Requires public institution of higher education to provide academic credit for certain examinations.

2026-2027 Regular Session Introduced by Jim Beach and 1 co-sponsor

Public colleges must award credit for AP (score 3+) and CLEP (score 50+) exams toward degrees and publish policies online.

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Higher Education Committee

Summary of Bill S 2608 (NJ, Session 222)

Purpose and intent

Requires public institutions of higher education in New Jersey to award academic credit for certain high school–completed examinations.

Specifically applies to advanced placement (AP) examinations and College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) Learning Assessments, aligning college credit with performance on these exams for students pursuing associate or baccalaureate degrees.

Key provisions and changes

Credit eligibility (Section 2a):
Public colleges and universities must award academic credit to a student who:

Is pursuing an associate or baccalaureate degree.
Completed the applicable AP course and AP exam or CLEP Learning Assessment prior to enrolling at the institution.
Achieved a score of 3 or higher on AP exams; score of 50 or higher on CLEP Learning Assessments.

Credit application (Section 2b):
Institutions should, to the greatest extent possible, apply the awarded credits toward the student’s degree requirements.

Public posting and transparency (Section 2c):
Each institution must post on its website its policies and procedures for awarding credit for AP and CLEP assessments.

Reporting to the Secretary (Section 2d):
Institutions must submit their policies and procedures to the Secretary of Higher Education and notify the secretary of any changes at least 60 days before the changes take effect.

Administrative flexibility (Section 3):
The Secretary may grant an exemption from the standard credit requirements on an individual course basis if an institution provides data showing that a higher or different score is necessary for success in a related or more advanced course.

Transparency of exemptions (Section 3b):
The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education must post on its website each institution’s credit policies and any changes received under Section 2.

Effective date (Section 4):
Takes effect immediately but applies first to the first full academic year following enactment.

Who is affected

Public institutions of higher education in New Jersey (e.g., state colleges and universities).

Prospective and current students pursuing associate or bachelor’s degrees who completed AP or CLEP assessments prior to enrollment.

The Secretary of Higher Education, which administers posting and exemptions processes.

Timeline and procedural aspects

Immediate enactment with first applicability to the first full academic year after enactment.

Institutions must:

Ensure AP/CLEP policies are finalized and published on their websites.
Submit policies to the Secretary and notify of changes at least 60 days before changes take effect.

The Secretary may issue exemptions on a course-by-course basis if justified by data.

Potential impact

Standardizes and expands credit transferability from AP and CLEP exams into New Jersey public higher education.

Could reduce time-to-degree for students who complete qualifying exams in high school.

Increases transparency for students through posted policies and centralized publication by the Secretary.

Provides administrative flexibility to account for unique program requirements or outcomes via exemptions.