§ 28B.95.020. Definitions
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter, unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Academic year" means the regular nine-month, three-quarter, or two-semester period annually occurring between August 1st and July 31st.
(2) "Account" means the Washington advanced college tuition payment program account established for the deposit of all money received by the board from eligible purchasers and interest earnings on investments of funds in the account, as well as for all expenditures on behalf of eligible beneficiaries for the redemption of tuition units and for the development of any authorized college savings program pursuant to RCW 28B.95.150.
(3) "Board" means the higher education coordinating board as defined in chapter 28B.76 RCW.
(4) "Committee on advanced tuition payment" or "committee" means a committee of the following members: The state treasurer, the director of the office of financial management, the executive director of the higher education coordinating board, or their designees, and two members to be appointed by the governor, one representing program participants and one private business representative with marketing, public relations, or financial expertise.
(5) "Governing body" means the committee empowered by the legislature to administer the Washington advanced college tuition payment program.
(6) "Contractual obligation" means a legally binding contract of the state with the purchaser and the beneficiary establishing that purchases of tuition units will be worth the same number of tuition units at the time of redemption as they were worth at the time of the purchase.
(7) "Eligible beneficiary" means the person for whom the tuition unit will be redeemed for attendance at an institution of higher education. The beneficiary is that person named by the purchaser at the time that a tuition unit contract is accepted by the governing body. Qualified organizations, as allowed under section 529 of the federal internal revenue code, purchasing tuition unit contracts as future scholarships need not designate a beneficiary at the time of purchase.
(8) "Eligible purchaser" means an individual or organization that has entered into a tuition unit contract with the governing body for the purchase of tuition units for an eligible beneficiary. The state of Washington may be an eligible purchaser for purposes of purchasing tuition units to be held for granting Washington college bound scholarships.
(9) "Full-time tuition charges" means resident tuition charges at a state institution of higher education for enrollments between ten credits and eighteen credit hours per academic term.
(10) "Institution of higher education" means an institution that offers education beyond the secondary level and is recognized by the internal revenue service under chapter 529 of the internal revenue code.
(11) "Investment board" means the state investment board as defined in chapter 43.33A RCW.
(12) "State institution of higher education" means institutions of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016.
(13) "Tuition and fees" means undergraduate tuition and services and activities fees as defined in RCW 28B.15.020 and 28B.15.041 rounded to the nearest whole dollar. For purposes of this chapter, services and activities fees do not include fees charged for the payment of bonds heretofore or hereafter issued for, or other indebtedness incurred to pay, all or part of the cost of acquiring, constructing, or installing any lands, buildings, or facilities.
(14) "Tuition unit contract" means a contract between an eligible purchaser and the governing body, or a successor agency appointed for administration of this chapter, for the purchase of tuition units for a specified beneficiary that may be redeemed at a later date for an equal number of tuition units.
(15) "Unit purchase price" means the minimum cost to purchase one tuition unit for an eligible beneficiary. Generally, the minimum purchase price is one percent of the undergraduate tuition and fees for the current year, rounded to the nearest whole dollar, adjusted for the costs of administration and adjusted to ensure the actuarial soundness of the account. The analysis for price setting shall also include, but not be limited to consideration of past and projected patterns of tuition increases, program liability, past and projected investment returns, and the need for a prudent stabilization reserve.
[2007 c 405 § 8; 2005 c 272 § 1; 2004 c 275 § 59; 2001 c 184 § 1; 2000 c 14 § 1; 1997 c 289 § 2.]
Notes:
Part headings not law -- 2004 c 275: See note following RCW 28B.76.030.
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Last modified: April 7, 2009