A 5049

ASSEMBLY, No. 5049
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED MAY 11, 2026
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)
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.