Establishes program to provide guaranteed admission to public institutions of higher education for certain public school students.

A1346

ASSEMBLY, No. 1346

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)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes program to provide guaranteed admission
to public institutions of higher education for certain public school students.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

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

��

An Act

concerning admission to public institutions of
higher education and supplementing chapter 62 of Title 18A of the New Jersey
Statutes.

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

���� 1.��� a.� The Secretary of
Higher Education shall, in consultation with the Department of Education and
the New Jersey Presidents� Council, establish a guaranteed admissions program
to automatically offer conditional admission to public institutions of higher education
to an eligible student enrolled in grade 12 in a public school in the State
based on academic merit. A public institution shall, within space and fiscal
constraints, automatically offer conditional admission to an undergraduate
degree program to eligible students who attain the minimum academic merit
requirements established by the secretary.

���� b.� To be eligible for
admission pursuant to this section, an eligible student shall be a resident of
the State for at least one year prior to the time of application and be a
first-time applicant to a full-time degree granting program at a public institution
of higher education.

���� c.� In determining minimum
academic merit requirements for admission, the secretary shall take into
account the following information:

���� (1) a student�s cumulative
grade point average and class rank at the end of grade 11;

���� (2) the complexity of a
student�s coursework, including courses completed at the honors level or above,
advanced placement courses, international baccalaureate courses, and any other
college-level courses taken while enrolled in grades nine through 11;

���� (3) a student�s standardized
test scores;

���� (4) a student�s performance on
Statewide assessments; and

���� (5) any other information the
secretary deems necessary.

���� d.� The secretary may
establish different academic merit requirements for each public institution in
the State, which take into account the selectivity of the institution.

���� e.� Admission to a public
institution of higher education automatically offered pursuant to this section
shall not guarantee admission to any specific major, program of study, or
specialized program offered by the public institution of higher education.

���� 2.��� a.� The Secretary of
Higher Education shall submit an annual report to the Governor, and to the
Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), on the
implementation of the program established pursuant to section 1 of this act.

���� b.� The report shall include,
but not be limited to, the following information:

���� (1) the number of students
offered admission pursuant to this act, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, age,
family income at the time of admission, gender, and first-generation status;

���� (2) an assessment of the
effectiveness and impact of the program on out-migration of public high school
graduates and enrollment among low-income students and students from
populations underserved in higher education; and

���� (3) any recommendations for
the improvement of the program.

���� 3. This act shall take effect
immediately and guaranteed admissions pursuant to this act shall first be
offered in the first full academic year next following the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

���� This bill requires the
Secretary of Higher Education to establish a guaranteed admissions program to
automatically offer conditional admission to a public institution of higher
education to certain students.

���� Under the bill, the secretary
is required to, in consultation with the Department of Education and the New
Jersey Presidents� Council, establish a guaranteed admissions program to
automatically offer conditional admission to public institutions of higher
education to an eligible student enrolled in grade 12 in a public school in the
State based on academic merit. A public institution is required to, within
space and fiscal constraints, automatically offer conditional admission to an
undergraduate degree program to eligible students who attain the minimum
academic merit requirements established by the secretary. To be eligible for
admission, an eligible student is required to be a resident of the State for at
least one year prior to the time of application and be a first-time applicant
to a full-time degree granting program at a public institution of higher
education.

���� In determining minimum
academic merit requirements for admission, the secretary is to take into
account the following information: (1) a student�s cumulative grade point
average and class rank at the end of grade 11; (2) the complexity of a
student�s coursework, including courses completed at the honors level or above,
advanced placement courses, international baccalaureate courses, and any other
college-level courses taken while enrolled in grades nine through 11; (3) a
student�s standardized test scores; (4) a student�s performance on Statewide
assessments; and (5) any other information the secretary deems necessary.

���� The bill permits the secretary
to establish different academic merit requirements for each public institution
in the State that take into account the selectivity of the institution. The
bill stipulates that admission to a public institution of higher education
automatically offered under the bill does not guarantee admission to any
specific major, program of study, or specialized program offered by the public
institution of higher education.

���� Finally, the bill requires the
secretary to submit an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature. The
report is to include: (1) the number of students offered admission pursuant to
the bill, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, age, family income at the time of
admission, gender, and first-generation status; (2) an assessment of the
effectiveness and impact of the program on out-migration of public high school
graduates and enrollment among low-income students and students from
populations underserved in higher education; and (3) any recommendations for
the improvement of the program.