Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §11613, first ¶, as amended by PL 2001, c. 480, §1, is further amended to read:

The authority shall establish the need of a student for a Maine State Grant for an academic year for which the student applies. A student is considered to have a need to qualify for a grant if the total of the cost of attendance of the student, minus the expected family contribution for the student, together with any Pell Grant established pursuant to the Higher Education Act of 1965, Title IV, as amended, United States Code, Title 20, and a Maine State Grant does not exceed 75% of minus estimated student financial assistance not received under this program, is greater than zero.__The total of the expected family contribution, together with any other student financial assistance received by the student, may not exceed the cost of attendance at the institution the student attends. This section does not require that a student receive, apply for or be eligible for a Pell Grant but only that the amount of any Pell Grant that a student is entitled to receive must be included in calculating the amount of a Maine State Grant whether or not the student receives the Pell Grant.

SUMMARY

This bill provides a description of need for student financial assistance that is consistent with the definition used in federal student financial assistance programs.