On April 21, Nebraska governor Pete Ricketts signed LB 92, a bill that will change the way homeschool graduates are categorized for purposes of in-state tuition in the Nebraska University system.
Due in part to ambiguities in the old law, Nebraska students who graduated from a homeschool program were categorized by default as out-of-state residents for purposes of tuition and scholarships. In order to be reclassified as in-state Nebraska graduates, homeschooled graduates were required to submit extra documentation to Nebraska Universities.
This process has led to frustration and confusion for homeschooled applicants and their parents. The non-resident designation also resulted in uncertainty regarding applicants’ qualification for various merit-based scholarships.
A Step in the Right Direction
LB 92 fixes this problem by amending Nebraska law to clarify that homeschool graduates must not be categorized as non-residents for tuition purposes when applying for admission at state university system schools. It prohibits any publicly funded university in Nebraska from designating any student as out-of-state simply because they graduated from a homeschool program.
Thank you for helping support this legislative solution to provide fairness for homeschool graduates. And a special thank you to Dave Lostroh and The Nebraska Christian Home Education Association (NCHEA) for finding a sponsor and helping move this bill through the legislature.
I encourage you to take a moment to send a thank-you note to your legislator for supporting this positive change for homeschoolers.