Students: There May Be A Scholarship For You!

Legislation sponsored by New Jersey State Senator Robert Singer (R-Monmouth, Ocean) and Senator Tom Kean (R-Union, Somerset, Morris) to make sure more students are aware of the New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship (NJ STARS) passed the Senate Higher Education Committee. Senators Robert Singer and Tom Kean’s bill notifies students who are eligible for NJ STARS during each year of high school, with general information provided in eighth grade. (Flickr) “The NJ STARS program is a fantastic way for bright students who may not be able to afford college themselves to pursue a college degree,” Senator Singer said. “We have the resources and we have the students. We need to make sure those students know about this program so they can actually take advantage of it.” The NJ STARS program is a scholarship program that covers the cost of tuition to send a New Jersey student to one of the state’s 19 community colleges. Students who rank in the top 15 percent of their high school class at the end of their junior or senior years are eligible for the program. Under current law, schools are required to notify each student in the 11th grade who is ranked in the top 25 percent of their potential to qualify for the program. The legislation, S-2182, would also require schools to provide information about the NJ STARS program to students in the 8th grade. They would also be required to notify students in the top 25-percent about their potential eligibility at the start of their sophomore and senior years of high school. “This bill will help spread the word about this tremendous program,” Senator Kean said. “If high school students know about the opportunity the NJ STARS program gives them, it could mean the difference between them going to college or not.” Related Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/tomkeanjr/posts/10153771369263269 Related Tweet: https://twitter.com/bobsingernj/status/744982897552068609 Website Post: http://www.senatenj.com/index.php/tomkean/singerkean-bill-to-promote-nj-stars-scholarship-program-passes-senate-panel/27541