Filling out the FAFSA is incredibly important for securing national grants like the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), and federal loans.
If you are a ward of the state/foster child make sure that you fill out question 52 which asks if “Parents Deceased?/Student Ward of Court?/In Foster Care?”
FAFSA deadlines can be found on the Studentaid site.
Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) awards the Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) for students attending New Jersey colleges and universities. In order to fill out the HESAA, students must complete the FAFSA first.
Complete state records in NJ FAMS (the HESAA portal) by November 1, 2021. For more information on deadlines refer to the HESAA deadline page.
embrella offers the New Jersey Foster Care Scholars (NJFC Scholars) Scholarship. With this scholarship you may be eligible to receive a tuition fee waiver or Educational Training Voucher that is currently up to $5000 a year to students who have experienced foster care. To see their eligibility requirements please refer to their site: embrella.
Also, for a more in depth description of their programs check out their website here.
The New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship (NJ STARS) offers free tuition at any community college in New Jersey for students who graduated in the top 15% of their class. For more information on the program click here.
The Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) Program assists students from disadvantaged backgrounds by providing additional financial aid, support services, and college preparation courses. To find out if the school you are applying to participates, click here.