McNamara Bill: Make Hope Scholarship Permanent

STATE HOUSE — With the Rhode Island Hope Scholarship Pilot Program seeing great success in making higher education accessible to more Rhode Islanders, Rep. Joseph M. McNamara has introduced legislation to make the scholarship permanent.

McNamara, who chairs the House Committee on Education, first proposed the program in 2023. That same year it was enacted into law by the General Assembly, providing the cost of two years of tuition and mandatory fees for eligible students during their junior and senior years at Rhode Island College, according to the Legislative Press and Public Information Bureau.

The bill (2026-H 8336) would remove the expiration date of the pilot program, making it a continuing scholarship at Rhode Island College, similar to the Rhode Island Promise Scholarship at the Community College of Rhode Island.

“We started the Hope Scholarship with two goals: to increase the number of students at Rhode Island College, and to increase the number of students completing their four-year degrees on time,” said Representative McNamara (D-Dist. 19, Warwick, Cranston). “The pilot program has been a tremendous success. And it’s driven more high school seniors to consider Rhode Island College. Two years of free tuition is a powerful tool for those who couldn’t afford college, or may not have even considered it otherwise.”

The first year of the program saw 357 eligible students, with 245 of them receiving the scholarship. The remaining 112 received other forms of grants and scholarships that covered their college costs. In that first year, Hope scholars completed more courses, with 98.2 percent passing all their fall courses in 2023, and stayed in school, with 97.8 percent retaining fall-to-spring enrollment.

“This scholarship has helped students at a critical point in their college careers, when they typically begin to get frustrated and stressed,” said Representative McNamara. “Between their junior and senior years is when students tend to become overwhelmed with working and paying for college and they could use the assistance. Many Rhode Island College students utilize Pell grants, which are considered the foundation of a student’s financial aid package. This scholarship helps make up the difference, assisting students who are under a mountain of debt, and throwing them a lifeline.”

Applicants for the scholarship have to qualify for in-state tuition and fees; be currently enrolled as a full-time student who has declared a major; enroll or have enrolled full-time as a freshman as a first-time student and continue to be enrolled on a full-time basis at Rhode Island College; maintain an average annual cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or greater; remain on track to graduate on time; and commit to live, work or continue their education in Rhode Island after graduation.

Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at editor@warwickpost.com with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.