§ 38A:22-3 — Dependent of prisoner of war, person missing in action, tuition-free higher education.

38A:22-3. a. Any dependent of a prisoner of war or a person missing in action, upon being accepted to pursue a course of undergraduate study in any private institution of higher education in this State or in any public institution of higher education of this State as enumerated in N.J.S.18A:62-1, shall be allowed to obtain a bachelor's degree, or certificate of completion, for so long as he is eligible, free of tuition. Once a person qualifies as a dependent under this section, there shall be no situation such as the return of the parent or the reported death of the parent that will terminate the eligibility of the dependent to receive the benefits under this section. b. As used in this section: "Dependent" means any child born before, during, or after the period of time the child's parent was a prisoner of war or a person missing in action, or any child legally adopted or in the legal custody of the parent prior to, during, or after the time the parent was a prisoner of war or a person missing in action. "Prisoner of war" and "person missing in action" means any person who was a resident of this State at the time he or she entered service in the United States Armed Forces, or whose official residence is within this State, and who, while serving in said United States Armed Forces, has been declared to be a prisoner of war, or to be a person missing in action as established by the Secretary of Defense after January 1, 1960. L.2025, c.139, s.45.