NY State Senate Bill 2025-S6705

Senate Bill S6705

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to college admission and financial aid for students who have received a high school diploma from certain online high school programs

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Higher Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Mar 20, 2025	referred to higher education

2025-S6705 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Higher Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§661, 355, 6306 & 6206, Ed L

2025-S6705 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides that students who receive a high school diploma from an online high school program located within the United States that is accredited in accordance with the Job Corps Policy and Requirements Handbook shall be eligible for admission to colleges and financial aid.

2025-S6705 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S6705

SPONSOR: STAVISKY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to college admission and
financial aid for students who have received a high school diploma from
certain online high school programs

 
PURPOSE:

To allow New York State residents access to higher education and finan-
cial aid if they have completed an online high school program.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one makes individuals who have completed an online high school
program, in compliance with the standards set by the Jobs Corp under the
United States Department of Labor, to be eligible for TAP funding for
higher education.

Sections two, three and four allow for admission to SUNY, community

colleges, and CUNY schools respectively for online high school gradu-
ates.

Section five provides for a ninety-day effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Online high schools, historically referred to as correspondence schools,
have become more and more common as society continues to embrace tech-
nology and distance options for all aspects of life.  These programs are
accredited through national accreditation agencies recognized by the
United States Department of Education and ultimately overseen by Jobs
Corp a branch of the United States Department of Labor.

These online high school programs partner with Jobs Corp centers to
enable students to tailor their curriculum towards a future career.
Through these Job Corp relationships students can learn the base curric-
ulum required for a high school diploma in a way that is relevant to
them and lead to future employment. Students who complete these programs
receive job training with institutions maintaining relationships with
prospective employers to train their future workforce, but a path to
higher education should be available for New York residents as well.
Unfortunately, due to restrictions on access to High Education the part-
nership with Jobs Corp has been frozen for all New York students depriv-
ing them of access to these online high schools.

In New York, colleges can admit prospective students who have completed
online high school programs from out of state, if their home state
recognizes the online high school as a high school equivalent. Prospec-
tive students who reside in New York however cannot attend without
having to take a high school equivalency test.  This disparate and
inconsistent policy disadvantages New York applicants who completed the
exact same program as their out of state counterparts. This legislation
does not mandate that colleges and universities admit these students,
but rather removes the barrier to applying for admission and makes them
eligible for financial aid like all other applicants.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the State.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become law.

2025-S6705 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6705
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 20, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to college admission  and
   financial  aid  for  students  who have received a high school diploma
   from certain online high school programs

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Paragraph f of subdivision 4 of section 661 of the educa-
 tion law, as amended by section 1 of part Z of chapter 58 of the laws of
 2011, is amended to read as follows:
   f. For students who first receive aid  pursuant  to  this  chapter  in
 academic year two thousand seven--two thousand eight or thereafter, must
 have  (i)  a certificate of graduation from a school providing secondary
 education from a state within the United States; or (ii) the  recognized
 equivalent  of  such certificate; or (iii) received a passing score on a
 federally approved ability to benefit test that has been  identified  by
 the  board of regents as satisfying the eligibility requirements of this
 section and has been independently administered and evaluated as defined
 by the commissioner; OR (IV) RECEIVED A  HIGH  SCHOOL  DIPLOMA,  OR  THE
 EQUIVALENT  THEREOF,  FROM  AN ONLINE HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM LOCATED WITHIN
 THE UNITED STATES THAT IS ACCREDITED IN ACCORDANCE WITH  PARAGRAPH  FOUR
 OF  APPENDIX  THREE HUNDRED TWO OF THE JOB CORPS POLICY AND REQUIREMENTS
 HANDBOOK (GUIDELINES FOR THE ONGOING QUALITY  MONITORING  OF  JOB  CORPS
 HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA (HSD) PROGRAMS), AS AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME;
   §  2. Paragraph h of subdivision 2 of section 355 of the education law
 is amended by adding a new subparagraph 11 to read as follows:
   (11) NOTWITHSTANDING ANY LAW, RULE OR REGULATION TO THE CONTRARY, SUCH
 REGULATIONS SHALL PROVIDE FOR ELIGIBILITY OF ADMISSION FOR STUDENTS  WHO
 HAVE  COMPLETED AN ONLINE HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM WHICH (I) HAS IN EXCESS OF
 TEN THOUSANDS STUDENTS PER YEAR NATIONALLY COMPLETE SUCH  PROGRAM,  (II)
 IS  LOCATED WITHIN THE UNITED STATES, AND (III) IS ACCREDITED IN ACCORD-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD10514-01-5

 S. 6705                             2
 
 ANCE WITH PARAGRAPH FOUR OF APPENDIX THREE HUNDRED TWO OF THE JOB  CORPS
 POLICY  AND  REQUIREMENTS  HANDBOOK  (GUIDELINES FOR THE ONGOING QUALITY
 MONITORING OF JOB CORPS HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA (HSD) PROGRAMS), AS  AMENDED
 FROM TIME TO TIME;
   §  3.  Section  6306  of  the education law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 3-b to read as follows:
   3-B. THE BOARD OF  TRUSTEES  OF  EACH  COMMUNITY  COLLEGE,  AND  THOSE
 PROVIDED  FOR  IN  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK BY SUBDIVISION THREE OF THIS
 SECTION, SHALL ADOPT  A  POLICY  FOR  ADMISSION  OF  STUDENTS  WHO  HAVE
 COMPLETED AN ONLINE HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM LOCATED WITHIN THE UNITED STATES
 CONSISTENT  WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SUBPARAGRAPH ELEVEN OF PARAGRAPH H OF
 SUBDIVISION TWO OF SECTION THREE HUNDRED FIFTY-FIVE OF THIS CHAPTER.
   § 4. Section 6206 of the education law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 subdivision 13-a to read as follows:
   13-A.  THE  BOARD OF TRUSTEES SHALL PROVIDE STANDARDS FOR ADMISSION OF
 STUDENTS WHO HAVE COMPLETED AN ONLINE HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM LOCATED WITHIN
 THE UNITED STATES CONSISTENT WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SUBPARAGRAPH  ELEVEN
 OF PARAGRAPH H OF SUBDIVISION TWO OF SECTION THREE HUNDRED FIFTY-FIVE OF
 THIS CHAPTER.
   §  5.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary  for  the  implementation  of
 this  act  on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
 on or before such effective date.

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