By Tom Hester, Sr. for NewJerseyNewsroom.com
College freshmen who live in 14 New Jersey cities and towns will be eligible for $1,000 in aid under a $1 million Governor’s Urban Scholarship Program that Gov. Chris Christie announced Tuesday.
The cities and towns are: Asbury Park, Camden, East Orange, Irvington Township, Jersey City, Lakewood, Millville, Newark, New Brunswick, Trenton, Paterson, Plainfield, Roselle and Vineland.
Aid of $1,000 each will be available for as many as 1,000 freshman students in the 2012-13 academic year. The program will be open to every high-achieving student who demonstrates a financial need, no matter whether they attend a public or non-public school.
To be eligible, students must be in the top 5 percent of their class and have at least a 3.0 grade point average. A student must attend a public, public charter, county vo-tech or nonpublic school and be a resident for at least 12 consecutive months prior to graduation and upon college enrollment.
The 14 cities and towns were selected based on a look at what communities had the greatest need, cross-referencing state Department of Education priority schools and state Department of Community Affairs’s state Redevelopment Authority municipalities to find the communities where students would benefit the most.
“We live in a time when educational attainment and economic success are correlated as never before,” the governor said. “A quality education is the key to advancement and an improved livelihood, but the reality is that too many students are not given that choice, not because of a lack of ability but due to financial circumstances.
“Through the Governor’s Urban Scholarship Program, we will be able to provide some of our brightest students from inner cities and urban communities with access to quality higher learning opportunities at our colleges and universities,” Christie said. “I believe educating our most talented students is an investment in both our students and New Jersey’s future. This program will provide another critical gateway for students to realize their full potential.”
The state Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) will administer the program. Students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form and meet income eligibility requirements under the Tuition Assistance Grant (TAG) program.
Christie described the program as designed to provide the resources necessary to expand opportunities for urban students to pursue their education in college.
Christie’s budget proposal provides more than $393.2 million in funding for student financial assistance, the highest funding level in state history, including:
• Increasing assistance for the neediest students by $37.5 million through Tuition Aid Grants (TAG).
• $341.4 million in state funding is provided in total for Tuition Aid Grants, which will allow the average award in each sector to increase.
• Increasing funding for the state Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) for the first time in four years.
• More than $38.8 million is provided for annual EOF grants ranging from $200 to $2,500 to the economically and educationally disadvantaged students who need it most.
• Overall, the governor’s proposed budget calls for an increase of over $28 million above last year for student financial assistance, the bulk of which is a 10 percent increase in the funding for tuition aid grants.