NJ STARS
ListedScholarship
- Award
- Published class of 2026 terms: last-dollar tuition for 12-18 degree credits per semester after federal/state grants and scholarships, normally up to five semesters at the home county college. Fees/books excluded. A qualifying 3+1 degree program has a separate first-three-years funding exception; class of 2027 terms are not published.
- Timeline
- Apr 15, 2026Class of 2027 fall 2027 deadlines not published. Historical 2026-27 aid deadlines: renewals
- Sep 15, 2026New fall/spring
- Feb 15, 2027Spring-only . Corresponding NJFAMS task deadlines October 1, 2026 or March 1, 2027. These are not fall 2027 deadlines.
- How to apply
- Apply to home county college and file FAFSA or NJ Alternative Financial Aid Application; complete NJFAMS requested tasks and notify the college of NJ STARS eligibility. Use another county college only under the unavailable-program/one-year oversubscription exception.
- Who can apply
- Published class of 2026 terms: New Jersey resident for 12 months before graduation, top 15.0% without rounding at the end of junior or senior year, and qualifying U.S. citizen/noncitizen or NJ Alternative Application eligibility. Full-time 12-18 degree credits at eligible county college; rigorous-course requirement waived for 2026 graduates. Confirm 2027 cohort requirements.
- Good to know
- 2026 fact sheet remains the published cohort guidance; 2027 fact sheet not located. Normally start by fifth semester after high-school graduation. Renewal requires continuous full-time enrollment and 3.0 college GPA starting third semester; specified medical/family/military and final-semester exceptions. Summer unfunded; certain sixth-semester engineering/nursing students may retain NJ STARS II eligibility without NJ STARS payment.
- Details
- Test optionalPermanent residents eligible