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Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky House Bill 376 enacts the Kentucky Student Tuition Protection and Accountability Act to regulate tuition increases and establish continuous enrollment rules
Last action · January 22, 2026: to Appropriations & Revenue (H)Sponsors: Kim Banta and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 376 sets limits on annual tuition and mandatory fee increases at public postsecondary institutions to five percent for resident students and seven percent for non-residents without General Assembly approval, effective July 1, 2029. The measure requires public universities to freeze tuition rates for resident students who maintain for four years or graduate from a program. Additionally, the legislation prohibits the Council on Postsecondary Education from approving any degree program containing courses whose primary purpose is to indoctrinate participants with a discriminatory concept.
Resident and non-resident undergraduate and graduate students at Kentucky public universities and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System face new statutory caps on annual tuition hikes and conditional four-year tuition rate freezes starting in July 2029.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Kentucky resident students
Resident students face statutory limits on annual tuition increases, qualify for rate protections after four years of continuous enrollment, and are subject to mandatory fee regulations.
Non-Kentucky resident students
Non-resident students are subject to a seven percent annual cap on tuition and mandatory fee increases without General Assembly approval and must receive four-month notice of rate increases.
Public postsecondary education institutions
Universities and community college systems must comply with council-determined tuition caps, four-year tuition rate rules, mandatory fee restrictions, and program approval criteria.
Council on Postsecondary Education in Kentucky
The council must determine tuition and fee increases, enforce residency definitions, review capital projects, and ensure academic programs exclude discriminatory indoctrination courses.
Key Facts
- Tuition and mandatory student fees for incoming Kentucky resident students cannot be increased by more than five percent in any single year without approval from the General Assembly.
- Tuition and mandatory student fees for non-Kentucky resident students cannot be increased by more than seven percent in any single year without General Assembly approval.
- Tuition and fees at the University of Louisville, the University of Kentucky, and comprehensive universities cannot be raised for resident students unless they complete four years of continuous enrollment, graduate, or fail to maintain continuous enrollment.
- Resident students remaining enrolled past four years or failing to maintain continuous enrollment are charged tuition and fees not exceeding the amount charged to incoming resident students in the same program.
Show all 9 facts
- Institutions must notify non-resident or continuing resident students of any tuition or mandatory fee increase at least four months prior to the effective date.
- Tuition and fee increases must be determined by the council and approved by the governing board no later than March 1 prior to the academic year.
- The Council on Postsecondary Education is prohibited from approving any new degree, certificate, or diploma program that requires courses with the primary purpose of indoctrinating participants with a discriminatory concept.
- The Kentucky Community and Technical College System may assess a mandatory student fee up to eight dollars per credit hour exclusively for debt service on specific agency bond projects.
- New members of the council and institutional governing boards must complete a six-hour orientation and education program within one year of appointment or election.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum annual tuition increase allowed for resident students under this bill?
When does a resident student qualify for tuition rate protection after four years?
Are there restrictions on academic program approvals related to course content?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Jan 22, 2026HouseCommitteeto Appropriations & Revenue (H)
- Jan 14, 2026HouseIntroducedintroduced in House to Committee on Committees (H)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Deferred Effective Date
The bill specifies an unusual delayed effective date of July 1, 2029, allowing a multi-year lead time before statutory tuition caps become operative.
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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