Legislation to base income requirements for the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship program on family size has been signed into law.

Sen. Adam Pugh, chair of the Senate Education Committee, is the principal author of the measure, and said since the program’s creation, the income cap has been the same, regardless of how many children were in a family.  Senate Bill 1673, which was signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt before the 2022 session adjourned, has higher income limits for larger families.

“Obviously, the more children you have, the more expensive it is to raise them, but until now, that’s never been a factor in determining income qualifications for Oklahoma’s Promise,” said Pugh, R-Edmond.  “This is a common sense change that will increase access to the program and help even more Oklahoma students achieve their goal of obtaining a college education.  Having a well-educated workforce is key to our efforts to diversify our economy and boost per-capita income in our state.  This will ultimately benefit all of Oklahoma.”

Under the new law, starting in the 2022-23 school year, students applying for the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship program will have an income cap of $60,000 for families with two or fewer dependent children; $70,000 for those with three to four dependent children; and $80,000 for those with five or more dependent children.