Board of Regents proposes modernizing Nursing Service Scholarship regulations to allow part‑time awards

Gage Rolf, associate general counsel for the Kansas Board of Regents, briefed the committee on proposed regulatory changes to the Nursing Service Scholarship Act rules. The board seeks to modernize a regulatory set that dates to 1990 and 1992 and to align the regulations with statutory changes.

Rolf said proposed changes to KAR 88‑20‑1, 88‑20‑3, and related sections would eliminate definitions tied to financial-need calculations now handled by FAFSA, remove the regulatory residency requirement (statute removed residency in 2017), and eliminate a full‑time student definition so the scholarship may be awarded to part‑time students or students in programs whose full‑time load is fewer than 12 hours.

"In 2017, the Kansas legislature eliminated the requirement that a nursing student be a resident of Kansas from the scholarship requirements," Rolf told the committee and clarified that awards still require enrollment at a Kansas public or private nonprofit nursing program.

Committee members asked about residency and whether students could live out of state while enrolled in Kansas programs; Rolf confirmed students may live in another state but must be enrolled at a Kansas institution to be eligible.

Ending: The Board of Regents said the proposed regulatory revisions reflect statutory reforms and would make administrative language consistent with current practice.