Senate Democrats to Prioritize College Affordability

By Hugh McQuaid

January 9 @ 3:45 pm

Connecticut would boost funding for needs-based scholarships under priority legislation announced Tuesday by Senate Democrats, intended to address the affordability of attending four-year colleges and universities in the state.

The proposal will seek to expand the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program, which currently awards an average of between $4,500 and $5,200 based on the needs of applicants. Only about 31% of eligible students obtained the scholarship in fiscal year 2022, meaning about 16,000 qualified students did not receive state assistance.

In a press release, leaders of the newly expanded Senate Democratic Caucus said supplementing the program would complement the state legislature’s recent history of funding workforce development initiatives like debt-free community college.

“Increasing funding to our scholarship program will provide significant assistance to financially struggling students and their families, allowing them to take on less debt while furthering their education,” Senate President Martin Looney said.

Currently, Connecticut’s investment in needs-based scholarships ranks among the lowest in the country, according to the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs survey, which found that 43 other states spent a greater percentage of state funding on higher education than Connecticut.

Sen. Derek Slap, a West Hartford Democrat who serves as co-chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, said that funding shortfall had contributed to the state’s loss of around 40% of its young adults to colleges and universities in other states.

“Connecticut’s lack of investment into our students and young people has created a brain-drain, we are losing highly educated and skilled workers to our surrounding states,” Slap said. “Now is the time to fully fund our state’s scholarship program and send a strong message to students: we are willing to invest in you if you choose Connecticut for college.”

Democrats, who now hold 25 of the state Senate’s 36 seats, plan to prioritize expanding the Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program during the legislative session, which began Wednesday and will run through June 4.

Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff said the increase in funding would help ease the financial burden of college for students and their families.

“Connecticut has some of the greatest public institutions of higher education in the country and we need to ensure that Connecticut students have access to these schools,” Duff said.