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Read. Follow. Verify.New Jersey expands community college financial aid income cap to $100,000 and codifies four-year university grant program
Last action · January 13, 2026: Introduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education CommitteeSponsors: Gerry Scharfenberger and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
New Jersey lawmakers have introduced a bill to raise the income eligibility ceiling for the Community College Opportunity Grant Program from $65,000 to $100,000 and officially establish the Garden State Guarantee Program to cover tuition and fee costs for juniors and seniors at public four-year universities.
Students from households earning up to $100,000 will become newly eligible for last-dollar state financial grants at public two-year and four-year institutions, altering out-of-pocket college costs across public higher education systems.
- The Community College Opportunity Grant Program was previously enacted under P.L.2021, c.26 to provide last-dollar financial aid to qualifying county college students. context
- The Garden State Guarantee has operated as an institutional financial aid initiative across New Jersey four-year public universities prior to formal statutory codification. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Community college students
Households earning between $65,000 and $100,000 become newly eligible for last-dollar tuition grants at county colleges.
Junior and senior university undergraduates
Students enrolled in third and fourth years at four-year public institutions gain statutory entitlement to net cost coverage under the codified program.
Public institutions of higher education
Colleges must calculate net costs, notify students of grant amounts, and adhere to restrictions preventing the imposition of extra eligibility rules.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the new income limit for the Community College Opportunity Grant Program?
Which students are eligible for the Garden State Guarantee Program?
How many semesters can a student receive grants under the Garden State Guarantee Program?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
1 action- Jan 13, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Codification of Administrative Financial Aid
The legislation transforms the previously administrative Garden State Guarantee Program into a statutorily mandated entitlement program.
Connected Entities
Sources
njleg.state.nj.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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