New law bases Oklahoma’s Promise income limits on family size

OKLAHOMA CITY – 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.

Rep. Jadine Nollan, R-Sand Springs, is chair of the House Committee on Higher Education and Career Tech and was House principal author of SB 1673.

"This change in law will be really helpful for parents who have multiple children going to college," Nollan said. "As someone who had three children in college at the same time, I know the burdens that exist. This will help more students attend Oklahoma colleges and universities, which in turn translates into more skilled and trained workers who can attain higher-paying jobs, resulting in a better economy and overall improvement for our state. I'm grateful to the Senate author of this bill, Senator Pugh, for seeing the necessity of this change and for the governor signing it into law."

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For more information, contact:

Sen. Adam Pugh at 405-521-5622 or email Adam.Pugh@oksenate.gov.
Rep. Jadine Nollan at 405-557-7390 or email Jadine.Nollan@okhouse.gov