NJ A438

Creates the New Jersey School Counts County College Scholarship Program offering up to $2,000 per year (maximum $4,000 total) for eligible high school graduates to attend county colleges full-time

Requires students to earn a School Counts certificate by achieving 95% or greater attendance and punctuality, maintaining a C average or above, completing more than minimum graduation credits, and passing Algebra I

Students must apply to the program at the start of freshman year of high school and enroll in county college within six months of graduation with a minimum of 24 credit hours per year

Program funded through State appropriations matched by private donations, with each participating county college eligible to receive up to $500,000 in State matching funds

Implementation phases in starting with four county colleges (from north, central, and southern regions), adding three colleges annually until all county colleges participate