Generous College Scholarship Possibility in New Jersey

College is getting more expensive every year. Public schools - which used to be in reach of every working class family - are out pricing many students. According to the College Board, the average public school costs nearly $6,000 per semester.

Loans offer one opportunity for students to cover the costs of college, but they eventually need to be repaid. Scholarships are great, too, but they are sometimes hard to win. That is unless you live in New Jersey.

The Old System

Until a few years ago, New Jersey operated the Outstanding Scholars Recruitment Program. This very generous scholarship paid full tuition, room, and board for certain high achieving students in New Jersey. For a student attending Rutgers, the monetary value was approximately $45,000 over four years.

The program was highly exclusive, though. Less than 5% of New Jersey's students qualified. It was also expensive for the state, and it was one of many casualties in the recent budget wars.

The New System - NJ Stars

Although the new program is not quite as generous, it is far more inclusive. Instead of attempting to convince the best of New Jersey's students to choose a state school, the new program aims to ensure that all motivated students can afford to go to college.

Under the NJ Stars program, any student graduating in the top 20% of his or her class qualifies for a merit scholarship. The student can attend a local community college completely free - all tuition and fees are covered for up to five semesters.

There are no other requirements. You don't need a certain SAT score. You don't need to write an essay. You don't need to do a special dance. Just graduate in the top fifth of your class.

From there, the student simply needs to maintain a 3.0 GPA, register for a full time course load, and complete the Associate's Degree within 5 semesters. The full value of the scholarship is around $6-7000.

Moving On Up - NJ Stars II

If a student graduates from a community college under the NJ Stars program, they are entitled to receive another scholarship under NJ Stars II.

Once a student graduates with an Associate's Degree, he or she can apply to a regular four year institution in New Jersey. The twelve eligible schools include Rutgers, Montclair, and other renowned universities.

If a student is accepted by the university, the state agrees to pay $2,000 per semester to the university. The university then foots the rest of the bill and the student is able to complete a Bachelor's Degree free of charge. All tuition and fees are covered by the state and the university.

Similar requirements apply to the student. He or she must maintain a 3.0 GPA, maintain a full time course load, and complete the remaining credits in four semesters. The value of this scholarship can be as high as about $16,000.

Go to College. For free.

There are many scholarship programs out there, but few are as inclusive and easy to earn as the NJ Stars scholarships. There are no essay contests to win or standardized test scores to achieve.

Fully 20% of New Jersey's students are eligible to utilize this program. Students from working class backgrounds, who might not otherwise be able to afford college, can use this program to earn a Bachelor's Degree from nationally renowned institutions.

What are you waiting for? Get yourself to college - for free.

Sources:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/add-it-up/4494.html
http://www.njstars.net