Research · Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in New Jersey: the 4 state programs and what each asks for
As of October 2026: New Jersey has 4 state scholarship programs for students who graduate from its own high schools. The table says what each one pays, who qualifies, and when it closes, in the state's own words.
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a New Jersey high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com), October 2026. Figures and the table may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.
The findings, in plain English
New Jersey runs 1 award that turn on grades or scores. NJ STARS is one of them. 0 of the 2 programs we could read name a GPA, and 0 name a test score. A need-based award asks about family income instead, through the FAFSA.
The state's own pages are the only place these rules live. Every row links to the page the state publishes for that program. The rules and the dollar figures move from year to year, so the page is the thing to read, not a summary of it.
What this table does not tell you. The state agency's own page names 2 more programs in a second table below. Some of those pages give no award figure at all, so those rows carry the name and the link only.
Every state scholarship in New Jersey
Read the row, then open the state's own page before you count on a figure.
| Program | Merit or need | What it pays | GPA it asks for | Test score it asks for | Who qualifies | Deadline | Renewable | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) | Need-based | For 2026-27, full-time annual awards range from $3,098 at the lowest-need tier up to $14,404 at an independent non-public college; at the highest-need tier the award is $10,964 at a public research university and $9,496 at a state college; part-time awards run about $480 to $1,161 | — | — | New Jersey resident (or meet NJ Dreamers residency rule); dependent student and parent must reside in NJ 12 consecutive months prior, or meet P.L. 2018 c.12 NJ high-school-attendance rule; enrolled at an approved NJ (or eligible proprietary) institution; FAFSA or NJ Alternative Financial Aid Application required | September 15, 2026 (FAFSA/NJ Alternative Application) for all high school seniors, first-time college students, and students who did not receive TAG in 2025-26, for Fall 2026/Spring 2027 enrollment | Renewed annually based on continued FAFSA filing and need; renewing students who received TAG in 2025-26 have an April 15, 2026 deadline instead | Source |
| NJ STARS | Merit | Covers tuition only (less any other state/federal grants and scholarships) for up to 5 semesters, up to 18 credit hours of tuition per semester | — | — | New Jersey resident ranked in the top 15.0% of class at end of junior or senior year (hard cutoff, no rounding); must enroll full-time at home county college no later than the fifth semester after high school graduation; minimum 12 college-level credits/semester; must live in NJ 12 consecutive months before graduation; apply for all other state/federal need-based and merit aid | Enroll full-time no later than the fifth semester following high school graduation; apply for state aid within HESAA's established deadlines | Covers up to five semesters at the home county college | Source |
Every row is a state-funded or state-administered award for a New Jersey high school graduate going to an undergraduate program, as of October 2026. A scholarship from a single college, a private foundation award, a federal program and a graduate-only award are all left out. A blank cell means the state's own page does not state it. Dollar figures and GPA floors change every year.
Other programs the state names
The agency's own page lists these too. Where its page gives no award figure, the row carries the name and the link only.
| Program | What it pays | What the page says | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garden State Guarantee | No tuition and fees in the third and fourth years at an in-state public four-year college | For a household with an adjusted gross income of $0 to $65,000, covering up to four semesters or 128 credits | Source |
| Community College Opportunity Grant | Tuition-free for a first associate degree at a New Jersey community college | For a household with an adjusted gross income of $0 to $65,000, enrolled in at least six credits a semester, with the FAFSA required | Source |
These rows come from the New Jersey agency's own index of programs. A blank award means that index does not state one, not that the program pays nothing.
How to read a state scholarship
State awards come in two shapes. A merit award asks about grades, a course list, or a test score, and it does not care what a family earns. A need-based award asks about income and assets through the FAFSA, and it does not care about grades. Some awards ask about both, and the table calls those merit and need.
The deadline column is the one families miss. For most need-based state aid the deadline is really the FAFSA deadline, and it falls months before a college asks for a decision. A merit award more often has no application at all: the state or the high school nominates the student from records it already holds.
What a family should do with this
Open the official page in the last column for the one or two programs your student plausibly qualifies for, and write down two dates: the state aid deadline and the FAFSA deadline. Those are the two that close. In New Jersey the earliest date on this table is the one to put on the calendar first.
Then look past the state. A state award is usually the smaller half of an offer. The college's own merit grid and its net price for your family income move more money than any state program on this page, and both are published.
Questions parents ask
What scholarships does New Jersey offer?
New Jersey has 4 state scholarship programs for students who graduate from its own high schools. The table says what each one pays, who qualifies, and when it closes, in the state's own words.
Does New Jersey have a merit scholarship?
New Jersey runs 1 award that turn on grades or scores, and NJ STARS is one of them.
How do I find the rules for a New Jersey scholarship?
Every row links to the page the state publishes for that program. The rules and the dollar figures move from year to year, so the page is the thing to read, not a summary of it.
Method & sources: Programs come from the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) and the agency's own program pages, read in October 2026. The population is a student who graduates from a New Jersey high school and enrolls as an undergraduate. A scholarship offered by one college, a private foundation award, a federal program and a graduate-only award are all out of scope. A value the agency's own page does not state is left blank rather than filled from elsewhere, and a page that could not be read drops every figure.
This brief as data: /research/scholarships-in-new-jersey.json. Free for editorial use with attribution to Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach).
Related: Merit scholarships by college · State scholarships in every state · High schools in New Jersey · Scholarship deadlines