Affording College

Financing Your Education at NJCU

New Jersey City University offers a comprehensive need-based financial assistance program that makes higher education a reality for many students. In fact, 90% of the students who apply for financial aid (including most qualified incoming freshmen), receive it.

Here’s where to start

	Ask your high school guidance counselor about sources of financial aid.
	Search online using terms such as "scholarship" or "tuition." But be wary of any scholarship program that wants your money up front, and check out any sources you find with your counselor.
	Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to see if you qualify for state or federal assistance. You may be pleasantly surprised!
	Try to work additional hours each summer, or in the evenings, to save enough for expenses such as books, room and board.
	Attend NJCU's financial aid workshops to learn about programs specific to the university.

You Can Afford College

New Jersey City University provides more than $20 million in financial aid to approximately 4,000 students, students who would otherwise be unable to attend without it. The fact that your family's resources are not enough to pay all or part of your expenses should not prevent you from going to college. This is what financial aid is all about-providing ways for paying for the educational expenses that you cannot immediately afford on your own.

Completing the FAFSA

To be considered for any federal or state student financial aid programs, including student loans, students must first fill out the "Free Application for Federal Student Aid" (FAFSA). This form is used to determine your eligibility for all financial aid programs. There is no processing fee involved with this FAFSA application.

Complete and submit the FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1 of the year you will be attending. In four to six weeks, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) from the federal processing center. This Student Aid Report (SAR) will contain all of the information reported on the FAFSA. Be sure to review it for accuracy, and, if necessary, follow the instructions for making corrections. This is important because the information you report will be sent by the federal processor to the colleges you listed on the FAFSA. Colleges use this information in awarding financial aid to students. In addition, the state of New Jersey receives this information from the federal processor to determine eligibility for state grants.

To expedite the completion of your FAFSA, you can log onto the federal website at www.fafsa.ed.gov. You will have the opportunity to electronically complete and submit the entire form, with the option of submitting the signatures required by printing out the signature page, or by entering an electronic PIN which will serve as an electronic signature.

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Types of Aid Available

There are three general types of federal and state student aid offered at NJCU, each with its own eligibility requirements:

1. Grants, considered gift aid, do not have to be repaid. These include the Federal PELL Grant, and the New Jersey Tuition Aid Grant and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG). A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, does not have to be repaid. Pell Grants are awarded only to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's or professional degree. (A professional degree would include a degree in a field such as medicine, law, or dentistry.) For many students, Pell Grants provides the foundation of the "financial aid package" to which other aid may be added.
   
   Year Round Pell
   2 Scheduled Pell Awards in an Academic Year
   The Year Round Pell Grant was authorized through the Higher Education Act of 2008. Matriculated undergraduate students who are Pell eligible may receive two scheduled Pell Grant Awards in the same award year. Thus, students may receive a Pell grant during the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. To receive the second scheduled Pell grant students must:
   - Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to determine eligibility for the Pell Grant.
   - Be enrolled in six or more credits during the summer.
   - Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress.
   - Complete the NJCU Financial Aid summer application.
   
   Crossover Pell
   Summer 2010 Pell Policy
   New Jersey City University considers the summer terms to be a trailer to the academic year. Therefore, a student’s eligibility for financial aid (including the new “Year Round Pell Grant”) for the Summer of 2010 will be based on the 2009-10 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) data.
   
   Starting with the 2009-10 Award Year, eligible undergraduate students may be able to receive up to two scheduled Pell Awards within the same award year. For the first scheduled Pell grant award, a student must:
   - Be Pell Grant eligible and making Satisfactory Academic Progress.
   - Be enrolled in any enrollment status (full time, ¾ time, ½ time or less than half time).
   The amounts received will count toward the aggregate lifetime limit (up to 18 semesters, starting with the 2008-2009 Award year.
   
   Summer 2010 will be a trailer to the 2009-10 Award Year (students must complete the 2009-10 FAFSA).
   
   To qualify for the Second Scheduled Pell Grant Award for the Summer 2010 Semester, eligible students must:
   - Be Pell Grant eligible and making Satisfactory Academic Progress
   - Have received 100% of the First Scheduled Award of Pell
   - Be enrolled at least half-time (6 credits)
   Amounts received will go toward the aggregate lifetime limit.
   
   Starting in the 2010-2011 Award Year, students must demonstrate Academic year acceleration in order to qualify for a second scheduled Pell Award.
   - Acceleration rules will start to apply for the summer 2011 semester.
   - At least one credit hour in the payment period from the second Scheduled Pell Award must count toward the student’s next academic year:
   It is not necessary for a student to complete a full academic year’s worth of coursework prior to the payment of the Second Scheduled Award. For Example, a student earned 9 credits in the fall semester and 9 credit hours in the spring. The school uses 24 credit hours to define the academic year and places summer in the concluding award year; therefore, the student will need to enroll in more than 6 credit hours in the summer term in order to be paid funds from the second scheduled Pell award. Six credits will go toward finishing the first academic year’s worth of work (9+9+6=24) plus additional credit hours to go toward the second academic year.
   Beginning in summer 2011, we will consider BOTH the 2010-2011 and the 2011-2012 FAFSA to determine which year results in the highest Pell Grant Award that students are eligible to receive for that semester. It is highly recommended that students who are interested in taking summer courses submit the FAFSAs as early as possible.
   
   Transfer Students
   - If a student received 100% of the First Scheduled Award at their prior school, it is assumed that the student completed an academic year.
   - If a student received less than 100% of their First Scheduled Award, it is assumed that the stud3ent completed the same ratio of the academic year (24 credits) as the percentage of the First Scheduled Award utilized at the prior school. • For example, a transfer student received $2007 of a $5350 Scheduled Award. • $2007 x 24/5350 = 9 credits assumed the student earned at the prior school.
   
   
2. Loans, considered self-help, must be repaid with interest. These include the Federal Perkins Loans, the Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan the Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, the Direct Grad PLUS Loan and the Direct PLUS Loan. These loans typically have lower interest rates and the Stafford and Perkins loans require repayment only after graduation or after ceasing to be enrolled on at least a half-time status.
   
   Entrance and Exit Loan Counseling
   ALL student loan borrowers at NJCU are required to participate in Entrance and Exit Student Loan Counseling. New borrowers must complete Entrance Loan Counseling before the first disbursement of their loan. Borrowers graduating, ceasing enrollment, or withdrawing from NJCU must complete Exit Loan Counseling prior to leaving the university. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in award cancellation or the withholding of student records.
   
   Questions concerning Entrance Loan Counseling should be directed to the Financial Aid Office. Both types of Loan Counseling can be completed on the following website: www.studentloans.gov. You will need to use your FAFSA Pin to sign in.
   
   
3. Work-study through the Federal Work-Study program allow you to earn your award by working part-time at the University. Job opportunities at different departments and offices at the University are available. You may also choose to be a reading tutor in the NJCU America Reads Program.

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Your Financial Aid Awards

New Jersey City University will review your application for financial aid and offer you a financial aid package listing the different types of aid for which you may be eligible, including any University grants and scholarships. This financial aid package will be posted on the University's GothicNet and accessible to students with a GothicNet ID and Password. You will be sent an award notification which will include instructions on how to access this information on the GothicNet when the application process is complete and you have been admitted to the University.

Go to www.njcu.edu and click on the GothicNet icon on the lower left hand side of the screen. This link will bring you to the GothicNet sign-in page. Enter your GothicNet identification number that is found on your GothicCard and enter your password. Click on Sign-In. Look under My Menu and click on Students, then click on Student Center. On this page, look under Finances and click on View Financial Aid. Select the Current Aid Year.

This will take you to the Award Summary page. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Accept/Decline Awards. This will open the Award Package page. On the Award Package page, you should check off the boxes next to the awards that you wish to accept or decline. Please note that the amount of loans listed in your award letter is your maximum loan eligibility. It is recommended that you do not borrow the full amount unless you need it for educational costs. Once you have clicked on the “accept” box, you will have an opportunity to reduce the loan amount. Then, you must click Submit and then you must click YES to submit the request in order to complete the transaction.

You should receive a Student Confirmation page which verifies that your submission was successful. Click on OK to get back to the Award Package page. Click on Return to Award Summary to get back to the Award Summary page. This will now show the awards you accepted and the awards you declined.

Each spring, as a community service, the University also offers a series of financial aid workshops to provide you with additional information and assistance with applying for financial aid. The priority filing deadline for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the prerequisite for any financial aid, is April 15.

For more information on the programs available at NJCU, contact the Financial Aid Office at 201-200-3173.

New Jersey City University Scholarship Programs

New Jersey City University offers two types of scholarships: Merit-based scholarships offered through the Admissions Department and Endowed Scholarships available to continuing students.
More scholarship information...

Costs

New Jersey City University is proud of being one of the most affordable universities in the nation, while maintaining its status as a premier urban institution of higher education.

Tuition and Fees*
*Subject to change

Helpful Phone Numbers & Additional Information

As you can see, there are many options in the area of financial aid. If you have any questions about financial aid programs or about New Jersey City University, please feel free to call one of the numbers below:

Financial Aid Office: (201) 200-3173
FAX Financial Aid Office: (201) 200-3181
Admissions Office: (888) 441-6528
Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP): (201) 200-3355, 3275
Registrar's Office: (201) 200-3333, 3334
Bursar's Office: (201) 200-3045, 3046

For questions regarding:
New Jersey State Aid, including TAG and State Scholarships: (800) 792-8670

Federal Student Aid, including the Student Aid Report (SAR): (800) 4-FED-AID To request address and institutional changes to the student SAR, contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center: (319) 337-5665

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Useful Forms and Documents

The following are useful forms:

Private Education Loan Applicant Self-Certification
2010-2011 Dependent Verification Form
2010-2011 Independent Verification Form
Request for Review/Special Circumstances

Useful Links

The following are sites that may provide you with useful information and tools:

Direct Lending, “Completing a Master Promissory Note (MPN)”

For Budget/Repayment Calculators and General Financial Aid Information

The official site of the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority where you can find the Tuition Aid Grant Estimator, as well as other important information on state grants and loans

For outside scholarship information

For information on financial aid for international students.