Bill > S2558

Introduced Session

This bill establishes the Two to Four Tuition Free Students Program within the State Tuition Aid Grant Program. The program will provide free tuition to certain students who are accepted for admission to a four-year public institution of higher education, qualify for tuition aid grants, and elect to attend a county college for the first two years of their undergraduate education. A grant for an eligible student under the program will cover the full cost of tuition for two years at a county college to complete an associate degree and two years at a four-year public institution of higher education to complete a baccalaureate degree. In order to be eligible to participate in the Two to Four Tuition Free Students Program, a student must meet the following criteria: (1) be accepted for admission as a full-time undergraduate student at a four-year public institution of higher education; (2) be eligible to receive a State tuition aid grant pursuant to N.J.S.18A:71B-18 et seq., and apply for all available State and federal student grants and scholarships for which the student is eligible; (3) elect to complete the first two years of the student's undergraduate education at the New Jersey county college serving the student's county of residence; (4) defer admission at the four-year public institution of higher education for a period of two years; and (5) have a New Jersey Eligibility Index under the State Tuition Aid Grant Program that does not exceed 2499. The bill requires a four-year public institution of higher education to grant a deferment for two years to a student who has been accepted for admission to the institution and who participates in the Two to Four Tuition Free Students Program. All academic credits earned at the county college by a program participant will be fully transferrable and credited as the first two years of a baccalaureate degree program at the four-year institution. In addition, the bill allows independent institutions of higher education to elect to participate in the program. In the case of an eligible student who is accepted to a participating independent institution, the grant will cover the full cost of tuition for two years at a county college, and for the two subsequent years the grant amount will equal the average cost of attendance at the four-year public institutions of higher education in each year of attendance. The independent institution may charge the student for the cost of tuition in excess of the grant amount. The bill provides that any monies the State saves under the Tuition Aid Grant Program as a result of students participating in the Two to Four Tuition Free Students Program will be reinvested in the Tuition Aid Grant Program in order to expand the population of students who are eligible to participate in the Two to Four Tuition Free Students Program. The bill also requires the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority to submit a report annually to the Governor and the Legislature on the program, which will include the number of students participating in the program, the graduation rate of participants, information on student outcomes, and the amount of any cost savings realized by the State as a result of students participating in the program.

Committee Categories

Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Higher Education Committee (on 09/26/2016)