A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to establish a fixed tuition plan for North Carolina students who enroll in a baccalaureate degree program at any constituent institution of the university of north carolina system.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Article 14 of Chapter 116 of the General Statutes is amended by adding the following new section to read:
"§ 116‑143.9.  Fixed tuition plan.
(a)	The Board of Governors shall establish a fixed tuition plan. The plan shall be available to any undergraduate student seeking a baccalaureate degree admitted to any constituent institution in The University of North Carolina System who also qualifies as a North Carolina resident for tuition purposes. The plan shall include all of the following components:
(1)	A guaranty that the cost of tuition will continue to be the same amount during the tuition period.
(2)	Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the tuition period shall be as follows:
a.	For a student who is classified as a freshman based on credit hours at the time of the student's enrollment at the constituent institution, the tuition period shall be eight consecutive academic semesters for a student seeking a baccalaureate degree in a four‑year program or 10 consecutive academic semesters for a student seeking a baccalaureate degree in a program officially designated by the Board of Governors as a five‑year program, including any summer sessions.
b.	For a student who is classified as a sophomore based on credit hours at the time of the student's enrollment, the tuition period shall be six consecutive academic semesters for a student seeking a baccalaureate degree in a four‑year program or eight consecutive academic semesters for a student seeking a baccalaureate degree in a program officially designated by the Board of Governors as a five‑year program, including any summer sessions.
c.	For a student who is classified as a junior based on credit hours at the time of enrollment, the tuition period shall be four consecutive academic semesters for a student seeking a baccalaureate degree in a four‑year program or six consecutive academic semesters for a student seeking a baccalaureate degree in a program officially designated by the Board of Governors as a five‑year program, including any summer sessions.
d.	For a student who is classified as a senior based on credit hours at the time of enrollment, the tuition period shall be two consecutive academic semesters for a student seeking a baccalaureate degree in a four‑year program or four consecutive academic semesters for a student seeking a baccalaureate degree in a program officially designated by the Board of Governors as a five‑year program, including any summer sessions.
(3)	Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the student must remain enrolled continuously at the same constituent institution during the entire tuition period.
(4)	At the end of the tuition period, the cost of tuition reverts to the current tuition for that constituent institution and a tuition surcharge is imposed under G.S. 116‑143.7 if applicable.
(b)	Upon application by a student, the fixed tuition plan may be tolled if the student is able to demonstrate that any of the following have substantially disrupted or interrupted the student's pursuit of a degree: (i) a military service obligation, (ii) serious medical debilitation, (iii) a short‑term or long‑term disability, or (iv) other extraordinary hardship. The Board of Governors shall establish the appropriate procedures to implement this subsection."
SECTION 2.  If a student who is already enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program at a constituent institution on the date this act becomes effective wants to participate in the fixed tuition plan, the student's fixed tuition rate shall be the amount of the tuition rate on the effective date of this act and the student's tuition period shall be determined according to the classifications set out in G.S. 116‑143.9(2) as enacted by Section 1 of this act.
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to any student who enrolls in or is enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program at a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina beginning with the 2017‑2018 fall academic semester.