Skepticism of Murphy plan for another two years of free college State lawmakers appear cool to Gov. Phil Murphy’s plan for a new state program providing some students two tuition-free years at public four-year colleges in New Jersey, building on an existing program that covers two years at community colleges. For eligible students from families with adjusted gross incomes of $65,000 or less, the combination offers the prospect of earning two college degrees without paying tuition or fees. “As the kind of chorus nationally grows for free college and investments in free college, New Jersey can actually be a trendsetter and serve as a model for the rest of the nation,” said state Higher Education Secretary Brian Bridges.