Gov. Phil Murphy unveiled a higher education road map Tuesday to tackle New Jersey’s achievement gap that has left disproportionate numbers of minority and lower-income students without post-secondary degrees in one of the most expensive states in the country.

Among the most immediate outcomes of the plan will be a “Financial Aid Shopping Sheet,” which will display the cost of each college's degree program to students using clear language. State Secretary of Higher Education Zakiya Smith Ellis said colleges in agreement with the plan will be expected to deliver these sheets as soon as the upcoming school year.

“This is a student-driven plan — this is not an institution-driven plan," Murphy said. "This is a plan created through direct engagement with and listening to the needs of our students. There are needs of accessibility and affordability. There are needs for better information when making decisions regarding where to go to school, including the costs.”

Murphy announced the plan in front of university leaders, students, educators and policymakers at the Newhouse Center on the Rutgers-Newark campus.

Rutgers University President Robert Barchi endorsed the plan during his remarks at the event. Other college presidents in the state, including Montclair State University President Susan Cole and Drew University President MaryAnn Baenninger, issued statements of endorsement as well.

Presidents of community colleges across the state, from Atlantic Cape Community College to Bergen Community College, also said they support the plan.

"It represents a collective push to increase diversity and access to post-secondary education and encourage entrepreneurship and innovation on college campuses," Baenninger said. "It recognizes the critical role that independent colleges and universities play in New Jersey’s culture and economy."

The plan most prominently includes a "Student Bill of Rights," listing 10 ways to obtain high-quality education, such as early exposure to college, clear and comprehensible financial information, affordable and predictable education costs, and safe, supportive and inclusive campuses.

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The plan also re-upped a 2017 goal of achieving 65 percent post-secondary attainment for state high school graduates by 2025.

The most recent data shows 51 percent of working-age adults in the state have a college degree or credential. The attainment rate is uneven across the state, geographically, racially and economically. The attainment rate in Morris County, for example, is at 63 percent; it falls to 22 percent in South Jersey's Cumberland County.

Tuition freezes?

One of the goals in the Student Bill of Rights is "affordable and predictable education costs."

Over the last decade, state funding toward higher education stayed stagnant at $1.5 billion, declining by 33 percent per student when adjusted for inflation, according to state data. During that time, tuition at colleges and universities went up.

New Jersey is the fourth-most-expensive state in the country in which to get a bachelor's degree, Smith Ellis said during a press conference.

“Getting a college degree has never been more essential but has also never been more expensive," Smith Ellis said.

But when asked if tuition freezes should be expected in light of a proposal by Murphy to spend an additional $20 million toward higher education funding, Smith Ellis said there are other paths colleges might take.

Colleges can still raise tuition while being creative about reducing the overall cost of a degree to individual students.

For example, New Jersey City University, Rutgers-Newark and Rutgers University-Camden promise lower tuition prices for students who meet certain qualifications.

Funding

Murphy announced in his budget address that he would be appropriating an additional $20 million for higher education that private universities like Drew can also tap into.

New under the plan is a formula for appropriating that pot of money to colleges and universities. Currently, there's no standard method for how much colleges get, officials said. "It's basically just a free-for-all with lobbying — we think that's not the best way," Smith Ellis said.

The new criteria for distribution will look at the number of degrees a college awards, the percentage of those degrees that go to students from under-represented groups and the percentage that go to students from low-income backgrounds.

In exchange for state aid, institutions would have to commit to the principles of the state plan for higher education and adopt a Financial Aid Shopping Sheet for all undergraduate students. The sheet would allow students to compare costs across schools and distinguish gift aid from loans and other ways of paying for college.

In line with the plan's goals, Murphy proposed in his fiscal 2020 budget to increase funding for Community College Opportunity Grants by $33.5 million and increase support for Tuition Aid Grants by $5 million.

As part of the plan, five working groups will be formed to look at how to create more opportunities for students to go to college, make college more affordable, ensure that students succeed once in college, develop safe and inclusive learning environments on campus, and spur more research and innovation.

The task force is supposed to issue a final report within nine months. Leaders of the working groups included college presidents, and students were encouraged to apply to be a member of a group. Applications would be made available on the Office of Secretary of Higher Education website.

Previous higher education plan

This is the first time the state has a higher education plan since the 2010 Governor's Task Force on Higher Education, which set plans in motion to merge the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey with Rutgers University.

The merger led to the creation of the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Center.

The 2010 plan had recommendations for increasing state investments in higher education, but in the wake of the recession, former Gov. Chris Christie said the state didn't have the money to do that.

Nearly a decade later, the new plan aims to address college affordability for struggling students.

"I have talked to students from colleges and universities all around the state, and learned firsthand their passion for learning and the challenges they encounter on the way to getting a college credential," Smith Ellis said. "The plan released today represents the collective wisdom of those conversations. I am proud for the state to have this student-focused vision to chart the path forward."