Check out this article about the NJ transfer law:

Credit Acceptance Agreement Will Help Students Who Earn Associate's Degrees

(CHERRY HILL TWP.) - Legislation Assemblywoman Pamela R. Lampitt and Assemblymen Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. and Craig Stanley championed to create a new system to allow county college credits to be accepted seamlessly by New Jersey's four-year colleges and universities was signed into law today by Governor Jon S. Corzine.

The new law culminates the lawmakers' efforts to ease the ability of county college graduates to transfer their associate's degree credits toward bachelor's degrees at four-year institutions. Currently, many college transfer students must repeat courses that they completed successfully at other institutions.

Under the measure (A-3968), all New Jersey public colleges and universities will be required to participate in the program, with independent schools retaining an option to join. The new law mandates that schools enter into a uniform agreement regarding transfer policies and procedures, course curriculum requirements, a system for student appeals, and standards for the review and updating of the transfer agreement.

"By this time next year, the hurdles currently faced by many students transferring from two-year institutions to state colleges and universities will be eliminated," said Lampitt (D-Camden), who is Vice-Chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee. "Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Governor Corzine's staff, my legislative colleagues, leaders of New Jersey's two- and four-year institutions, and many others, county college students now have a clearer path to bachelor's degrees."

In December, the New Jersey Presidents' Council -- which represents the four sectors of the state's higher education institutions -- entered into a new transfer agreement for associate's degree holders. That agreement was spurred by the active role Lampitt, Diegnan, and Stanley had taken in advancing the issue.

The new law also sets a January 1, 2008 deadline for the establishment of an agreement for students who transfer prior to obtaining associate's degrees.

The new policy, which will benefit students transferring for the 2008-09 academic year, replaces a decades-old system whereby the state's 19 county colleges entered into transfer agreements with each receiving institution for each academic program.

"Today's enactment of this measure is a significant win for county college students and their families," said Diegnan (D-Middlesex), who is Chairman of the Assembly Higher Education Committee. "Requiring students to relearn identical material simply because they transferred to a different school is redundant and costly. A streamlined transfer system will better serve students and the state's higher education institutions."

The lawmakers noted that when participants in the NJ STARS program are required to repeat a course, New Jersey taxpayers effectively get double-charged by paying tuition for the same class. NJ STARS I students, who are among the top 20 percent of their graduating high school class, are provided free tuition at the state's county college. The NJSTARS II students are provided free tuition to a state four-year institution if they have received an associate's degree and maintained a 3.0 grade point average.

"NJ STARS was created to break down barriers to higher education, but rigid credit transfer rules served as an unintended roadblock," said Stanley (D-Essex).  "If we are to realize the promise of providing a college education for all our high-achieving students, we must do everything possible to remove these frustrating hurdles that can discourage students from moving forward. The new transfer law will remove the obstacles for all of New Jersey's hard-working students."

Stanley also worked on this issue as Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Public Schools, which examined the issue of transfer students as it related to pre-school employees being required to earn their bachelor's degrees and become certified to teach.

Contact:

Assemblywoman Lampitt

(856) 435-1247

Assemblyman Diegnana

(908) 757-1677

Assemblyman Stanley

(973) 399-1000