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Bill

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Bill

A 2014

Allows students to use certain grant awards during summer session.

2026-2027 Regular Session Introduced by Shama Haider and 1 co-sponsor

Allows TAG and EOF grants to be used for summer courses that count toward graduation or major credits, with repayment adjustments and annual reporting.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee
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Bill Summary · A 2014

Summary of Bill A 2014 (Session 222, New Jersey)

Core Purpose

Authorizes students to apply a portion of certain need-based grants — specifically the Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) and the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) opportunity grant — to summer sessions immediately following an academic year. The summer use is limited to courses that fulfill graduation requirements or provide major-related credits. The bill also requires annual reporting on summer usage and graduation outcomes, and clarifies how summer usage affects overall grant eligibility timelines.

Key Provisions

1) Use of Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) for Summer Session

  • A student may elect to use part of a TAG award for the summer session after the academic year.
  • Eligible courses include those that:
    • Fulfill graduation requirements, or
    • Award credits toward the student’s major.
  • Process:
    • Before the academic year begins, the student must notify the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) of the intent to use a portion of the TAG for the summer.
    • HESAA will adjust the TAG disbursement for the academic year accordingly and inform the student that summer use will reduce the academic-year disbursement by a specified dollar amount per semester.
  • Reporting and metrics:
    • For each participating institution, HESAA must annually report:
    • The number of students who did or did not use a portion of TAG for the summer.
    • Among those who used/did not use the summer option, how many graduated within 100% and 150% of normal time.
  • Eligibility timeline impact:
    • Using TAG for the summer does not count toward the number of academic years eligible to receive TAG (as per N.J.S. 18A:71B-20, subsection b).

2) Use of Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) Opportunity Grant for Summer Session

  • A student may elect to use part of an EOF opportunity grant for the summer session after the academic year.
  • Eligible courses include those that:
    • Fulfill graduation requirements, or
    • Award credits toward the student’s major.
  • Process:
    • Before the academic year begins, the student must notify the Secretary of Higher Education (Office of the Secretary of Higher Education) of the intent to use a portion of the EOF grant for the summer.
    • The secretary will adjust the EOF disbursement for the academic year accordingly and inform the student that summer use will reduce the academic-year disbursement by a specified dollar amount per semester.
  • Reporting and metrics:
    • For each participating institution, the secretary must annually report:
    • The number of students who did or did not use a portion of the EOF grant for the summer.
    • Among those who used/did not use the summer option, how many graduated within 100% and 150% of normal time.
  • Eligibility timeline impact:
    • Using the EOF grant for the summer does not count toward the number of years for which a student is eligible to receive EOF (per section 10 of N.J.S. 1968, c.142, C.18A:71-37).

3) Effective Date

  • The act takes effect immediately and first applies to the first full academic year following enactment.

Administrative and Oversight Details

  • Reporting agencies:
    • TAG: Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA)
    • EOF: Office of the Secretary of Higher Education
  • Annual reports: Include participation counts and graduation timing metrics (100% and 150% of normal completion time) by institution.
  • Administrative impact: Institutes of higher education and grant administrators will coordinate with HESAA/Secretary to adjust annual disbursements and communicate impacts to students.

Who Is Affected

  • Eligible TAG recipients
  • Eligible EOF recipients
  • Participating New Jersey postsecondary institutions
  • Office of the Secretary of Higher Education and HESAA (administrative and reporting responsibilities)

Context

  • The bill implements a recommendation from the College Affordability Study Commission (final report Sept. 2016) to provide more flexible use of grant funds during summer sessions.

Overall, the bill expands grant utility by allowing eligible students to apply portions of their grants to summer coursework that supports degree progress, while maintaining safeguards on overall grant eligibility periods and requiring ongoing performance reporting.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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