Expands Community College Opportunity Grant Program to include career and technical education programs at county colleges and county vocational schools.

A1810

ASSEMBLY, No. 1810

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)

Assemblyman CODY D. MILLER

District 4 (Atlantic, Camden and Gloucester)

SYNOPSIS

���� Expands Community College Opportunity Grant Program
to include career and technical education programs at county colleges and
county vocational schools.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

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

��

An Act
concerning the Community College Opportunity Grant
Program and amending P.L.2021, c.26.

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

���� 1.� Section 1 of P.L.2021,
c.26 (C.18A:71B-111) is amended to read as follows:

���� 1.��� As used in this act:

����
�Adult student� means a
postsecondary student who is enrolled in a career and technical education
course or program offered by a county vocational school district established
pursuant to article 3 of chapter 54 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

���� "Annual adjusted gross
income" means:

���� a.���� for a dependent
student, the annual adjusted gross income of the student's parent or legal
guardian, as reported on the student's Free Application for Federal Student Aid
or other financial aid form; and

���� b.��� for an independent
student, the annual adjusted gross income of the student and, if applicable,
the spouse of the student, as reported on the student's Free Application for
Federal Student Aid or other financial aid form.�

���� "Approved educational
fees" means general education fees, registration fees, facility fees,
technology fees, laboratory fees, student service and activity fees, and
program and course fees, including fees associated with
[
coursework in
nursing, culinary, and other
]

career and technical education programs
[
as
determined by the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority in consultation
with the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education
]
, subject to the limit of funds
appropriated or otherwise made available for the program.�

���� "Authority" means
the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority established pursuant to
N.J.S.18A:71A-3.�

����
�Career and technical
education course or program� means a postsecondary career, career-training,
technical, or workforce development course or program that prepares a student
to earn a license or industry-recognized certification or to take a
nationally-recognized exam that is offered by any county college established
pursuant to chapter 64A of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes or any county
vocational school district established pursuant to article 3 of chapter 54 of
Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

����
�County vocational school
district� means any entity established pursuant to article 3 of chapter 54 of
Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

���� "Out-of-county
college" means a county college that is outside of a student's county of
residence.

����
�Out-of-county vocational
school district� means a county vocational school district that is outside of a
student�s county of residence.

���� "Program" means the
Community College Opportunity Grant Program created pursuant to section 2 of
[
this act
]

P.L.2021,
c.26 (C.18A:71B-112)
.�

���� "Three plus one degree
program" means a baccalaureate degree program created pursuant to section
1 of P.L.2018, c.144 (C.18A:3B-78).�

(cf: P.L.2021, c.26, s.1)

���� 2.� Section 2 of P.L.2021,
c.26 (C.18A:71B-112) is amended to read as follows:

���� 2.��� There is hereby created
the Community College Opportunity Grant Program.� The purpose of the program
shall be to provide financial aid grants to eligible county college
students
and eligible county vocational school district adult
students, to cover the
costs of tuition and approved educational fees that are not already covered by
any other State, federal, and institutional need-based grants or merit
scholarships and to provide county colleges with Student Success Incentive
funding for outreach and student success initiatives.� The financial aid grants
distributed to eligible students under the program shall be administered by the
Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, while the Student Success
Incentive funding distributed to county colleges under the program shall be
administered by the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.�

(cf: P.L.2021, c.26, s.2)

���� 3.� Section 3 of P.L.2021,
c.26 (C.18A:71B-113) is amended to read as follows:

���� 3.� a.� To be eligible to
receive a financial aid grant under the Community College Opportunity Grant
Program, a student shall:

���� (1)��
(a) if enrolled in a
county college,
be a legal resident of the State in accordance with the
provisions of N.J.S.18A:71B-2 or be eligible for student financial aid pursuant
to P.L.2018, c.12 (C.18A:71B-2.1)
; or

����
(b) if enrolled in a county
vocational school district, be a legal resident of the State in accordance with
the provisions of N.J.S.18A:71B-2 or P.L.2018, c.12 (C.18A:71B-2.1), except for
any requirement under those provisions of law to be enrolled in an eligible
institution of higher education
;�

���� (2)�� be enrolled in at least
six credits at a county college established pursuant to chapter 64A of Title
18A of the New Jersey Statutes
or be an adult student enrolled in a
postsecondary career and technical education course or program of at least four
months in duration at a county vocational school district
;

���� (3) (a) be enrolled at the
county college
or county vocational school district
that serves the
student's county of residence; or

���� (b) be enrolled at an
out-of-county college
or out-of-county vocational school district
, in
which case the student, if otherwise eligible, shall receive a grant under the
program to cover the remaining costs of tuition and approved educational fees,
charged at the in-district rate for the county college at which the student is
enrolled
or the in-county rate of the county vocational school district at
which the student is enrolled
, provided that the amount of a grant provided
to a student under this subparagraph does not exceed the amount of tuition and
approved educational fees actually charged to the student;

���� (4)�� not have an annual
adjusted gross income that is negative;

���� (5)�� have an annual adjusted
gross income between $0 and $65,000, except that the authority, in consultation
with the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education
[
and
]
,
the New Jersey Council
of County Colleges,
and the New Jersey Council of County
Vocational-Technical Schools,
may annually establish maximum annual
adjusted gross income eligibility limits of no less than $65,000;

���� (6)�� have applied for all
other available forms of State, federal, and institutional need-based grants
and merit scholarships and, in accordance with annually established deadline
dates, have completed and submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid,
other financial aid form, or, as applicable, a State financial aid form as
required by the authority pursuant to subsection b. of section 1 of P.L.2018,
c.12 (C.18A:71B-2.1);�

���� (7)�� not owe a refund on a
grant or scholarship previously received from a State or federal program
through any institution or be in default on any loan made under any State or
federal student loan program at any institution, unless the student makes
arrangements with the authority to repay the debt; and

���� (8)�� be in good academic
standing and meet the minimum standards for academic performance and
satisfactory academic progress as defined by the county college
or county
vocational school

district
which the student is attending.

���� A county college
or county
vocational school district
shall not impose additional eligibility
requirements for the program, other than the requirements set forth in this
subsection.�

���� b.��� A grant under the
program may be renewed for a student who:

���� (1)�� annually completes and
submits a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, other financial aid form,
or, as applicable, a State financial aid form as required by the authority
pursuant to subsection b. of section 1 of P.L.2018, c.12 (C.18A:71B-2.1);

���� (2)�� meets the standards for
academic performance and satisfactory academic progress, as defined by the
county college

which the student is attending, to determine eligibility
for federal student aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of
1965 or, in the semester immediately prior to receiving an award, attains a
minimum level of academic success as determined by the authority
or meets
the standards for academic performance and satisfactory academic progress as
defined by the county vocational school district which the student is attending
;
and

���� (3)�� maintains all
applicable

eligibility requirements established pursuant to subsection a. of this section.

���� c.� (1) A student
enrolled
in a county college
shall be eligible for a grant under the program for up
to five semesters, unless the student is enrolled in a program regularly
requiring at least six semesters for completion, in which case the authority
shall permit up to six semesters of eligibility.�

���� (2)�� A student enrolled in a
three plus one degree program
at a county college
shall be eligible for
a grant under the program for up to six semesters.

���� (3)�� Semesters for which a
student is enrolled in at least six credits but less than 12 credits
at a
county college
shall be counted as one-half of a full-time semester.

����
(4) An adult student
enrolled in a career and technical education program at a county vocational
school shall be eligible for a grant under the program for coursework completed
over a two-year time period.

���� d.���
[
A student may
be eligible for a grant under the program during a fall or spring semester in
an academic year.
]

(Deleted by amendment, P.L.�� , c.�� ) (pending before the Legislature as
this bill)

���� e.���� If a student, the
student's family,
[
or
]
a county
college
, or a county vocational school district
deems that the authority
made an unfair determination of eligibility, an appeal may be filed with the
authority within 60 days of initial notification of eligibility or
ineligibility.�

���� f.���� The county college
or
county vocational school district
which a student attends shall notify the
student of the student's eligibility for the program and the amount of the
grant.

����
g.��� A student may not be
eligible for a grant under the program for coursework completed at both a
county vocational school district and a county college.

(cf: P.L.2021, c.26, s.3)

���� 4.��� Section 4 of P.L.2021,
c.26 (C.18A:71B-114) is amended to read as follows:����������������

� �� 4. a. A grant distributed to
an eligible student under the Community College Opportunity Grant Program shall
cover the remaining cost of tuition and approved educational fees, which is not
covered by State, federal, or any other need-based grant or merit scholarship,
for up to 18 credits in any semester
, or the equivalent number of hours or
credits in a career and technical education course or program as determined by
the authority
.� The full amount of State, federal, and institutional
need-based grant or merit scholarships received by an eligible student shall be
applied to the amount of tuition and approved educational fees charged to an
eligible student.� The remaining balance of tuition and approved educational
fees shall be covered by a grant under the program.�

���� b.��� A full award under the
program to a student at a county college
or an adult student enrolled in a
career and technical education program at a county vocational school district

shall be equal to the student's full cost of approved tuition and approved
educational fees, subject to the prior application of all other State, federal,
and institutional need-based grants and merit scholarships against those costs,
for up to 18 credits in any semester, for an eligible student for a full-time
semester in an associate's degree, certificate,
[
or
]
three plus one degree program
,
or for up to the approved number of hours or credits in a career and technical
education course or program, to be determined by the authority
. For an
eligible student enrolled in at least six credits but less than 12 credits in
an associate's degree, certificate,
[
or
]
three plus
one degree program,
, or enrolled in the approved range of hours or credits
in a postsecondary career and technical education course or program, as
determined by the authority
, a grant under the program shall be pro-rated
from the full-time approved tuition and approved educational fees based on the
number of
hours or
credits for which that student is enrolled.�

���� c.���� The authority shall,
for each county college
and county vocational school district
, annually
establish a maximum individual grant amount awarded under the program.� The
maximum individual grant amount for each county college
and county
vocational school district
shall not increase by more than three percent
over the prior year.�

(cf: P.L.2021, c.26, s.4)

���� 5. This act shall take effect
immediately and shall first apply to the first full academic year following the
date of enactment.

STATEMENT

���� This bill expands eligibility
for the Community College Opportunity Grant (CCOG) Program to include career
and technical education programs offered at county colleges and county
vocational schools.

���� Under current law, the CCOG
Program provides last-dollar grants to eligible county college students to pay
for the remaining costs of tuition and approved educational fees that are not
covered by any other need-based grants and merit scholarships. Grants provided
by the program cover up to 18 credits in any semester for courses towards an
associate�s degree, certificate, or a three plus one degree program.

���� The bill expands the CCOG
Program to students enrolled in at least six credits of a career and technical
education course or program at a county college for a maximum of six semesters
of eligibility. The bill also expands the CCOG Program to adult students
enrolled in a career and technical education course or program longer than four
months in duration at a county vocational school for a maximum of two years of
eligibility. Programs and courses permitted under the bill are to prepare a student
to earn a license or industry-recognized certification or to take a
nationally-recognized exam. Under the bill, grants provided by the program
cover up to the recognized equivalent of 18 academic credits in a postsecondary
career and technical education course or program as determined by the Higher
Education Student Assistance Authority.