Collegiate Collaboration In South Jersey To Control Higher Education Costs
BLACKWOOD, N.J. (CBS) -- Debt has become a major issue when it comes down to where, or even if, some people go to college. In South Jersey, a new partnership aims to address that issue, particularly for those most in need of help.
Camden County College's collaboration with Rutgers-Camden is going to the next level with what's being called the "Bridging the Gap" program. The idea, get an associate degree at Camden County and transfer to Rutgers. Not only are they making it easier to move your credits, they'll also cut your costs down a lot.
"It allows them to do it at a much reduced cost, if not free depending on what their family's adjusted gross income is," Craig Westman, Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management at Rutgers-Camden told KYW Newsradio.
If that adjusted gross income is under 60 thousand dollars a year, Rutgers will waive tuition and fees entirely, after financial aid is factored in. Families earning up to 100 thousand dollars could see those costs cut in half.
"Coming to Camden County College already is a wonderful opportunity financially for students, rather than going directly to a four-year college," Camden County Freeholder Ed McDonnell said. "Then add on to that that you're going to go to Rutgers, if your income is less than 60 thousand dollars, tuition and fees free."
The two schools already offer a streamlined credit transfer process that saves some students upwards of 20 thousand dollars all told. It's thought this new program, the first of its kind in New Jersey, could serve as a model for other higher education institutions to follow.
