Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Scholarships
Apply to third-party scholarships to reduce financial stress and the need to take out loans. Third-party scholarships can be found with a Google search using words like foster youth, financial need, GPA, specific races or ethnicities, sports, etc.
The Financial Aid and Education Resource Guide contains valuable information on federal and New Jersey state financial aid resources, information on applying for scholarships, as well as a list of available scholarships and college planning resources.
Each scholarship usually has its own requirements and submission details.
The Scholarship Expert has some great advice for applying to third-party scholarships. The founders are both former foster youth who have accumulated over $340,000 in scholarships combined.
NJ STARS
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, download the NJ STARS Fact Sheet.
Ocean First Scholarship Program
The Ocean First Scholarship Program provides $1,000 to community college students and $2,500 to students attending universities. The scholarship is only available to Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean county residents. For more information, refer to the Ocean First Scholarship Program website.
embrella
embrella offers private scholarships for eligible high school seniors every year
Foster Care to Success
Foster Care to Success provides a host of scholarships to foster youth across the U.S. For more information and deadline, click here.
Give Something Back
Give Something Back has two programs. The first is a “Prepaid” scholarship program which selects high school students from 8th to 12th grade and provides them with programming and coaching to help prepare them to attend one of our seven partner colleges or universities in the State of New Jersey. The second track is focused on helping students achieve their postsecondary career goals — through trade school, community college, or another path. Students in the Careers track are selected between 8th and 10th grade and receive long-term coaching from Give Back staff.
New Jersey Foster Care Scholarship
New Jersey Foster Care Scholarship offers Education and Training Vouchers (ETV) or State Tuition Waivers (TW) for eligible youth to help cover costs at accredited post-secondary institutions and career and technical schools.
- Our 2023 process will open on March 22, 2023 and will remain open through April 19, 2023. No applications will be accepted after April 19, 2023.
- Eligibility Requirements
- Individual must be 17 years of age and aged out of foster care, be aging out of foster care, or had a disrupted adoption. There is no maximum age limit.
- Individual must hold a 2.5 cumulative high school or college GPA (whichever was most recent).
- Individual must meet eligibility to receive federal and state financial aid and has already applied via FAFSA.
- Individual must already be accepted to a community college, university or accredited vocational school for the upcoming academic year.
- Individual must provide a reference to confirm their time in care, and a reference to recommend them for the scholarship. These can be the same or different people.
- Recipients must meet all of the above eligibility requirements to be considered.
- Application and other important information
- Eligibility chart
- embrella contact: 1-800-222-0047
- NJ ETV Coordinator contact: Safa Simmons, Safa.simmons@DCF.NJ.GOV
- ETV & Independent Living (IL) Coordinators by State
The Nsoro Education Foundation
The Nsoro Education foundation supports students who have aged out of foster care by providing a scholarship, mentorship, and other resources.
Together We Rise Family Fellowship
The Family Fellowship offers up to $90,000 in supports for twelve former foster youth each year including tuition, housing, mentorship, and wrap-around services. To learn more about eligibility and further information click here.
