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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, First Regular Session
ABOR; reporting requirements; revisions
Purpose
Requires each public university's reported full-time equivalent student enrollment to be counted on the 21st, rather than 45th, day of each semester. Removes, modifies or delays specified Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) reporting requirements.
Background
The Auditor General (OAG) must annually audit each Arizona public university's full-time equivalent reported student enrollment for the previous fiscal year and report the audit results to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) and the Governor's Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting. ABOR must count the basic actual full-time equivalent student enrollment for each public university on the 45th day after classes begin for the fall and spring semesters and calculate actual full-time equivalent student enrollment according to a statutorily-prescribed formula based on credit hours and course level. Full-time equivalent student enrollment is calculated by subtracting the number of students who have earned credit hours in excess of the undergraduate credit hour threshold from basic actual full-time student equivalent enrollment. By October 15, ABOR must annually report to JLBC the number of public university in-state students and out-of-state students who met or exceeded the undergraduate credit hour threshold during the previous fiscal year (A.R.S. §§ 15-1626 and 15-1661).
A public university must admit a student under 18 years old who has not attained a high school diploma or certificate of equivalency if the student attains a specified score on a college entrance examination. ABOR must annually submit a report on the students who were enrolled in a course or a program for university credit through special admission from September of the previous fiscal year through August of the current fiscal year to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the State Board of Education. The report must include: 1) the number of enrolled students; 2) the general narrative of the types of courses or programs; and 3) ABOR's rules for the special admission of the students (A.R.S. § 15-1821).
ABOR administers the Technology and Research Initiative Fund (TRIF) for certain capital projects and to grant awards to universities for technology and research initiatives. By September 1, ABOR must submit the TRIF annual report to the Governor, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives which includes: 1) the amount and duration of each new award; and 2) the purpose and goals for each award (A.R.S. § 15-1648).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires each public university's basic actual full-time equivalent student enrollment to be counted on the 21st, rather than 45th, day of each fall and spring semester.
2. Requires a 21st-day, rather than 45th-day, class roster to be used to indicate student withdrawals and certify student enrollment.
3. Requires the required student withdrawals record to identify withdrawals as of, and withdrawals after, the 21st, rather than 45th, day of a semester.
4. Replaces the ABOR report to JLBC on the number of in-state and out-of-state students who met or exceeded the undergraduate credit threshold during the previous fiscal year with a report, due on December 1, on the number of in-state and out-of-state students enrolled during the previous fiscal year, including the most recent fall semester, disaggregated by geographic site.
5. Removes the requirement for ABOR to annually submit the report on students under 18 years old who had not attained a high school diploma or certificate of equivalency and were enrolled in a university course or program for university credit.
6. Removes the requirement for each public university to submit to ABOR the information required to compile the report on the special admission of enrolled students under 18 years old who had not attained a high school diploma or certificate of equivalency.
7. Delays, from September 1 to October 1, the date by which ABOR must submit the TRIF annual report.
8. Makes technical changes.
9. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
January 31, 2023
LB/MH/slp