TRENTON, N.J. (AP) A proposal to change higher education in New Jersey has cleared another legislative hurdle, paving the way for final passage on Thursday.

The far-reaching plan combines Rowan University and Rutgers' Camden campus in a quasi-merger and breaks up the University of Medicine and Dentistry, allocating its medical/dental school to Rutgers and its South Jersey osteopathic school to Rowan. The bill makes Rowan a research university, a designation that allows for more funding and greater autonomy in awarding contracts and soliciting bids. UMDNJ's money-losing teaching hospital, University Hospital, would continue to operate as a nonprofit. University Hospital in Newark is the state's largest charity care provider.

The proposal has rocketed through the Legislature this month despite objections from the academic community, ongoing concerns about University Hospital's viability and unanswered questions about its costs. It was advanced unanimously Monday, though several of the legislators who approved it expressed reservations about the bill as it's currently drafted.

Gov. Chris Christie proposed a version of the higher ed restructuring in January, and it has the backing of powerful South Jersey Democrat George Norcross III. Christie imposed a June 30 deadline for the framework for the overhaul to be in place, but it's unclear whether the governor supports all the changes the bill has undergone.

The 100-page proposal morphed again Monday, as 50 pages of amendments were distributed. One allows the deal to be killed if it jeopardizes the osteopathic school's accreditation. Another requires the state to adequately fund University Hospital so it continues to provide safety-net health care. An amendment added Thursday requires Rutgers to accept all of the deal, or none of it. A change added Monday shields the university from medical malpractice claims initiated before the merger.

However, no one knows how much it will cost.

Assemblyman John Wisniewski described the costs as "one of the imponderables of this legislation." He said the figures would come within the year as groundwork for the merger is being laid.

The Assembly Budget Committee heard more than two hours of testimony mostly from opponents before recessing for six hours while the latest changes were drafted. The panel returned to session about 9:30 p.m. and voted a half hour later to forward the bill to the full Assembly. Both houses are set to take final tallies on the legislation Thursday.

Dudley Rivers, vice chairman of the Rutgers Board of Trustees, said the bill poses enormous opportunity and equally onerous risks, many of which could be mitigated if the bill were tweaked further.

For example, he said a provision transferring Rutgers-Camden's property to a new joint governing board would force Rutgers to refinance $950 million in debt at a cost of $155 million. That one-time cost could be eliminated, he said, if the clause transferring Rutgers-Camden's assets is removed from the bill.

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Medical school students oppose university merger