What is NJ STARS?

NJ STARS is an initiative created by the State of New Jersey in 2004 that provides New Jersey’s top students with free tuition at their local community college.  Funding for the NJ STARS program has been restored by the State of New Jersey to provide tuition only for STARS eligible students who graduate high school in 2010.  For updated information, please visit the NJ STARS website at www.njstars.net

For more information on NJ STARS at Atlantic Cape, contact Linda McLeod, Assistant Director of College Recruitment, (609)343-5009 or (609)463-4774, ext. 5009.

What are the requirements for NJ STARS?

• Students must graduate in the top 15 percent of their high school class and declare a major at the community college.
• Students who meet the top 15 percent requirement must first apply for all other federal and state financial aid available to them by filing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually within New Jersey's deadline. If a student receives financial aid, NJ STARS will cover the remaining cost of tuition and fees. If a student is not eligible for financial aid, NJ STARS will cover the entire cost.
• Students must complete a rigorous series of high school courses as a first step toward eligibility, as determined by the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education in consultation with the New Jersey Commissioner of Education.
• Students must take at least 12 college credits per semester and will be allowed to take up to 18 credits each semester if they are able to handle the course load and wish to accelerate their graduation.
• Students will be permitted to use summer sessions as part of their five semesters of eligibility and must maintain continuous enrollment at a community college.
• Students will be permitted to take fewer than 12 credits in their final semester if they need fewer than 12 credits to graduate.
• Students have five (5) semesters of eligibility for NJ STARS.
• Students majoring in areas that require an additional 6th semester (for example: nursing and engineering) will pay for the additional semester.
• Students who do not achieve the required placement test scores will be notified by the college that they are currently in need of remediation prior to pursuing college coursework through the NJ STARS program. Students will be able to take appropriate courses while still in high school to improve their skills, or they can attend remedial courses at the community college while enrolled in high school.  Students who graduate from high school and still need remediation will be given up to one year at their own cost or using other non-STARS funds to gain the skills they need to be college ready. They will not be considered NJ STARS scholars until they meet the requirement, but they will still have five semesters of eligibility upon meeting the requirements during that year.
• Dependent students of military families assigned to a military base and whose parents have established New Jersey as their state of residence will be eligible for NJ STARS as long as all other conditions are met.
• NJ STARS students must have a 3.0 or better grade point average moving from freshmen to sophomore years to be eligible for scholarship renewal for the second year.

For more information about NJ STARS and other state-sponsored scholarships and financial aid programs, visit the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.

About Atlantic Cape

Atlantic Cape Community College is the two-year college serving Atlantic and Cape May counties. Atlantic Cape offers high quality instruction in more than 40 programs of study. Classes are small, the environment is supportive and faculty members care about your success. By attending Atlantic Cape, you can earn an associate degree and go right into the workforce, or you can transfer to a four-year college or university to earn your bachelor’s degree.

Atlantic Cape has transfer agreements with four-year colleges and universities that will help make your transition into a bachelor’s degree program easy. These agreements define how the courses you complete at Atlantic Cape will be evaluated for transfer credit when you transfer to a participating institution.

NJ TRANSFER is a statewide initiative of the New Jersey Commission of Higher Education that can help you with this process. Its many features include:

• Which courses to select at a community college
• Course equivalencies with New Jersey four-year colleges
• Where you can transfer your community college courses in New Jersey
• How the courses will satisfy four year degree requirements
• How to contact a New Jersey college or university if you need information about admissions, financial aid or transfer recruitment events

For more information visit the NJ TRANSFER Web site at www.njtransfer.org.

Did you know:

“The education at Atlantic Cape was more than just attending class…it was a solid foundation of a lifelong learning experience.”

• Students who complete an associate degree at a New Jersey community college earn nearly $400,000 more in additional lifetime income over the course of their careers.
• You can save between $20,000 - $80,000 of the cost of a four-year college or university by spending your first two years at a community college.
• A national study has found that community college graduates who are seniors at four-year colleges achieve a Grade Point Average (GPA) substantially higher than their fellow seniors who have attended that college from the beginning of their freshman year.
• Students who earn a one-year certificate from a community college earn as much as 16% more than people with only a high school diploma or GED.
• For every $1 spent on a community college education, a student’s discounted lifetime earnings will INCREASE by $7.91.
• Through improved earnings, students recover the full cost of community college (including forgone wages) within six years.