New Jersey Student Tuition
Assistance Reward Scholarship (NJ STARS) Program is an initiative
created by the State of New Jersey that provides New Jersey's highest
achieving students with free tuition at their home county college.
NJ STARS Benefits
The
NJ STARS award covers the cost of tuition, less any state and/or
federal grants and scholarships, for up to five semesters. The award
covers these charges for up to 18 credit hours per semester. Funding for
NJ STARS awards is dependent upon annual state appropriations.
Student Eligibility
New
Jersey residents, who rank in the top 15 percent of their class at the
end of either junior or senior year of high school are potentially
eligible for the NJ STARS program. Students must also complete a
rigorous high school course of study and achieve the required score on a
college placement test to determine college readiness may be eligible.
(Note: All courses of study are considered "rigorous" for 2016 high
school graduates.)
Students who do not achieve the
required score on the placement test will be able to take appropriate
courses while still in high school to improve their skills or they can
attend remedial courses at the county college while enrolled in high
school.
Students who graduate from high school and do
not demonstrate college readiness will be given up to one year to gain
the skills they need to become college ready. Students who do not
demonstrate college readiness by Sept. 1 are no longer NJ STARS
eligible. NJ STARS does not cover costs for remedial coursework.
All students must enroll in a full-time course of study no later than the fifth semester following high school graduation.
Students
must enroll full time in a degree program at their home county college,
unless the student demonstrates that the home county college does not
offer the desired program of study or the program is oversubscribed for
at least one year.
Students must take a minimum of 12
college-level credits per semester. NJ STARS covers up to 18
college-level credits per semester.
Students must be
legal New Jersey residents at the time of high school graduation and
upon county college enrollment. A dependent student's residency is
presumed to be that of his or her parent(s).
Students
must be U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens and legal New Jersey
residents for a minimum of 12 consecutive months prior to high school
graduation.
Students must apply for all forms of state
and federal need-based grants and merit scholarships and submit any
requested documentation to complete and verify application data within
established state deadlines.
Application Process
Apply for admission to your home county college.
Meet all admission and application requirements established by the county college.
File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually within established state deadlines.
Students who did not receive a Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) during the 2018-2019 academic year:
October 1, 2019 — fall & spring terms
March 1, 2020 — spring term only
June 1, 2019 for students who received a TAG award during 2018-2019
After filing the FAFSA, logon to njgrants.org to review your State Grant Record.
Meet
the NJ State deadlines below for submission of additional information,
such as: Applicant Information Requests (AIR's); Verification documents,
college choice changes (Log on to njgrants.org to change college choice); and corrections to ineligible conditions
2019-2020 State Deadlines for Submitting Additional Information:
November 15, 2019 — Fall 2019
March 15, 2020 — Spring 2020
5. County colleges notify students of NJ STARS eligibility.
Renewal Eligibility
File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually within established state deadlines.
Students
must attain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or
higher at the start of the third semester of enrollment at the county
college to remain an NJ STAR. Summer courses are included in determining
the GPA.
Students must maintain continuous full-time
enrollment unless on a medical leave, approved by the county college,
due to the illness of the student, a member of the student's immediate
family, or a family emergency. The only other exception to continuous
full-time enrollment applies to NJ STARS students called to partial or
full mobilization for state or federal active duty as a member of the
National Guard or a Reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United
States.
Students may take less than 12 credits in their
final semester if the county college determines that the student needs
less than 12 credits in that semester to complete the degree program.
Students
enrolled in a nursing or engineering program that regularly requires
six semesters to complete may retain NJ STARS II eligibility. However,
NJ STARS will not cover the cost of the sixth semester.
Students
may receive the scholarship for up to five semesters, including summer
sessions. However, NJ STARS resources are not available to cover any
summer payments.
NJ STARS II Program
NJ STARS
recipients who earn an associate degree from a county college with a
cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher, have a family income (taxable and
untaxed income) less than $250,000, and meet all other program
eligibility requirements may be eligible to receive an NJ STARS II award
to transfer to a New Jersey TAG participating college or university to
earn a baccalaureate degree.
