Please join us in calling on the General Assembly to increase funding to the Rhode Island Promise 1.0 Scholarship (Promise 1.0). Promise 1.0, created in 2015, is a state aid program aimed at supporting Rhode Islanders attending college in the state. Not only does it provide financial support to full-time students, it also incentivizes talented Rhode Islanders to remain in the state, as well as provide support to the higher education sector. The program is a crucial component of the State’s higher education policy, increasing access to education and supporting the long-term health of the State’s economy.

Key Facts:

• From 2015 to 2020, independent institutions of higher education received $2 million annually. In 2020, State funding for the program was cut to $1.5 million.
• Prior to 2015, state funding for student aid was much higher, with $16 million going to students in 2008. In today’s dollars, that would be the equivalent of funding the program at $21 million annually.
• Since its inception, non-profit colleges and universities have matched state contributions dollar-for-dollar, resulting in $26 million in scholarship funds.
• Nearly 80,000 students attend Rhode Island institutions of higher education. Many of these students remain in Rhode Island after graduation, applying their expertise to the Rhode Island economy.
• Non-profit higher education is the second largest non-governmental sector in the state, after healthcare. The sector spends $4.6 billion in local communities and supports 30,000 jobs across the state.

Contact your legislators: 

Please contact your legislators to voice your support for #Promise4All. Find your senator and representative HERE. For sample language in support of this increase, please click HERE.