New Jersey City University Awarded $150,000 Grant to Empower ‘Some College, No Degree Program’ Plan

JERSEY CITY, N.J. | New Jersey City University (NJCU) has been awarded a $150,000 targeted solicitation institutional grant from The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) to empower the university’s ongoing efforts to support the State of New Jersey’s Some College, No Degree (SCND) initiative, of which NJCU is a founding partner.

These funds will enable NJCU to build further capacity, address institutional barriers to re-enrolling in courses and completing degrees, and foster innovative ways to serve SCND students through its ReUp program.

NJCU Interim President Andrés Acebo spoke of the significance of the state’s investment in NJCU— the most transfer-friendly institution in the State of New Jersey — in aiding adults to complete their degrees, even if they began their educational journey at another college or university.

“Academic journeys are not linear,” said Acebo. “In our communities, life presents detours — some intentional and necessary, but for many, life presents obstacles which are unexpected and uncontrollable. Our mission-driven work beckons members of our community back onto our campus to finish what they started, and this new investment from the State of New Jersey will further these significant efforts."

NJCU is committed to empower non-traditional students by providing them with the tools and resources necessary for academic and personal success. The $150,000 OSHE grant will aid the University’s outreach and educational campaigns to inform ReUp students about the possibility of returning to college, ensure a seamless one-stop admission process to significantly reduce enrollment processing times, waive admission fees, and offer debt relief as an acknowledgement of the financial burdens that may have deterred students from reentering higher education.

NJCU’s ReUp program offers individualized resources including book vouchers, computers, bus or parking passes, childcare couches, and support for college-equivalency examination prep and registration. 

NJCU will offer and publicize “Second and Third Saturdays” to expand student support operating hours. These hours will be provided as half days of operations on the second and third Saturdays of each month, with staff time being provided in kind by rescheduling Monday–Friday work schedules. This initiative recognizes the challenges and competing responsibilities many returning students face, including as primary caregivers and full-time employees. Those responsibilities impair opportunities to communicate with and receive institutional services during regular hours. This initiative provides ReUp students, and NJCU’s entire student population, the opportunity to utilize services during additional Saturday hours. 

Additionally, a dedicated peer mentor will connect ReUp students with needed services. Recognizing the importance of a tailored orientation, NJCU is redesigning sections of its Orientation to College seminar specifically for ReUp students. Funds will be used to pay a stipend for an experienced faculty member to identify best practices and develop a course-revision plan by June 30, 2024.

NJCU is developing a specialized B.A. program in Liberal Arts (B.A. L.A.) tailored to SCND degree-completer students with diverse credit histories. This program allows students to complete two minors alongside interdisciplinary foundation and capstone courses, providing flexibility to align their majors with personal and career goals. 

In a groundbreaking effort to empower and support New Jersey residents who have some college credit but left school before completing their degrees, the Some College, No Degree program is an innovative partnership with ReUp Education and 17 of New Jersey’s higher education institutions — including NJCU — to provide outreach and coaching to adult learners who paused or discontinued college and need support to re-enroll. The State’s attainment goal is for 65 percent of working age New Jerseyans to possess a high-quality credential by 2025.

New Jersey’s Some College, No Degree program was originally launched by Governor Murphy in 2022 to aid the state’s colleges in identifying the 700,000 to 1 million New Jersey residents who started college, but never finished. The aim of the program is boosting New Jersey’s economy by having the most educated workforce in the nation.

NJCU’s nearly century-long commitment to providing a socioeconomically diverse population with access to an excellent education as a catalyst to social mobility has been a long-time tenet of its mission and its vital role in the State of New Jersey. In December 2023, it was announced that NJCU ranked No. 1 in the state of New Jersey and 10th in the United States for improving students’ upward economic mobility. 

NJCU serves the most socioeconomically diverse student population in the state with a reported median household annual income of the students standing at $42,200 — the lowest of New Jersey’s four-year public colleges by a considerable margin — and 54 percent of the university’s students are first generation college students. Despite these entry barriers, 10 years after graduation students earn 22% more than the national average income. 

About NJCU: 
New Jersey City University is a comprehensive public regional institution of higher learning located in Jersey City, N.J., dedicated to the development of our students, our city, our communities, and our state. We are a game-changing force for our students and have been recognized as one of the top colleges in the nation improving their upward economic mobility. In fact, NJCU has been ranked No. 1 in New Jersey and Top 10 in the nation in the CollegeNET Social Mobility Index for 2023. Whether enrolled in one of our undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral programs at our three locations, NJCU students have access to an affordable, diverse environment, and an exceptionally supportive faculty. This prepares them to go on to become the next generation of workers and leaders who improve their communities and the State of New Jersey.

—www.NJCU.edu—

Contact: 
Ira Thor, Associate Vice President for University Communications | ithor@njcu.edu | 201-200-3301