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S 3977

Relates to the state board of parole members

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Gustavo Rivera and 1 co-sponsor

Requires NJ higher-ed institutions to annually collect, publish, and centralize data on undergraduate student parents (under 18 guardians) to inform policy and services.

REFERRED TO CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION
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Bill Summary · S 3977

Summary — S3977: Reporting on Student Parents at Institutions of Higher Education

Status: Introduced 12/16/2024; reported out of Senate Higher Education Committee with amendments 6/12/2025 (2nd Reading). Referred to Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction (1/31/2025).
Primary Sponsor: Sen. Luis R. Sepúlveda. Cosponsor: Sen. Gustavo Rivera.

Purpose

Require New Jersey institutions of higher education to collect and publish standardized annual data on “student parents” to improve understanding of their enrollment and academic outcomes and to inform policymaking and support services.

Key provisions

  • Annual institutional reporting: Each institution must submit an annual report to the Secretary of Higher Education on or before July 1 each year.
  • Required data elements:
    • Number of student parents enrolled, separated into full‑time and part‑time status and disaggregated by demographic subgroups.
    • Academic outcome measures for student parents, including transfer rates, withdrawal rates, and graduation rates.
  • Publication:
    • Institutions must post their report on their public websites.
    • The Secretary of Higher Education must compile the institutional data into an annual statewide report and post it on the Office’s website.
  • Privacy protections:
    • Collected and published data are subject to FERPA (20 U.S.C. §1232g) and other applicable state and federal student‑privacy laws.
    • Published data must exclude personally identifiable information.
  • Definition (as amended): “Student parent” is limited to a student enrolled in an undergraduate degree program who is the parent or legal guardian of a child under 18 years of age. (The original bill included graduate students; the committee amendment removed them.)

Who is affected

  • All New Jersey institutions of higher education (public and private institutions governed by Title 18A reporting requirements).
  • Undergraduate students who are parents or legal guardians of children under 18 (the population the data describe).
  • Secretary of Higher Education (responsible for compiling and posting the statewide report).
  • Policymakers, researchers, campus administrators, and the public who may use the data to assess needs and programs.

Implementation & timeline

  • Reports due annually by July 1.
  • The act would take effect immediately upon enactment.

Potential impacts

  • Increased visibility of undergraduate student parents’ enrollment patterns and outcomes, informing support services and policy.
  • Administrative burden on institutions to collect/disaggregate the required data and ensure FERPA compliance.
  • Centralized statewide dataset enabling trend analysis and targeting of retention/graduation interventions.

Related legislation

  • Prior-session related bills: S753, S2221, S7814.

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

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