ASSEMBLY HIGHER EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 4924

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 12, 2022

      The Assembly Higher Education Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 4924.

      As reported by the committee, this bill authorizes the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority to award State-funded summer tuition aid grants for eligible students, following the federal Year-Round Pell grant program model.

      The bill provides that a student’s receipt of a summer tuition aid grant will not: (1) reduce the amount of a tuition aid grant awarded to the student during the academic year; (2) be included when determining the student’s maximum tuition aid grant awards; or (3) otherwise adversely affect the student’s eligibility for other State student financial awards.

      The bill provides that the eligibility criteria for summer tuition aid grants are required to conform to the eligibility requirements for tuition aid grants provided for study during the academic year, and also requires that:

· the student is enrolled in six or more credit hours in the summer term;

· the courses for which the summer tuition aid grant is to be applied are in the same undergraduate program at the same institution in which the student was enrolled during the fall or spring semester of the preceding academic year; and

· the courses for which the summer tuition aid grant is to be applied may be credited towards the student’s graduation or academic major requirements.

      The bill further provides that a summer tuition aid grant will be prorated against the full-time tuition aid grant awarded in the preceding semester as follows: an eligible student enrolled with six to eight credits will receive one-half of the value of a full-time award, and an eligible student enrolled with nine to 11 credits will receive three-quarters of a full-time award.

      Finally, the bill provides that:

· a student will not be eligible for more than four summer tuition aid grants;

· summer tuition aid grants awarded pursuant to the bill will be funded by a separate line item;

·  the amount of funds appropriated for full-time tuition aid grants will not be reduced or diverted to implement the bill’s provisions; and

·  the amount of funds appropriated for part-time tuition aid grants will not be reduced or diverted to implement the bill’s provisions.