NJ 'Tuition-Free' Program Expands To Raritan Valley College

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — New Jersey’s pilot program that makes community college "tuition-free" for certain students is about to expand. And yes, this time it will include Raritan Valley Community College.

Many locals were left wondering why Raritan Valley Community College wasn’t in the initial round of 13 pilot schools for the Community College Opportunity Grant (CCOG) when the program was announced last year.

Those colleges included Atlantic Cape Community College, Bergen Community College, Camden County College, Cumberland County College, Hudson County Community College, Mercer County Community College, Middlesex County College, Ocean County College, Passaic County Community College, Rowan College at Gloucester County, Salem Community College, Union County College and Warren County Community College.

• See related article: 13K New Jersey Students Can Go To Community College For Free (Here's How)

But on May 1, Gov. Phil Murphy’s office announced that Raritan Valley Community College and five other schools are now among those participating in the CCOG program, effective with the Spring 2019 semester.

The other schools now participating in CCOG are Brookdale Community College, County College of Morris, Essex County College, Rowan College at Burlington County and Sussex County Community College.

Why wasn’t Raritan Valley Community Colleg among the initial group of schools last year? Those running the program weren’t sure there was going to be enough money, according to state officials.

"We initially pursued a pilot approach at 13 community colleges to ensure that the program costs did not exceed the funds appropriated," said Secretary of Higher Education Zakiya Smith Ellis. "Throughout the pilot, all 19 county colleges have been working to build capacity for the program expansion and to share learnings and best practices during implementation with the goal of expanding in the fall. We are delighted to announce that we now have room to expand this opportunity even earlier than anticipated to benefit all eligible students statewide."

"The 19 county colleges recently provided detailed information about all of the students enrolled this spring," said David Socolow, executive director of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.

"Our analysis of these data shows that the current fiscal year 2019 funding for CCOG will be able to cover eligible students at all 19 county colleges, as a greater share of students are receiving other aid this semester, including federal Pell grants and state TAG, than was the case in prior years," Socolow stated.

Raritan Valley Community College, located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, serves students in Somerset and Hunterdon counties.

WANT TO ATTEND COLLEGE FOR FREE?

Here’s how the program works, according to Gov. Murphy’s office:

“Students across the state now will be eligible for CCOG if they meet the requirements of enrolling in at least 6 credits this spring, making satisfactory academic progress, coming from families with adjusted gross incomes between $0 and $45,000, and having a completed application for federal and state financial aid. Such students are eligible for CCOG, which is a 'last-dollar' grant that covers any gap remaining between their tuition and covered educational fees and all other financial aid grants they receive. Current students who are already enrolled at these six additional institutions will be processed for potential CCOG eligibility over the next few weeks; students do not need to complete any additional application to be considered for eligibility.”

The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) and the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) are jointly administering the program.

To learn more about the Community College Opportunity Grant and how to apply, click here.

— Reporting by Eric Kiefer

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