Murphy Outlines $50M For Partially Free Community College

WEST WINDSOR, N.J. (AP) - Gov. Phil Murphy says he wants $50 million of his proposed budget to go toward making community college tuition-free for some families.

Murphy outlined his proposal Thursday at Mercer County Community College in greater detail than his budget address last month. The Democratic governor says he wants an additional $5 million to go to the state's 19 community colleges to help deal with the potentially higher enrollments.

Murphy's proposal calls for providing grants to families with income below $45,000. He says it's the first year of a "multi-year phase-in" aimed at entirely free community college.

The administration estimates that about 15,000 students could be enrolled tuition-free by January.

Roughly a fifth of the state's 150,000 community college students are enrolled without cost thanks to other grant programs.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press.