The full Senate and Assembly voted unanimously Monday to approve legislation recognizing 3+1 programs and amending state rules to allow students participating in those programs to remain eligible for state financial aid, including tuition aid grants, Educational Opportunity Fund grants and NJSTARS scholarships.

TRENTON — Legislation to correct a bureaucratic flap involving Rowan College at Burlington County students enrolled in the college’s groundbreaking 3+1 program has finally made it to Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk.

The full Senate and Assembly voted unanimously Monday to approve legislation recognizing 3+1 programs and amending state rules to allow students participating in those programs to remain eligible for state financial aid, including tuition aid grants, Educational Opportunity Fund grants and NJSTARS scholarships.

The 3+1 program, which the Burlington County college launched in 2017, allows students to earn credits toward a bachelor’s degree in several majors while at the county college through junior year — and pay community college tuition and fees — before automatically transferring to Rowan University for their senior year.

And while those seniors pay university tuition, they can continue to take courses in Burlington County, allowing them to complete their bachelor’s degree at a much more affordable price.

While the program has been hailed as a “game changer” for the county college and its students, the program does not conform to the state’s current financial aid rules, which prevent students from receiving state aid at a county college or four-year school if they’ve already earned a degree from that institution. Because RCBC students technically earn an associate degree after their sophomore year, they become ineligible to receive financial aid through the college.

As a workaround to the problem, students enrolled in junior level 3+1 courses have applied for financial aid through both the college and Rowan University, which processes the application and receives the aid from the state. The university then reimburses the college and students.

If Murphy signs the legislation into law, the aid applications will be handled entirely in house by the college, reducing red tape for both the institution and students.

The measure was originally introduced by Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-3rd of West Deptford, and Assemblywoman Angelica Jimenez, D-32nd of West New York, after the issue with the program and financial aid rules was first discovered. The Senate first approved the measure in February, but the Assembly didn’t vote on it until Monday, when the chamber approved a slightly altered version of the measure. The Senate voted on it again Monday in order to concur with those changes and send it to Murphy to sign or veto it.

College President Michael Cioce said the college appreciated the Legislature’s support and was hopeful that Murphy would likewise approve it. The Democratic governor visited the college in February and heard from students enrolled in the program about how the affordable path to a degree has benefited them.

“We recently celebrated our 1,000th 3+1 student in less than two years, which shows the demand for high-quality affordable degrees,” Cioce said in a statement. “We look forward to this proposal becoming law so that our 3+1 students get the financial support they need in a way that will reduce costs for state taxpayers.”

The New Jersey Business and Industry Association also applauded the Legislature’s action.

“This bill is designed to make higher education more affordable in New Jersey,” NJBIA Vice President Andrew Musick said. “High costs are one of the reasons New Jersey has the largest net loss of college-age students in the nation, and this legislation seeks to help reverse that.”

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