Transferring credits in New Jersey

New Jersey has NO statewide tuition-free dual enrollment program and NO statewide price. The governing statute (P.L.2014, c.74, codified at N.J.S.A. 18A:61C-10 et seq.) only requires a school district and a public institution of higher education to sign a dual enrollment agreement, and requires that agreement to guarantee an eligible student is not excluded because of inability to pay - it does not say who pays or how much. Price is therefore set college-by-college and district-by-district. The 'New Jersey College Ready Students Program Act' (A3092/A2899), which would have made up to 3 credits per semester and 6 credits per school year tuition-free at county colleges for 11th and 12th graders with the State bearing the cost, has been introduced repeatedly but has NEVER been enacted; do not treat it as law. State support is limited to the small competitive Innovation Dual Enrollment Program grants administered by OSHE/NJDOE, which reach only a handful of districts.

Who can enroll. Statewide, eligibility is set in each district-college dual enrollment agreement, which must contain 'a description of the student eligibility requirements for initial and continuing participation' plus a provision ensuring no eligible student is excluded for inability to pay. The statute covers agreements between school districts with a high school and New Jersey PUBLIC institutions of higher education (county colleges, state colleges/universities, Rutgers/NJIT/Rowan etc.); it excludes a State college that generally limits undergraduate enrollment to persons at least 21 years of age. It does not fix grade levels, GPA or placement scores, and it does not govern private colleges.

Anchored on 19 public colleges in New Jersey · verified 2026-07-31.