NJ STARS I FAQs

About

What is it?

This scholarship covers tuition for high-achieving students who enroll in their home county or community colleges.

Eligibility

Am I eligible?

To be eligible, you must be able to fill out the NJ Alternative Application. See the requirements for that here. You must then meet these additional requirements:

• Be in the top 15% of your junior or senior class.
• Enroll full-time in your home county/community college (exceptions apply if your home college doesn't offer your program or has been overenrolled for at least 1 year).
• Have lived in NJ for at least the 12 months prior to applying.
• Achieve a minimum score on a placement test.
• Complete the NJ Alternative App.

If you satisfy these requirements, you're eligible for the scholarship, regardless of your immigration status.

What institutions are eligible?

See this list for institutions where enrolled students may qualify for NJ state grant programs.

I was eligible when I graduated high school, but Dreamers/undocumented students couldn't access state aid then. Am i eligible now?

Maybe. If you graduated from high school less than a year ago, you can apply for NJ STARS I support now. However, if you graduated more than a year ago–regardless of whether or not you started community college in the meantime–you no longer qualify for NJ STARS support. Note that no form of financial aid is retroactive–you can't ask for support to cover time you've already spent in a degree program. NJ STARS also requires that you be part of the program beginning in the first year of your degree, so if you're heading into your second year and didn't receive NJ STARS support last year, you're unfortunately no longer eligible. Not all NJ state aid programs have this restriction. You may be eligible for other forms of state aid even if you don't qualify for NJ STARS.

Apply

How do I apply?

1. File the NJ Alternative App.
2. Get accepted and enroll at your home county college.
3. Renew for up to 5 semesters by filing the NJ Alternative App each year and maintaining a 3.0 GPA or better.