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.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A7390A
SPONSOR: Hyndman 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.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7390--A
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 25, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. HYNDMAN -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Higher Education -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
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:
1 Section 1. Paragraph f of subdivision 4 of section 661 of the educa-
2 tion law, as amended by section 1 of part Z of chapter 58 of the laws of
3 2011, is amended to read as follows:
4 f. For students who first receive aid pursuant to this chapter in
5 academic year two thousand seven--two thousand eight or thereafter, must
6 have (i) a certificate of graduation from a school providing secondary
7 education from a state within the United States; or (ii) the recognized
8 equivalent of such certificate; or (iii) received a passing score on a
9 federally approved ability to benefit test that has been identified by
10 the board of regents as satisfying the eligibility requirements of this
11 section and has been independently administered and evaluated as defined
12 by the commissioner; or (iv) received a high school diploma, or the
13 equivalent thereof, from an online high school program located within
14 the United States that is accredited in accordance with paragraph four
15 of appendix three hundred two of the Job Corps Policy and Requirements
16 Handbook (Guidelines for the Ongoing Quality Monitoring of Job Corps
17 High School Diploma (HSD) Programs), as amended from time to time;
18 § 2. Paragraph h of subdivision 2 of section 355 of the education law
19 is amended by adding a new subparagraph 11 to read as follows:
20 (11) Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to the contrary, such
21 regulations shall provide for eligibility of admission for students who
22 have completed an online high school program which (i) has in excess of
23 ten thousands students per year nationally complete such program, (ii)
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11203-02-5
A. 7390--A 2
1 is located within the United States, and (iii) is accredited in accord-
2 ance with paragraph four of appendix three hundred two of the Job Corps
3 Policy and Requirements Handbook (Guidelines for the Ongoing Quality
4 Monitoring of Job Corps High School Diploma (HSD) Programs), as amended
5 from time to time;
6 § 3. Section 6306 of the education law is amended by adding a new
7 subdivision 3-b to read as follows:
8 3-b. The board of trustees of each community college, and those
9 provided for in the city of New York by subdivision three of this
10 section, shall adopt a policy for admission of students who have
11 completed an online high school program located within the United States
12 consistent with the provisions of subparagraph eleven of paragraph h of
13 subdivision two of section three hundred fifty-five of this chapter.
14 § 4. Section 6206 of the education law is amended by adding a new
15 subdivision 13-a to read as follows:
16 13-a. The board of trustees shall provide standards for admission of
17 students who have completed an online high school program located within
18 the United States consistent with the provisions of subparagraph eleven
19 of paragraph h of subdivision two of section three hundred fifty-five of
20 this chapter.
21 § 5. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
22 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
23 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of
24 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
25 on or before such effective date.
