Education, Higher - As enacted, divides the appointing authority for the nine voting members of the Tennessee higher education commission among the governor, the speaker of the senate, and the speaker of the house of representatives equally; establishes various tuition and fee limitations and requirements for public institutions of higher education. - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 14; Title 49, Chapter 7; Title 49, Chapter 8 and Title 49, Chapter 9.

SB 2079 changes how Tennessee appoints members to the higher education commission, splitting appointments equally between the governor (3 members), senate speaker (3 members), and house speaker (3 members), with specific term expirations. It establishes new graduation rate targets for public colleges and universities (3 years for community colleges, 4 years for universities) to guide funding decisions, and allows the commission to approve different tuition increases for institutions with strong graduation rates. The bill also limits online course fees to 75% of in-person course fees at comparable institutions and requires boards to create plans using out-of-state tuition revenue to lower costs for in-state students by 2026. These changes directly affect public higher education institutions, their funding, and student tuition costs across Tennessee.