Arizona HB 4161: higher education; 2026-2027

Bill Text

Chapter 0133 - 572R - H Ver of HB4161 

 House Engrossed

 higher education; 
 2026-2027

 State of Arizona

 House of Representatives

 Fifty-seventh Legislature

 Second Regular Session

 2026

 CHAPTER 133

 HOUSE BILL 4161

AN 
ACT

amending sections 15-1626 and 15-1650.06, 
Arizona Revised Statutes; appropriating monies; relating to higher education. 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 15-1626, Arizona Revised 
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE15-1626. General administrative powers and duties of board; definition

A. The Arizona board of regents shall:

1. Have and exercise the powers necessary for the 
effective governance and administration of the institutions under the board's 
control.� To that end, the board may adopt, and authorize each university to 
adopt, regulations, policies, rules or measures as are deemed necessary and may 
delegate in writing to the board's committees, to university presidents, or the 
presidents' designees, or to other entities under the board's control, any part 
of the board's authority for the administration to administer and governance of govern those institutions, including those powers enumerated in 
section 15-1625, subsection B, paragraphs 2 and 4, paragraphs 3, 4, 8, 9, 
11, 12 and 22 of this subsection and subsection B of this section.� The board may rescind any delegation of authority may be rescinded by the board at any time in whole or in part.

2. Appoint and employ and determine the compensation 
of presidents with the power and authority and for the purposes in connection 
with the operation of the institutions as the board deems necessary.

3. Appoint and employ and determine the compensation 
of vice presidents, deans, professors, instructors, lecturers, fellows and the 
other officers and employees with the power and authority and for the purposes 
in connection with the operation of the institutions as the board deems 
necessary, or delegate the board's authority pursuant to paragraph 1 of this 
subsection. 

4. Remove any officer or employee when the interests 
of education in this state so require in accordance with the board's personnel 
rules and policies.

5. Fix tuitions and fees to be charged and 
differentiate the tuitions and fees between institutions and between residents, 
nonresidents, undergraduate students, graduate students, students from foreign 
countries and students who have earned credit hours in excess of the credit 
hour threshold. For the purposes of this paragraph, the 
undergraduate credit hour threshold is one hundred forty-five hours for 
students who attend a university under the jurisdiction of the board. The 
undergraduate credit hour threshold shall be based on the actual full-time 
equivalent student enrollment counted on the forty-fifth day of every 
fall and spring semester, divided by two, and any budget adjustment based on 
student enrollment shall occur in the fiscal year following the actual full-time 
equivalent student enrollment count. The undergraduate credit hour 
threshold shall not apply to degree programs that require credit hours above 
the credit hour threshold, credits earned in the pursuit of up to two 
baccalaureate degrees, credits earned in the pursuit of up to two state 
regulated licensures or certificates, credits earned in the pursuit of teaching 
certification, credits transferred from a private institution of higher 
education, credits transferred from an institution of higher education in 
another state, credits earned at another institution of higher education but 
that are not accepted as transfer credits at the university where the student 
is currently enrolled and credits earned by students who enroll at a university 
under the jurisdiction of the board more than twenty-four months after the end 
of that student's previous enrollment at a public institution of higher 
education in this state. On or before October 15 of each year, the board shall 
report to the joint legislative budget committee the number of in-state 
students and out-of-state students who were enrolled at 
universities under the jurisdiction of the board during the previous fiscal 
year and who met or exceeded the undergraduate credit hour threshold prescribed 
in this paragraph. The amount of tuition and fees included in the 
operating budget for the university adopted by the board as prescribed in 
paragraph 13 of this subsection is subject to legislative appropriation and 
shall be deposited in a separate tuition and fees subaccount for each 
university. All other tuition and fee revenue shall be retained by each 
university for expenditure as approved by the board in a separate local tuition 
and fees subaccount for each university. This subaccount shall 
consist of only tuition and fees. The universities shall not use any 
tuition or fee revenue to fund or support an alumni association.

6. Adopt rules to govern the board's t