NJ Senate committee backs automatic county college admission, student aid program

High school seniors would receive admission offers from local county colleges, while public college students could qualify for emergency grants.

Two bills aimed at helping more New Jersey students get to and stay in college cleared a Senate committee Monday.

One bill, S4128, would require local county colleges to automatically offer admission to graduating high school seniors who live in the county.

The other, S4127, would create a $1.5 million emergency aid program for undergraduate students facing unexpected financial crises.

State Sen. Andrew Zwicker, a Democrat who represents parts of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset counties, sponsored both measures. Hudson County Democrat Angela McKnight also sponsored the community college bill.

Members of the Senate Higher Education Committee unanimously advanced both bills after several advocates testified in support of them, including a recent college graduate whose testimony changed one senator’s vote.

Sen. Robert Singer, an Ocean County Republican, had criticized the emergency aid bill earlier in the hearing because it did not spell out which students would qualify for grants.

“I want to support the bill, but I’m not getting the answers I need,” Singer said.

But he changed his mind after Grant Williams, a 2026 graduate of Rutgers University-Camden and a member of the NAACP Camden County East Youth Council, told the committee how quickly tuition, textbooks, transportation and child care costs can add up and strain a student’s budget.

“For students living on a tight budget, an unexpected expense can quickly become a major obstacle,” Williams said. “It is difficult to learn and be a full participant in a classroom when all you can think is, ‘What will I not be able to afford next?’”

“That’s why I support S-4127,” Williams said. “Having access to timely assistance could help a student address an immediate problem without having to choose between paying an unexpected bill and staying in college.”

When it came time to vote, Singer said Williams’ testimony had swayed him.

“I was not going to vote for the bill because I really resent the fact that we’re not putting in how it would be done,” Singer said. “But after listening to that young man’s presentation, I would be remiss … So, I vote yes.”

Harbani Ahuja, senior counsel at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, said community college students in New Jersey report high levels of financial insecurity.

She cited research finding that 44% had experienced housing insecurity, 39% had experienced food insecurity, 14% had experienced homelessness, and 70% could not afford child care. Another study at Rutgers University-New Brunswick found that 40% of students had experienced basic-needs insecurity, she said.

“These challenges can directly affect whether students complete college,” Ahuja told lawmakers. “Emergency aid can really help interrupt this cycle … Students use these emergency grants for necessities like food, housing, and transportation, and report that the assistance reduces stress and helps them stay enrolled.”

The grants would cover emergency living expenses, including groceries, clothing, housing, transportation, medical costs, technology, and child care. They could not be used for tuition, fees, or student loan payments.

Each public college or university would administer the program through its financial aid office, which would accept applications, distribute grants, and advertise the program to students.

The Higher Education Student Assistance Authority would determine who qualifies, what expenses are eligible, the maximum grant amount, and how much assistance a student could receive annually or over a lifetime.

Colleges would have to report how many students received grants, the average and median awards, the types of emergencies covered, and the percentage of recipients who remained enrolled or completed their programs.

The bill would appropriate $1.5 million from the state’s General Fund to establish a dedicated revolving fund for the program.

Many of the same advocates also supported the county college bill that would require community colleges to offer admission to every graduating 12th grader who lives in the county, whether the student attends a public or private school.

Students would not have to submit a separate college application or pay an application fee.

County colleges would have to notify students of the offer by Dec. 1 of their senior year and provide information about accepting it, registering for classes, applying for financial aid, and accessing student support services. Students who have already completed the FAFSA or another financial aid form would also receive preliminary financial aid information when available.

Students would still have to complete standard enrollment forms and could be required to go through placement or orientation procedures. The automatic admission would not guarantee acceptance into a particular major or specialized program.

Chris-Tina Middlebrooks, a senior at Princeton University who represented the university’s NAACP chapter, told lawmakers the legislation could make it easier for students to take the next step in their education.

Applying to college felt like a second job, she said. Students in larger or underserved school districts might not have access to the same level of support she had and could fall through the cracks of a complicated application system.

“This bill would make the path for high school to higher education more straightforward by providing students with an automatic offer of admission to their local county college, eliminating the need for separate applications and connecting students with financial aid and other support services,” she said.

Representatives of the New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association, the New Jersey Council of County Colleges and Make the Road New Jersey also supported the proposal.

The committee voted unanimously to advance the bill.

Both measures now head to the full Senate for further consideration.