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New Push To Make College Easier, More Affordable To Attend In NJ

By David Madden

BRIDGETON, N.J. (CBS) - A South Jersey legislator has proposed a 20 bill package that she hopes will make it easier, and more affordable for young people to attend college.

Bridgeton Democrat Assemblywoman Celeste Riley chairs the Higher Education Committee. Her proposals might be considered a tad ambitious, but she insists it's time to confront issues like affordability of a college education.

One of her ideas is setting the cost of college in stone…so to speak:

"You say 'I want to go to Rutgers next year.' Rutgers is going to tell you exactly what your tuition is going to be when you enter your freshman year and it will be the exact same amount of money when you leave your senior year."

And how does she think the colleges will receive that idea?

"There might be a little bit of a pushback but what we're asking them to do is to look at the whole issue of the rising cost of tuition."

Riley is also looking to end a requirement that students living on campus purchase meal plans and reduce the cost of buying textbooks by offering them on line.

The plan also seeks to make sure students are actually better prepared for college while still in high school.

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