For 50 years, the legislature has waived tuition and fees at public universities and colleges for Kentuckians who have passed their 65th birthdays.
That would end if the chair of the House Standing Committee on Postsecondary Education has his way.
Rep. James Tipton, R-Taylorsville, is sponsoring House Bill 497 which would repeal the 1976 law that created the waiver that benefits Donovan Scholars and other students who are 65 or older.
Herman L. Donovan, a champion of lifelong learning, was president of the University of Kentucky from 1941 to 1956 and before that president of what’s now Eastern Kentucky University. UK and other institutions have named the tuition benefit in his honor.
The prospect of seniors losing free access to public higher education is not sitting well with some, including Nathan Goldman, chair of the University of Louisville Donovan Scholars, a campus club. The club last week sent out an alert urging people to contact their lawmakers to oppose the bill.
Tipton in an interview last week with the Lantern emphasized that universities and colleges could still waive tuition for older students if they chose after his bill becomes law. But the committee chair questioned the value of supporting higher education for seniors: “Are they going out and getting a job? Are they contributing to the economic success of the state, and is it fair for the taxpayers of Kentucky to be paying that bill?
“You know what? I’m 66 right now. I could go to college tuition free, but I don’t think it’s fair for me to do that to the taxpayers on their dime. If I want to do it, I can pay for it,” Tipton said.
Goldman, the U of L student, doubts the waiver poses a hardship on taxpayers or the institutions. “If a lot of people were taking advantage of it, it might be a burden on the schools, but I don’t think that’s the case,” Goldman told the Lantern.
Seniors can take courses for free only if there’s room in the class. Universities are not required to add classes to accommodate them.
The Donovan Scholars club at UofL has “maybe 100 members,” Goldman said.
At the University of Kentucky, 160 Donovan Scholars are enrolled this semester, down from 185 in fall 2025 — out of a total enrollment of more than 38,000.
UK and UL last week told the Lantern they are still analyzing the bill’s impact.
Survivor waivers would become ‘last-dollar scholarships’
Elders are far from the only group the legislature has given tuition waivers through the years.
Among the eligible are children and spouses of disabled military veterans and law enforcement officers and firefighters who have been killed or disabled in the line of duty. Tipton’s HB 497 requires those groups to tap available state and federal financial aid and converts their waivers to “last-dollar scholarships” that would cover tuition and fees not paid for by other sources.
“The student shall complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to determine the level of need and eligibility for state and federal financial aid programs,” the bill says.
Tipton said the universities asked him to make the changes in tuition waivers for survivors and that the bill would save the institutions $30 million a year.
He said no universities asked him to end the waiver for students 65 and older but “they’ve seen the bill, and nobody has complained to me about it.” He said that by the time the bill goes to committee he will have an estimate on possible savings from ending the waiver for people over 65.
Tipton last year successfully sponsored a bill that academics warned would erode tenure protections for professors. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed the measure, saying it would “limit Kentucky’s ability to hire the best people and threatens academic freedom.” The Republican legislature overrode the veto.
‘Amazing opportunity for everyone’
Carrie Mott, the faculty advisor to the UofL Donovan Scholars club, said the loss of the waiver would hurt more than just older students who could no longer afford to be students.
“We’re not talking about a huge number of people at any of our universities who are taking advantage of this. But for the ones who are, it’s extremely important, and they have a 100% positive impact on the campus and on younger students. It’s really a benefit for all of us.”
She said the older students mentor younger students and take an active part in campus culture.
“Having senior citizen students in the classroom with 18- to 22-year-olds is an amazing opportunity for everyone. Younger students benefit from that. … I’ve got a woman in one of my classes now who’s in her 70s, and she sits with kids who are about 20 and shares her life experience and knowledge as it relates to the stuff we’re talking about. She’s been amazing. I’ve seen that happen many times in my time at U of L,” said Mott, an associate professor in geography and environmental sciences.
She predicts that losing the waiver would force many of the older students out of higher education since many are living on fixed incomes and modest retirements.
As for Tipton’s assertion that people over 65 won’t be contributing to the economy, Mott said, “I guess in response to that I’d say they’ve contributed to the economy their entire adult lives.”