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A4294
ASSEMBLY, No. 4294
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman� SHANIQUE SPEIGHT
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes program to provide free tuition under
State Tuition Aid Grant Program to certain students who are accepted to public
four-year institutions of higher education and elect to attend county college
for first two years.�
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
concerning the State Tuition Aid Grant Program 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.��� a.� There is
established, within the State Tuition Aid Grant Program, the Two to Four
Tuition Free Students Program.� The program shall provide free tuition to
eligible students, as defined in subsection b. of this section, who are
accepted for admission to a four-year public institution of higher education,
qualify for a State tuition aid grant, and elect to complete the first two
years of their undergraduate education at a county college. A grant under the
program shall cover the full cost of tuition for an eligible full-time
undergraduate student for two years of attendance at a county college to
complete an associate degree and two years of attendance at a four-year public
institution of higher education to complete a baccalaureate degree.� The Higher
Education Student Assistance Authority shall administer the program.
���� b.��� To be eligible to
participate in the program, a student shall:
���� (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.
���� c.���� Eligible students who
wish to participate in the program shall submit an application to the Higher
Education Student Assistance Authority, on a form and in a manner prescribed by
the authority.
���� d.��� (1)� A four-year public
institution of higher education shall 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 established
pursuant to this section.�
���� (2) �All academic credits
earned at a county college in completing an associate degree by a student who
participates in the program shall be fully transferable and credited as the
first two years of a baccalaureate degree program at the four-year public institution
of higher education to which the student is accepted.
����
e.���� In the event
that a student who participates in the Two to Four Tuition Free Students
Program takes longer than two years at a county college to complete an
associate degree or longer than two years at a four-year public institution of
higher education to complete a baccalaureate degree, funding for the additional
time period shall be calculated in accordance with the provisions of the
Tuition Aid Grant Program pursuant to N.J.S.18A:71B-18 et seq.
����
2.��� a.� A four-year
independent institution of higher education may elect to participate in the Two
to Four Tuition Free Students Program.� In the case of a participating
four-year independent institution of higher education, a grant under the
program shall cover the full cost of tuition for an eligible full-time
undergraduate student for two years of attendance at a county college to
complete an associate degree.� For two years of subsequent attendance at the
independent institution of higher education to complete a baccalaureate degree,
the grant amount shall equal the average cost of tuition at the four-year
public institutions of higher education in each year of attendance.� If the
cost of tuition at the independent institution of higher education exceeds the
amount of the grant, the independent institution of higher education may charge
the student for the additional cost.
���� b.��� To be eligible to
participate in the Two to Four Tuition Free Students Program at a four-year
independent institution of higher education, a student shall:
���� (1) be accepted for admission
as a full-time undergraduate student at a four-year independent institution of
higher education that has elected to participate in the Two to Four Tuition
Free Students Program;
���� (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 independent 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.
���� c.���� A four-year independent
institution of higher education that participates in the Two to Four Tuition
Free Students Program shall 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.� The institution shall also agree to
fully transfer and accept all academic credits earned by the student at a
county college in completing an associate degree.
���� 3.��� Any monies that the
State saves under the Tuition Aid Grant Program as a result of students
participating in the Two to Four Tuition Free Students Program established
pursuant to section 2 of this act, shall 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.
���� 4.��� One year following the
establishment of the Two to Four Tuition Free Students Program, and annually
thereafter, the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority shall submit a
report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of
P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1).� The report shall include information on the
total number of students participating in the Two to Four Tuition Free Students
Program; the graduation rate of students participating in the program, once
applicable; and any available information on student outcomes for program
participants.
�
The report shall also include
the amount of any
cost savings realized by the State under the Tuition Aid Grant Program as a
result of students participating in the Two to Four Tuition Free Students
Program.�
���� 5.��� The Higher Education
Student Assistance Authority shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the �Administrative
Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), necessary to implement
the provisions of this act.
���� 6.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
���� 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.