Under the program, the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority contracts with several veterinary schools to reserve seats at the schools for qualified New Jersey residents. Prior to this year, New Jersey also contracted with Ohio State. An advisory committee consisting of New Jersey veterinarians and the dean of the agriculture college at Rutgers University allocates the seats among the participating schools. The participating schools agree to reserve the allocated seats for qualified New Jersey applicants. The schools agree to charge students selected for these seats the current in-state tuition rate while they are in the program.
Tufts use the contract payment to provide financial assistance to the selected students.
If no New Jersey applicants are admitted to a school in a particular year, its seats are re-allocated. The program began in 1971. The original impetus was to ensure an adequate supply of veterinarians for the state's agricultural and pharmaceutical industries. More recently, the focus has been on providing access to veterinary schools to New Jersey residents. At several times in the past, the governor has proposed eliminating funding for the program, but the legislature has consistently kept the program in the budget.