S1842 1R

[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 1842

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 10, 1997

By Senators MARTIN, Singer, Bark and Connors

An Act concerning State tuition aid grants and amending P.L.1968, c. 429.

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

1. Section 7 of P.L.1968, c.429 (C.18A:71-47) is amended to read as follows:

7. A college 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 institution of collegiate grade in New Jersey licensed by the Commission on Higher Education, or in an institution of collegiate grade in another state, provided that such 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 Student Assistance Board and the commission. In no event shall a New Jersey 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 the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation. A college 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 institution of collegiate grade in New Jersey licensed by the Commission on Higher Education.

(a) Eligibility. To each New Jersey resident enrolled as a full-time student after July 1, 1978 for the academic year beginning in September of 1978 and to each New Jersey resident enrolled as a part-time student after July 1, ¹[1997] 1998¹ for the academic year beginning in September, ¹[1997] 1998¹ the State shall grant an amount as provided in paragraph (b) of this section. No student shall be eligible for a grant unless he has certified in a form satisfactory to the Student Assistance Board that the grant is essential to his carrying out his plans for attending college. No ¹[full-time]¹ student shall be eligible for grants in more than four and one-half academic years ¹or its equivalent¹, unless the recipient is enrolled in an undergraduate program regularly requiring five academic years for completion, in which case the Student Assistance Board shall permit five and one-half years ¹or its equivalent¹ of eligibility. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, a ¹[full-time]¹ 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 Student Assistance Board, is entitled to an additional half year of eligibility. For the purpose of this amendatory act, 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 Student Assistance Board and approved by the commission if the level of appropriated funds allows such an extension, subject to prior approval by the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting in the Department of the Treasury and Joint Appropriation Committee's Subcommittee on Transfers or its successor.]

¹[A part-time student shall be eligible to receive a grant for as long as he is enrolled in a curriculum leading to a degree or certificate pursuant to the rules established by the Student Assistance Board.] 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.¹

No student shall be eligible for grants unless he maintains such minimum standards of academic performance as are required by the institution in which he is enrolled. No student shall be eligible for a tuition aid grant who is enrolled in a course leading to a degree in theology or divinity.

In the event a student for any reason ceases to continue to be enrolled or otherwise becomes ineligible during the course of an academic year, he shall cease to be eligible for tuition aid. Both the student and the institution shall have the responsibility to notify the Student Assistance Board when a student ceases to be eligible to receive student assistance because of withdrawal for any reason [or a change in status from a full to part-time student] ¹or a change in status from a full to part-time student¹.

(b) Amount of grant. The amount of a tuition aid grant under this act to any student attending an institution of higher education in New Jersey shall be established by the Student Assistance Board 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 colleges and universities for students attending those institutions. Part-time grant awards shall be prorated against the full-time grant award for the applicable institutional sector ¹[. For the purposes of this section, full-time shall be 12 credit hours and a grant for part-time enrollment for nine credit hours shall equal 75 % of a full-time grant award; a grant for six credit hours shall equal 50 % of a full-time grant award; and a grant for three credit hours shall equal 25 % of a full-time grant award. At least 10% of the amount appropriated for tuition aid grants shall be awarded to eligible part-time students] in the following manner: an eligible student enrolled on a half-time basis, six to eight credits, shall receive a part-time tuition aid grant award equal to one-half of the value of the student's full-time award; an eligible student enrolled on a three-quarter time basis, nine to 11 credits, shall receive a part-time tuition aid grant award equal to three-quarters of the student's full-time award¹. The amount of a New Jersey Tuition Assistance Grant 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 $500.00 in an academic year. The amount of grant to be paid for each semester or equivalent shall be based on the financial need for such a grant, as determined by standards and procedures established by the Student Assistance Board and approved by the commission. The standards and procedures which shall be established by the Student Assistance Board for the Fiscal Year 1978-79 and the standards and procedures which shall be established by the Student Assistance Board for part-time students for Fiscal Year 1997-98, shall be submitted to the Legislature, together with appropriate supporting information, and such standards and procedures shall be deemed approved by the Legislature at the end of 30 calendar days after the date on which they are transmitted to the Legislature, or if the Legislature is not in session on the 30th day, then on the next succeeding day on which it shall be meeting, unless between the date of transmittal and the end of the 30-day period the Legislature passes a concurrent resolution rejecting the standards and procedures, in which case the standards and procedures then in effect shall continue in effect.

Any subsequent revisions of said standards and procedures shall be submitted to the Legislature, together with appropriate supporting information, and such standards and procedures shall be deemed approved by the Legislature at the end of 60 calendar days after the date on which they are transmitted to the Legislature, or if the Legislature is not in session on the 60th day, then on the next succeeding day on which it shall be meeting, unless between the date of transmittal and the end of the 60-day period the Legislature passes a concurrent resolution rejecting the standards and procedures, in which case the standards and procedures then in effect shall continue in effect.

¹(d) Appropriations for each program category of part-time tuition aid grants shall be separately made by line item.¹

(cf: P.L.1994, c.48, s.220)

2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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