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S 144

An act relating to secondary enforcement of certain motor vehicle violations

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Martine Gulick and 1 co-sponsor

Provides tuition-free up to 6 college credits per high school year (3 per semester) for eligible NJ juniors/seniors via dual enrollment in county colleges.

Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Judiciary
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Bill Summary · S 144

Summary — S144: “New Jersey College Ready Students Program Act”

Status: Introduced in the Senate; referred to Senate Higher Education Committee.
Introduced: January 16, 2025.
Subject: Higher education finance; dual enrollment.

Purpose

Establishes a state program to make select dual‑enrollment college courses tuition‑free for eligible New Jersey public high school students (11th and 12th graders), with the goal of expanding access to college coursework for students from low‑income families and promoting college readiness.

Key provisions

  • Establishes the “New Jersey College Ready Students Program.” The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Secretary of Higher Education, shall create and administer the program.
  • Eligibility: Uses the same family‑need criteria as the statewide standards set by the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) (the existing EOF income/need standard).
  • Tuition benefit: Eligible students may receive up to 3 college credits tuition‑free per semester, and no more than 6 credits per school year while in 11th and 12th grade.
  • Participation conditions:
    • The student’s district must have a dual‑enrollment agreement with a county college under current law (P.L.2014, c.74).
    • A student must meet a minimum grade‑point average (GPA) that the Commissioner will set to indicate college readiness.
    • To remain eligible, a student must earn a grade of C or better in each college course taken through the program.
    • If an otherwise eligible student fails to meet the minimum GPA requirement, the student may take one remedial course tuition‑free per semester.
  • Funding: The State bears the cost of tuition for program participants (i.e., county college tuition for covered credits).
  • Reporting: The Commissioner must submit an annual report (no later than August 1) to the Governor and Legislature that includes program participation counts, completion rates, total program cost, credits earned, remedial courses used, high‑school graduation outcomes for 12th‑grade participants, and post‑graduation college‑matriculation plans.

Who is affected

  • Primary beneficiaries: low‑income New Jersey public high school juniors and seniors who meet EOF income/need standards and local dual‑enrollment agreements.
  • Institutions: county colleges will deliver eligible courses; local school districts must participate via dual‑enrollment agreements.
  • State budget: increased state expenditures to cover tuition for eligible dual‑enrollment credits.

Implementation & timeline

  • Effective immediately upon enactment and first applicable to the first full school year following enactment.
  • Administrative setup led by the Commissioner of Education with reporting required annually.

Notes / considerations

  • The bill caps the annual tuition‑free credits (6 per year) and conditions ongoing eligibility on both initial GPA and course performance (C or higher).
  • The proposal requires coordination between K–12 districts and county colleges and will create a recurring state fiscal obligation for participating students’ tuition.

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

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