlightenment in subjects including philosophy, literature, history, religion, government, art, and architecture.

• Establishes a program director position to develop curriculum, prioritizing institutions with existing articulation agreements and using open educational resources and online courses where available to reduce costs.

• Creates an 18-member panel to identify initiatives supporting open educational resources adoption and make recommendations to the General Assembly by December 31, 2022.

• Requires public universities and community colleges to highlight free or low-cost digital course materials on course schedules and establishes a grant program to encourage faculty to adopt or develop courses using only open educational resources.

• Mandates a report to the Governor and General Assembly after the first student cohort completes the pilot program, assessing cost reduction, classical liberal arts emphasis, and curriculum replicability.