MS HB293

Waives tuition, required fees, and housing costs at Mississippi state institutions of higher learning and public community/junior colleges for children of deceased veterans killed in line of duty or who died from service-connected disabilities as determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Requires applicants to be Mississippi residents under 23 years old on the first day of enrollment, with eligibility extended for those whose education was interrupted after beginning coursework before age 23.

Limits full-time students to maximum of four annual waivers (five for five-year degree programs) and part-time students to waivers matching their program length; students must maintain a 2.0 GPA and make steady academic progress to renew waivers.

Establishes the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning as the administering agency and requires the board to allocate waivers on a first-come, first-served basis for first-time students if funding is insufficient, with priority given to continuing students making adequate progress.

Effective July 1, 2010, with all necessary funding to be appropriated by the Legislature.