This bill aims to expand the Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) program in New Jersey to include part-time undergraduate students enrolled in eligible institutions. Currently, TAG awards are only available to full-time students, but the bill introduces provisions to allow part-time students to receive grants that are prorated based on the full-time grant amounts. The bill amends existing law to state that part-time students will be eligible for grants, and it establishes that each period of part-time award status will count as half of the maximum allowable period of full-time eligibility. Additionally, the bill removes a previous provision that allowed for part-time eligibility through regulations if funds were separately appropriated.

Furthermore, the bill ensures that appropriations for part-time tuition aid grants will be made separately by line item, safeguarding the funding for full-time grants from being reduced or diverted to accommodate part-time grants. The maximum amount of a tuition aid grant for part-time students will not exceed the full-time grant amount, and the bill specifies that the funding for both full-time and part-time grants will be maintained without impacting each other. The act is set to take effect immediately and will first apply to the 2026-2027 academic year.