SENATE HIGHER EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3708

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  June 15, 2021

     The Senate Higher Education Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 3708 with committee amendments.

     As amended, this bill requires an institution of higher education or proprietary degree-granting institution to make publicly available on its website certain information on its online programs if the institution has entered into an agreement with an online program manager.  An online program manager (OPM) is defined under the bill as an entity that enters into a contract or agreement related exclusively to online degree and certificate program delivery, including online programs with required in-person clinical and other instruction, with an institution of higher education or proprietary degree-granting institution to provide one or more of the following services on behalf of the institution in exchange for financial compensation: advertising and marketing services; recruiting, admissions, and financial services; instruction services; student support services; technology resources and support services; and curriculum development services.

     The institution of higher education or proprietary degree-granting institution is required to make publicly available on its website the following information on the online programs that are supported by the online program manager:

     (1)   the name of the online program manager;

     (2)   admission requirements;

     (3)   the online program’s tuition costs compared to on-campus program tuition costs;

     (4)   the financial aid available for the online program;

     (5)   the average financial aid amount provided to students in the online program; and

     (6)   the percentage of students in the online program that receive financial aid.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

     The committee amended the bill to apply the bill’s provisions to all institutions of higher education and proprietary degree-granting institutions.  The bill, as introduced, was limited to institutions of higher education and proprietary degree-granting institutions that are eligible to receive student financial aid under a State grant or scholarship program.

     The committee also limited the bill’s definition of an online program manager (OPM) to include only an OPM that enters into a contract or agreement related exclusively to online degree and certificate program delivery, including online programs with required in-person clinical and other instruction, with an institution of higher education or a proprietary degree-granting institution to provide certain services.