Bill Text: NJ A5315 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes scholarship program to provide free tuition to certain eligible students attending New Jersey public institutions of higher education.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-12-14 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee [A5315 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-A5315-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RAJ MUKHERJI
District 33 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes scholarship program to provide free tuition to certain eligible students attending New Jersey public institutions of higher education.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning a tuition-free scholarship 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. There is established a scholarship program to provide free tuition to eligible students, as defined in section 2 of this act, who are enrolled in a New Jersey county college or a four-year public institution of higher education and who continue to meet the criteria and conditions of the scholarship program as set forth in this act. The Higher Education Student Assistance Authority shall administer the program.
2. a. To be eligible to receive a scholarship under the program, a student shall:
(1) be a State resident pursuant to guidelines established by the authority;
(2) be enrolled in a full-time course of undergraduate study at a New Jersey county college or a four-year public institution of higher education;
(3) complete at least 30 credits or the equivalent in each academic year; provided, however, that the authority by regulation shall establish limited hardship exceptions to the 30-credit requirement;
(4) have applied for all other available forms of State and federal need-based grants and merit scholarships, exclusive of loans, for which the student is eligible; and
(5) have an annual family income that does not exceed $125,000, where "annual family income" means both taxable and nontaxable income, as derived from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the academic year.
b. In order to receive an award under the program, an eligible student shall be required to maintain the minimum grade point average necessary for the successful completion of the student's coursework at the public institution of higher education.
3. A scholarship award under the program shall cover the full cost of tuition, subject to the prior application of other grants and scholarships against those costs, for an eligible student enrolled in a county college or four-year public institution of higher education. The full amount of any other grants or scholarships awarded to the student shall be applied to tuition to reduce the amount of any scholarship that the student receives under the provisions of this act.
4. a. An eligible student enrolled in a four-year public institution of higher education who receives a scholarship under the program shall not receive an award for more than four academic years of full-time study, or for more than five academic years if the student's program of study normally requires five years to complete. An eligible student enrolled in a county college who receives a scholarship under the program shall not receive an award for more than two academic years of full-time study. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection to the contrary, the duration of a scholarship award under the program may be extended for certain allowable interruptions of study pursuant to regulations adopted by the authority. An allowable interruption of study shall include, but need not be limited to, military service, medical leave, and a family death or family emergency.
b. A student who previously earned a baccalaureate degree is ineligible to receive a scholarship award under the program. A student who previously earned an associate degree is ineligible to receive a scholarship award for a two-year program of study.
5. a. A recipient of a scholarship award under the program shall be required to reside in the State of New Jersey following the recipient's graduation from the public institution of higher education for the same number of years as the recipient received a scholarship award. If the recipient is employed during that time period, the recipient shall be employed in the State of New Jersey.
b. If a scholarship recipient fails to meet the requirements of subsection a. of this section, the authority shall retroactively convert the recipient's scholarship award into a loan, pursuant to regulations adopted by the authority.
c. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section to the contrary, the authority shall allow a deferment of the requirements of subsection a. of this section for a recipient who enrolls in a graduate program at an institution of higher education located outside the State of New Jersey, or for a recipient who leaves New Jersey for military service, or for another approved reason established pursuant to regulations adopted by the authority. A recipient who is granted a deferment shall complete the requirements of subsection a. of this section upon the recipient's return to New Jersey.
6. 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.
7. This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a New Jersey scholarship program to provide free tuition to eligible students who are enrolled in a county college or a four-year public institution of higher education and who continue to meet the criteria and conditions of the scholarship program. The program will be administered by the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA).
In order to be eligible to participate in the scholarship program, a student is required to: (1) be a State resident; (2) be enrolled in a full-time course of undergraduate study at a New Jersey county college or four-year public institution of higher education; (3) complete at least 30 credits or the equivalent in each academic year; provided, however, that HESAA will establish limited hardship exceptions to the 30-credit requirement; (4) apply for all other available forms of State and federal need-based grants and merit scholarships for which the student is eligible; and (5) have an annual family income that does not exceed $125,000. In addition, an eligible student who receives a scholarship award is required to maintain the minimum grade point average needed for the successful completion of the student's coursework at the public institution of higher education.
A scholarship awarded to an eligible student under the program will cover the full cost of tuition, except that the full amount of any other grants or scholarships awarded to the student will be applied to tuition first to reduce the amount of the scholarship received by the student under the program. An eligible student enrolled in a four-year public institution of higher education may not receive an award for more than four academic years of full-time study, or for more than five academic years if the student's program of study normally requires five years to complete. An eligible student enrolled in a county college may not receive an award for more than two academic years of full-time study. However the duration of a scholarship award under the program may be extended for certain allowable interruptions of study pursuant to regulations adopted by HESAA. An allowable interruption of study will include military service, medical leave, and a family death or family emergency.
The scholarship program contains a post-graduation residency and work requirement. Under the bill, a scholarship recipient is required to reside in New Jersey following graduation from the public institution of higher education for the same number of years as the recipient received a scholarship award. If the recipient is employed during that time period, the recipient must be employed in New Jersey. If a recipient does not meet these conditions, the recipient's scholarship award will be converted retroactively into a loan. There will be exceptions allowing a deferment of the post-graduation residency and work requirement for recipients who enroll in a graduate program located outside the State of New Jersey, or who leave New Jersey for military service, or for other approved reasons established under HESAA regulations.
The scholarship program established under this bill is similar to the Excelsior Scholarship Program recently established in the State of New York.
