Ohio State Representative Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) renewed calls for the Ohio Senate to pass his Higher Education Return on Investment Act this week.
If enacted, Mathews’ bill (House Bill 27) would “provide more financial transparency to incoming college students in an effort to better clarify financial expectations as they begin their futures.”
Specifically, under Mathews’ bill, all state colleges and universities in the Buckeye State would be required to provide a one-page disclosure form when providing to students a notice of acceptance and financial aid packet with the following information included:
- Tuition, room & board costs, special fees, mandatory fees;
- Grants, scholarships, loans, work-study funds, and how or if they can be lost;
- Expected monthly loan payment;
- Salary range at graduation for 25-75 percent of graduates, with the information most tailored to applicant; and
- Salary range five years out for 25-75 percent of similar graduates, with the information most tailored to applicant.
“Now more than ever, with student loan payments resuming and more questions arising about loan status for many former students, this transparency is very relevant,” Mathews (pictured above) said in a statement. “It’s important we move forward with this bill to ensure we are assisting students regarding the finances of their education as they begin and plan their futures.”
Mathews introduced the bill in February. Since its introduction, the bill has passed the House by an 88-1 vote and is currently in the Ohio Senate committee phase.
Recently, the bill had its second and third hearings in the Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee, where “several students, organizations, and other Ohio citizens speak in favor of it and no opposition,” according to Mathews.
The state representative’s renewed calls for passage of his bill come as student loan payments resumed this month for many Ohioans and Americans nationwide.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
