LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
SENATE, No. 1905
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE
DATED: AUGUST 25, 2022
SUMMARY
Synopsis: Requires public institutions of higher education to waive or reimburse
application fees and transcript fees for veterans and members of
military.
Type of Impact: Annual State revenue decrease.
Agencies Affected: Public Institutions of Higher Education.
Office of Legislative Services Estimate
Fiscal Impact Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
Revenue Decrease for Public
Up to $100,000
Institutions of Higher Education
 The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) concludes that this bill may result in an annual State
revenue decrease of up to $100,000 for public institutions of higher education as a result of
waiving or reimbursing application and transcript fees for veterans and members of the
military.
BILL DESCRIPTION
This bill would require public institutions of higher education to waive or reimburse
application and transcript fees for any veteran, member of the Armed Forces of the United States,
member of the Reserve components of the Armed Forces, or member of the New Jersey National
Guard who resides in the State and accepts admission to the institution.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
None received.
Office of Legislative Services Legislative Budget and Finance Office
State House Annex Phone (609) 847-3105
P.O. Box 068 Fax (609) 777-2442
Trenton, New Jersey 08625 www.njleg.state.nj.us
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OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
The OLS concludes that this bill could result in an annual State revenue decrease of up to
$100,000 for public institutions of higher education as a result of waiving or reimbursing
application and transcript fees for veterans and members of the military. Using information from
the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) compiled by the National Center
for Education Statistics, the OLS was able to compile an estimate of waiving application and
transcript fees for public institutions of higher education. For the purposes of this estimate, the
number of students receiving financial aid under the federal Post-9/11 GI Bill or United States
Department of Defense tuition assistance is used to approximate the number of veterans and
members of the military at each institution.
Under the bill, public institutions of higher education would be required to waive or reimburse
application fees for veterans and members of the military if the applicant resides in the State and
accepts admission to the institution. Application fees range between $10 and $75, and average $49
among the 21 public institutions of higher education that require application fees. Using
information available through IPEDS and institution websites, the OLS estimated the number of
applicants affiliated with the military who enrolled at each institution in a single year. This number
multiplied by the application fee for the institution provides an estimate of waiving or reimbursing
application fees for enrolled veterans and members of the military for each public institution of
higher education. The estimated amount of these waived or reimbursed application fees for all
public institutions of higher education would be $64,000.
Public institutions of higher education would also be required to waive or reimburse transcript
fees for veterans and members of the military. Transcript fees range from $4 to $15, and average
$8 among the 30 public institutions of higher education that require transcript fees. Using
information available through IPEDS and institution websites, the OLS estimated the number of
transcripts requested by veterans and members of the military in a single year, which multiplied
by the transcript fee for the institution, provides an estimate of waiving or reimbursing transcript
fees for veterans and members of the military for each public institution of higher education. The
estimated amount of these waived or reimbursed transcript fees for all public institutions of higher
education would be $12,000.
Combining the waived or reimbursed application fees and transcript fees for veterans and
members of the military provides a total estimate of $76,000. However, the actual revenue loss
may be slightly higher when considering graduate students, veterans and members of the military
not receiving financial aid under the federal Post-9/11 GI Bill or United States Department of
Defense tuition assistance, and students who may need to request a transcript on multiple
occasions. Given these potential considerations, the OLS estimates that the implementation of the
bill may result in a total annual revenue decrease for public institutions of higher education of up
to $100,000.
Section: Education
Analyst: Abigail Chambers
Assistant Research Analyst
Approved: Thomas Koenig
Legislative Budget and Finance Officer
This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the
failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.
This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).