Expands Tuition Aid Grant program to include workforce training programs.

A1316

ASSEMBLY, No. 1316

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman CODY D. MILLER

District 4 (Atlantic, Camden and Gloucester)

Assemblywoman LINDA S. CARTER

District 22 (Somerset and Union)

Assemblyman MICHAEL VENEZIA

District 34 (Essex)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywomen Morales, Reynolds-Jackson and Assemblyman
Hutchison

SYNOPSIS

���� Expands Tuition Aid Grant program to include
workforce training programs.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act

concerning the Tuition Aid Grant Program,
supplementing chapter 71B of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and amending
P.L.2016, c.47 and N.J.S.18A:71B-20.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1. (New section) a.� The
Higher Education Student Assistance Authority shall designate eligible
workforce training programs as eligible for participation in the tuition aid
grant program.� The authority, in making special designations pursuant to this
section, shall consider current and projected critical workforce shortages in
the State.� Designations pursuant to this section shall not be limited to the
degree-granting programs of an institution.

���� b. The authority shall
determine eligibility criteria for participation in the tuition aid grant
program pursuant to subsection a. of this section.� At minimum, to be eligible
to participate in the tuition aid grant program, a workforce training program shall:

���� (1) require students to
attend, at minimum, 150 hours of classroom instruction;

���� (2) offer an industry-valued
credential or employer-valued credential; and

���� (3) have an average completion
rate of at least 70 percent, as well as an average job placement rate of at
least 70 percent.

���� c. As used in this section,
�workforce training program� means a training and employment program authorized
by the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority to participate in the
tuition aid grant program.

���� 2.� Section 1 of P.L.2016,
c.47 (C.18A:71B-19.1) is amended to read as follows:

���� 1.��� An institution of higher
education
[
and
a
]

,

proprietary degree-granting institution
, or a workforce training program
authorized to participate in the tuition aid grant program
shall annually
provide the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority with detailed
information on the graduation rates
, as applicable,
of State tuition aid
grant recipients.� In the case of a county college, the college shall also
provide the authority with the transfer rates of the State tuition aid grant
recipients.�
In the case of workforce training programs that are not degree
granting, the institution shall provide the authority with a quantitative
indicator of program success, as specified by the authority.
� An
institution shall provide the information in such form as determined by the
authority.

���� The authority shall post the
information provided by each institution for public inspection on its website.

(cf: P.L.2016, c.47, s.1)

���� 3. N.J.S.18A:71B-20 is amended
to read as follows:

���� 18A:71B-20.� a. A State
tuition aid grant shall be awarded annually to each eligible, qualified
full-time
[
undergraduate
]

postsecondary

student enrolled in a curriculum leading to a degree or certificate in an
eligible institution
or a credential in an eligible workforce training
program
, or in an institution of higher education in another state,
provided that state permits its residents to utilize its state student
financial assistance grants in New Jersey institutions of higher education
through reciprocity agreements approved by the authority.� In no event shall a
State tuition aid grant be utilized at an out-of-State institution which is not
licensed by that state and accredited by a regional accrediting association
recognized by a national accrediting organization.

���� b.��� To each New Jersey
resident enrolled as a full-time student, except as otherwise provided in
subsection d. of this section, and meeting the other requirements for
eligibility under this chapter, the State shall grant an amount as provided in
N.J.S.18A:71B-21.� A student shall not be eligible for a grant unless the
application is in a form satisfactory to the authority.� A student shall not be
eligible for grants for more than four and one-half academic years, unless the
recipient is enrolled in an undergraduate program regularly requiring five
academic years for completion, in which case the authority shall permit five
and one-half years of eligibility.� Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, a
student receiving aid under the provisions of P.L.1968, c.142 (C.18A:71-28 et
seq.) shall be entitled to a sixth year of eligibility.� Notwithstanding the
foregoing provisions, a county college student who transfers to a four- year
institution, or any student who is required to pursue 18 or more credit hours
in a remedial or developmental curriculum, as defined by regulations adopted by
the authority, is entitled to an additional half year of eligibility.� For the
purpose of this article, a remedial curriculum shall include only noncredit
courses in which a student is directed to enroll by the institution.�
Eligibility for tuition aid grants may be extended to part-time students
through regulations developed by the authority if funds are separately
appropriated for this purpose.� A student shall not be eligible for grants
unless the student maintains such minimum standards of academic performance as
are required by the institution of enrollment.� A student who is enrolled in a
course leading to a degree in theology or divinity shall not be eligible for a
tuition aid grant.

���� c.���� A person shall not be
awarded a State tuition aid grant unless that person:

���� (1) satisfies the residency
and other requirements provided in article 1 of this part;

���� (2) has applied for State
tuition aid and has been determined by the authority to be eligible for the
tuition aid;

���� (3) has demonstrated financial
need for the tuition aid as determined by and in accordance with standards to
be established by the authority; and

���� (4) maintains satisfactory
academic progress in accordance with standards established by the authority.

���� d.��� Eligibility criteria for
summer tuition aid grants awarded pursuant to section 2 of P.L.2023, c.34
(C.18A:71B-20a) shall conform to the requirements of this section and shall
include the following additional eligibility criteria:

���� (1) the student is enrolled in
six or more credit hours in the summer term;

���� (2) the courses for which the
summer tuition aid grant is to be applied are in the same undergraduate program
at the same institution in which the student was enrolled during the student�s
most recent semester of enrollment in the preceding academic year; and

���� (3) the courses for which the
summer tuition aid grant is to be applied may be credited toward the student's
graduation or academic major requirements.

(cf: P.L.2023, c.34, s.1)

���� 4. This act shall take effect
immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill permits the
inclusion of workforce training programs in the Tuition Aid Grant Program.

���� Under current law, the Tuition
Aid Grant Program is limited to institutions of higher education and certain
proprietary institutions with degree-granting programs approved by the
Executive Director of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.� This
bill requires the authority to designate qualified workforce training programs
to participate in the tuition aid grant program.� Designations are not limited
to the degree-granting programs of an institution.�

���� Under the bill, the authority
is to determine eligibility criteria for participation in the tuition aid grant
program.� At minimum, to be eligible to participate in the tuition aid grant
program, a workforce training program is to: (1) require students to attend, at
minimum, 150 hours of classroom instruction; (2) offer an industry-valued
credential or employer-valued credential; and (3) have an average completion
rate of at least 70 percent, as well as an average job placement rate of at
least 70 percent.