SENATE, No. 2618

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Sponsored by:

Senator  SHIRLEY K. TURNER

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

SYNOPSIS

     Directs Secretary of Higher Education to revoke proprietary school's license to award academic degrees if school fails to achieve certain minimum graduation rates.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

An Act concerning the graduation rates of certain proprietary schools and supplementing chapter 3B 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.     As used in this section, "proprietary school" means a postsecondary institution in New Jersey that is operated for profit and which has been authorized to offer licensed degree programs.

     b.    (1)  Except as otherwise provided in subsection c. of this section, the Secretary of Higher Education shall revoke a proprietary school's license to award academic degrees if, by the completion of the sixth full academic year that occurs following the effective date of this act, the school fails to achieve a six-year graduation rate of at least 75 percent for full-time students who are enrolled in a four-year degree program.

     (2)   Except as otherwise provided in subsection c. of this section, the Secretary of Higher Education shall revoke a proprietary school's license to award academic degrees if, by the completion of the sixth full academic year that occurs following the effective date of this act, the school fails to achieve a three-year graduation rate of at least 75 percent for full-time students who are enrolled in a two-year degree program.

     c.     If, at the completion of the fifth full academic year that occurs following the effective date of this act, a proprietary school is not on track to achieve the minimum graduation rates specified in subsection b. of this section, but is making sufficient progress toward achieving the rates, the secretary, at the discretion of the secretary, may allow the school additional time to achieve the rates before revoking the school's license to award academic degrees.

     2.    This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

     This bill stipulates that the Secretary of Higher Education is to revoke a proprietary school's license to award academic degrees if the school fails to achieve a six-year graduation rate of at least 75 percent for full-time students enrolled in a four-year degree program by the completion of the sixth full academic year that occurs following the bill's effective date.  The bill further stipulates that the secretary is to revoke a proprietary school's license to award academic degrees if the school fails to achieve a three-year graduation rate of at least 75 percent for full-time students enrolled in a two-year degree program by the completion of the sixth full academic year that occurs following the bill's effective date.  However, if after five years, a proprietary school is not on track to achieve the minimum graduation rates for full-time students, but is making sufficient progress toward achieving that goal, the secretary, at the discretion of the secretary, may allow the school additional time to achieve the rates before revoking the school's license to award academic degrees.