Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman CARMEN THERESA MORALES
District 34 (Essex)
Assemblywoman LINDA S. CARTER
District 22 (Somerset and Union)
Assemblywoman HEATHER SIMMONS
District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Reynolds-Jackson and Brennan
SYNOPSIS
Requires county college to notify graduating high school students of acceptance into local county college.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning county college admissions and supplementing chapter 64A of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Beginning with the graduating class for the academic year next following the date of enactment of this act, each county college shall provide an offer of admission to each graduating student in grade 12 who is enrolled in a public or nonpublic school and is a resident of the county served by the county college.
b. The local county college shall notify each graduating student no later than December 1 of the student’s grade 12 year of the admission offer to the college, including information on how to accept the offer, register for classes, apply for financial aid, and access student support services. If the graduating student has completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid or other financial aid form, the notification shall include preliminary financial aid information, to the extent that this information is available.
c. A county college shall not require a student to submit a separate application for admission or pay an application fee but may require completion of standard enrollment forms and compliance with placement or orientation procedures.
d. Admission to a county college offered pursuant to this section shall not guarantee admission to any specific major, program of study, or specialized program offered by the county college.
e. The New Jersey Council of County Colleges, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, shall establish guidelines for the identification and notification of students eligible for admission pursuant to this section.
f. Any data shared pursuant to this act shall be limited to student contact information and shall comply with the provisions of all applicable State and federal privacy laws.
2. a. The New Jersey Council of County Colleges shall submit an annual report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), on the implementation of the letters of acceptance provided pursuant to section 1 of this act.
b. The report shall include, but not be limited to, the following information:
(1) the number of students offered admission pursuant to this act, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, age, family income at the time of admission, gender, and first-generation status;
(2) an assessment of the effectiveness and impact of the letters of acceptance provided pursuant to this act on out-migration of high school graduates and enrollment among low-income students and students from populations underserved in higher education; and
(3) any recommendations for the improvement or expansion of automatic admissions policies in the State.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires each county college to notify graduating high school students of their acceptance into their local county college.
Under the bill, each county college is required to provide a letter of acceptance to each graduating student in grade 12 who is enrolled in a public or nonpublic school and is a resident of the county served by the county college. The acceptance letter is required to be sent to the student by December 1 and include information on how to accept the offer, enroll, register for classes, and access financial aid and student support services. If the graduating student has completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid or other financial aid form, the notification is required to include preliminary financial aid information, to the extent that this information is available.
The bill stipulates that admission offered pursuant to the provisions of the bill would not guarantee admission to any specific major, program of study, or specialized program offered by the county college. The bill requires the New Jersey Council of County Colleges, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, to establish guidelines for the identification and notification of students eligible for admission pursuant to the bill. The bill stipulates that any data shared pursuant to the provisions of the bill is to be limited to student contact information and is required to comply with the provisions of all applicable State and federal privacy laws.
Finally, the bill requires the New Jersey Council of County Colleges to submit an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature on the implementation of the letters of acceptance provided pursuant to the provisions of the bill.