In a party-line vote, the Assembly passed a measure Thursday that would permanently require high school seniors to fill out college financial aid forms in order to graduate. The bill was passed in June by the Senate and now moves to the desk of Gov. Mikie Sherrill for her signature. Photo credit: NJ State House News Service.
By Jayden Parente
NJ State House News Service
TRENTON, N.J. – A graduation requirement that high school seniors fill out college financial aid applications could become permanent, if Gov. Mikie Sherrill signs a measure approved by the Assembly Thursday in a party-line vote.
The Assembly approved S3245 on a 53-23 vote, which would tie high school graduation to filling out the federal Free Application for Federal Student Aid or a state equivalent. The measure passed the Senate in June. In 2024, the legislature and former Gov. Phil Murphy approved a 3-year pilot program.
But some Assembly members argued Thursday that the measure was rushed.
“We are being asked to make New Jersey’ s financial aid application graduation requirement permanent before we’ve even evaluated the results of the pilot program,” said Assembly Member Dawn Fantasia, a Republican from Franklin Borough (Sussex).
“We do have that data, that was obtained,” said measure sponsor Assembly Member Tennille McCoy, a Democrat from Hamilton.
In an interview after the vote, McCoy said as a result of the pilot program, the completion rate of financial aid applications grew substantially. New Jersey was the second highest in application completion rate nationally in 2025 during the length of the pilot program, she said.
Like the pilot program, the permanent measure provides a waiver option to families.
A student’s parents or guardians can choose to sign a waiver instead of filling out the financial aid form if the student is at least 18.If the student is less than 18, and their parents’ or guardians’ signature on the forms cannot be “reasonably obtained,” then a school counselor can sign the waiver on the student’s behalf.
Jayden Parente is a journalism student at Rowan University with a concentration in writing.
