Expands Tuition Aid Grant program to part-time undergraduates.

A1798

ASSEMBLY, No. 1798

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

SYNOPSIS

���� Expands Tuition Aid Grant program to part-time
undergraduates.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

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

��

An Act

expanding the Tuition Aid Grant program, amending N.J.S.18A:71B-20 and
N.J.S.18A:71B-21, and supplementing chapter 71B of Title 18A of the New Jersey
Statutes.

����
Be It Enacted

by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� (New section)� The
Legislature finds and declares that:

���� a.���� the availability of
educational opportunity at the college and university level is a critical State
interest given the needs of the State for a well-educated work force;

���� b.��� the cost of college in New
Jersey, as in the nation, continues to grow faster than the rate of
inflation;

���� c.���� soaring tuition rates
threaten to impede student access to a quality higher education;

���� d.��� the Tuition Aid Grant (TAG)
program, established in 1968, is a State program that provides grant awards to
resident full-time undergraduates attending New Jersey public and private
institutions of higher education up to the cost of tuition based on a family's
ability to pay;

���� e.���� part-time students
attending a higher education institution, other than county colleges, are
currently ineligible for TAG awards; and

���� f.���� expanding the TAG
program to include part-time students would demonstrate the State's commitment
to student financial aid for those students who are in as much need of
financial assistance and are as deserving of an opportunity for a
post-secondary education as those students able to attend an institution of
higher education on a full-time basis.

���� 2.��� 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 student enrolled in a curriculum leading to a degree or
certificate in an eligible institution, 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.�
A
State tuition aid grant shall also be awarded annually to each eligible,
qualified part-time undergraduate student enrolled in a curriculum leading to a
degree or certificate in an eligible institution in New Jersey.

���� b.��� To each New
Jersey resident enrolled as a full-time student and meeting the other
requirements for eligibility under this chapter
and to each New
Jersey resident enrolled as a part-time student
, 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.
]
�
Each period of part-time
award status shall be counted toward the maximum allowable period of student
eligibility as one-half of the maximum allowable period of full-time student
eligibility.
� 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.

(cf: N.J.S.18A:71B-20)

���� 3.��� N.J.S.18A:71B-21 is
amended to read as follows:

���� 18A:71B-21.� a.� The amount of
a tuition aid grant awarded under this article to any student attending an
eligible institution shall be established by the authority, but shall not
exceed the maximum amount of tuition normally charged at a public institution
of higher education for students attending that institution or 50% of the
average tuition normally charged at the independent institutions of higher
education for students attending those institutions.�
As determined by the
authority, part-time grant awards shall be prorated against the full-time grant
award for the applicable institutional sector.
� The amount of a State
tuition aid grant awarded under this act to any
full-time
student
attending an institution of higher education in any state other than New
Jersey pursuant to this section shall not exceed $500 in an academic year.�
The amount of grant to be paid for each semester or its equivalent shall be
based on the financial need for the grant, as determined by standards and
procedures established by the authority, and subject to the amount of
appropriations available therefor.

���� b.��� Appropriations for each
program category of
full-time
tuition aid grants shall be separately
made by line item.�
Appropriations for each program category of part-time
tuition aid grants shall be separately made by line item.

���� c.���� State tuition aid
grants shall be awarded by the authority to all eligible applicants without any
limitation on the number to be awarded in any year other than the amount of
appropriations available therefor.� In the event that the amount appropriated
is insufficient for full awards to all eligible applicants, the authority, in
consultation with the Commission on Higher Education, shall reduce awards
equitably among eligible students according to such procedures and guidelines
as it shall establish.� Any revisions of procedures and guidelines in effect as
of the effective date of this act shall be submitted on or before March 1 of
the prebudget year by the executive director of the authority to the Joint
Budget Oversight Committee of the Legislature, or its successor, together with
supporting information.� The revised criteria and guidelines may be approved or
disapproved by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, or its successor, at any
time; provided that if at the end of a 60-calendar day period after the date on
which the revisions are transmitted to the committee, the committee has taken
no action, the proposed revised criteria and guidelines shall be deemed to be
approved by the committee.

(cf: N.J.S.18A:71B-21)

���� 4.��� (New section) �a.� The
amount of funds appropriated on the effective date of P.L.��� , c.�� (C.���� ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill) for full-time tuition aid grants shall not
be reduced or diverted to implement the provisions of that act.

���� b.��� The amount of funds
appropriated on the effective date of P.L.��� , c.�� (C.���� ) (pending before
the Legislature as this bill) for part-time tuition aid grants for county
college students shall not be reduced or diverted to implement the provisions
of that act.

���� 5.��� This act shall take
effect immediately and shall first apply to the 2022-2023 academic year.

STATEMENT

���� This bill expands the Tuition
Aid Grant program to part-time undergraduate students who are enrolled in an
eligible institution in New Jersey. �The bill provides that part-time grant
awards would be prorated against the full-time grant award for public and
independent institutions of higher education as determined by the Higher
Education Student Assistance Authority. �Under the current statute, the amount
of a tuition aid grant may not exceed the maximum amount of tuition normally
charged at a public institution or 50% of the average tuition normally charged
at an independent institution.

���� Appropriations for each
program category of part-time tuition aid grants would be made separately by
line item in order to ensure that funding for the part-time tuition aid grants
would not lead to a reduction in the funding for the full-time tuition aid
grants.