Enrollment is up at the state?s county colleges as more students choose to start their higher education closer to home.

Education officials say one reason enrollment by students fresh out of high school has surged is because of the NJ STARS program. The program gives top students from the state free tuition if they keep their grades up and go to a county college for the first two years of their college careers.

Cost is another reason many students attend county colleges. Tuition and fees at Middlesex County College are approximately $2,600, which is about $7,000 less than the average at a four-year state school.

County colleges are also seeing a surge in full-time students.

The state is now making it easier to transfer credits from two-year to four-year schools.

For an interview with a Middlesex County College student, go to channel 612 on your iO digital cable box and select iO Extra.