Section 3345.27. Attendance by senior citizens

(A) Each state university or college shall permit any person who is sixty years of age or older and who has resided in the state for at least one year to attend its courses and classes without charging that person a tuition or matriculation fee, provided the attendance is on a noncredit basis, is in courses where classroom space is available, and is approved by the instructors of the courses involved. The university or college may require payment of special fees, including any laboratory fees, if the fees are required of all students taking a course. Each university or college shall issue rules for determining the availability of classroom space and may issue such other rules as it considers necessary to implement this section, including rules exempting from the requirements of this section courses or classes for which special course or training prerequisites apply, in which physical demands upon students are inappropriate for imposition upon persons sixty years of age or older, or in which the number of participating regular students is insufficient to cover the university's or college's course-related expenses. A university or college also may extend to persons attending its courses and classes under this section any other student rights or privileges it considers appropriate.

(B) A state university or college may permit a person to attend its courses and classes and to receive credit for a course taken under the conditions set forth in division (A) of this section if that person's family income is less than two hundred per cent of the federal poverty guideline, as revised annually by the United States secretary of health and human services in accordance with section 673 of the "Community Services Block Grant Act," 95 Stat. 511 (1981) 42 U.S.C.A. 9902, as amended, for a family size equal to the size of the family of the person whose income is being determined. However, a person receiving credit for attending courses or classes under this division may be charged a tuition or matriculation fee in an amount no greater than the amount of any part-time student instructional grant awarded to that person by the state university or college in its discretion.

(C) For the purposes of this section, "state university or college" means any of the following:

(1) State universities referred to in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code;

(2) Community colleges created pursuant to Chapter 3354. of the Revised Code;

(3) University branches created pursuant to Chapter 3355. of the Revised Code;

(4) Technical colleges created pursuant to Chapter 3357. of the Revised Code;

(5) State community colleges created pursuant to Chapter 3358. of the Revised Code;

(6) Municipal educational institutions serving as affiliated units pursuant to section 3349.31 of the Revised Code.

Effective Date: 03-30-1999