Governor Dan McKee rallied students, staff and alumni at Rhode Island College on Tuesday to call for making the Hope Scholarship a permanent fixture in the state’s fiscal year 2027 budget.
The Hope Scholarship is a last-dollar scholarship that covers free tuition for full-time juniors and seniors who are Rhode Island residents and have earned a minimum 2.5 GPA. Since McKee and the General Assembly created the program as a pilot in 2023, it has helped 568 RIC students with tuition bills. This academic year alone, it has saved in-state students approximately $4.8 million.
“Students should not be saddled with debt in order to gain the skills to earn a living in Rhode Island,” McKee said. “The Hope Scholarship rewards hard-working Rhode Island students by making a college degree more affordable — or for some students, by making a college degree attainable.”
The event at RIC’s Donovan Dining Center was emceed by RIC alumnus and WPRI Rhode Show co-host Brendan Kirby and featured remarks from current students and recent graduates who received the scholarship.
Dante DiGregorio, a 2026 RIC student and scholarship recipient, made a direct appeal for its continuation. “Rhode Island showed up for me,” he said. “Now I’m asking you, I’m asking all of us, to show up for the next kid. The one working in their parent’s shop. The one who’s two hundred dollars away from dropping out.”
Victoria Adu-Gyamfi, a 2025 RIC graduate who now works as a nurse at Rhode Island Hospital, said the scholarship allowed her to focus on her clinical training rather than her finances. “That support made a lasting difference in my ability to succeed and complete my program,” she said.
RIC President Jack Warner called the student stories the strongest possible argument for keeping the program alive. “We believe this is a long-term investment in the economic health of Rhode Island,” he said. “The Hope Scholarship is truly a win-win-win for students, our college, and our state.”
Adult students who have earned at least 60 credits within a four-year period at RIC are also eligible. More information is available at ric.edu/hope.
