Trenton, NJ – At its July 2017 meeting, the Board of the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) approved the Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) award tables for the upcoming 2017-18 academic year.
The State’s fiscal year 2018 budget again included increased appropriations to fund the State’s premier need-based tuition aid program. This funding reaffirms the State’s commitment to assist residents of New Jersey with financial need who aspire to pursue higher education. Based on the newly adopted award tables, all awards, in all eligibility indexes, at all institutions and in all sectors will increase by 2.0 percent for the 2017-18 academic year.
According to HESAA’s Executive Director, Gabrielle Charette, the continued funding is critical to so many students and families throughout New Jersey. “As a former TAG recipient many years ago, I have never forgotten the personal impact this program has. As the head of the Authority that administers the program I often speak with officials in other states, who are impressed by the extent to which New Jersey supports higher educational opportunities for those most deserving of financial help,” said Charette.
HESAA’s Board approved the award tables for both full-time TAG program and part-time TAG for County College students. Attached are copies of both award structures.
On July 21, 2017 Governor Christie signed P.L. 2017 c. 178, which designates Montclair State University as a public research university for the first time. Since the law was effective immediately, the TAG tables adopted by the Board treat Montclair State University as a public research university and award students attending that institution two more eligibility index cells on the TAG table. The same action was taken in 2012 when Rowan University was designated as a public research university by law.
Students who previously applied for TAG and were notified of their preliminary awards will now receive notification from HESAA of their new award amounts. Institutions will also be notified of new TAG awards. Students who did not receive a TAG award during the last academic year, still have time to apply. But they must act fast as the fall deadline for non-renewal students is September 15, 2017. To apply, those students should go to
www.fafsa.gov and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and then at the end of the application click on the link to answer the New Jersey questions.
To view the Full-Time TAG Award Table for AY 2017-18, click
here.
To view the Part-Time TAG Award Table for AY 2017-18, click
here.
For more information on New Jersey's grants and scholarship programs, visit
here.
