More Money For ‘Free College’ Program In Proposed NJ Budget: Murphy

NEWARK, NJ — If the proposed state budget passes as written, there will be more money coming for a pair of programs that help New Jersey residents to pay for college, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday.

Appearing at a roundtable discussion at Rutgers-Newark, the governor highlighted $134 million that would be used to expand the income limit for the New Jersey College Promise initiative from $80,000 to $100,000 for the 2023-2024 academic year.

The program is made up of two parts: Community College Opportunity Grants (CCOG), the state's “tuition-free” college program, and the Garden State Guarantee (GSG), which offers financial aid to students in their third and fourth years at a New Jersey public college or university if they decide to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

Since 2019, more than 56,000 eligible students have gotten financial aid through the CCOG, and another 14,000 students are enrolled in the GSG program, the governor’s office said.

Three Rutgers-Newark students who have received assistance through the New Jersey College Promise initiative spoke in support of the extra boost in the proposed budget (watch the video below).

“Ensuring equitable access to a high-quality education remains a key priority of my administration – and making college more affordable is a critical component of those efforts,” Murphy said.

“By expanding the New Jersey College Promise, we can build on the success of this initiative to help more students like those we heard from today achieve their educational goals,” he said.

• See Related: NJ's Free Community College Program Is Now Permanent
• See Related: NJ's 'Free Tuition' Program Is A Big Hit At This Community College

TUITION AID GRANTS

On Wednesday, Murphy also signed a bill into law that will help nearly 10,000 low to moderate-income college students in New Jersey to pay for summer courses.

The bill, S-3724/A-4924, will authorize the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) to award Tuition Aid Grants (TAG) for eligible students taking summer courses in 2023, since the grants currently only cover the spring and fall semesters.

These additional grants are estimated to benefit approximately 9,500 students, the governor’s office said.

Legislative sponsors of the bill include Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz and Assemblywoman Mila Jasey, as well as Senator Paul Sarlo and Assembly members Linda Carter, Verlina Reynolds-Jackson and Reginald Atkins.

“The TAG Program has been a tremendous resource and key piece of financial aid for many students across the state,” Ruiz said. “This legislation will expand the program to support this year’s summer sessions, allowing students to get ahead on their course load or stay on track to graduate.”

“Expanding the tuition aid grant program, known as TAG, to cover the 2023 summer session will make a tremendous difference for so many New Jersey students and their families,” agreed Jasey, chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page.