Governor Murphy Signs Financial Aid Equity Legislation

On May 9, 2018

Gov. Phil Murphy today signed legislation allowing DREAMers to apply for state financial aid assistance. New Jersey now becomes the ninth state in the nation to make both tuition and financial aid available to these New Jersey students.

“Tuition equity and equal access to financial aid are moral standards that we as public officials must uphold for all New Jersey students, whether they were born here or not,” said Governor Murphy. “These young people came to this country as children, were educated in our schools, and are just as American as anyone else. I’m proud to sign this legislation to help these students achieve their educational goals and their pursuit of a successful future.”

Governor Christie conditionally vetoed a tuition and financial aid equality bill in 2013 and removed the state financial aid sections, while keeping the parts of the bill that established in-state tuition.

The legislation, S-699 allows a student who meets the requirements established under the in-state tuition law signed in 2013 to qualify for and participate in any student financial aid program administered by the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) or the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE).

These requirements include:

• attending high school in New Jersey for three or more years;
• graduating from a New Jersey high school or receiving the equivalent of a high school diploma;
• registering or enrolling in a public institution of higher education no earlier than the 2013-2014 academic year;
• filing an affidavit stating that the student has filed an application to legalize his immigration status.

In addition to New Jersey, California, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, New Mexico and Hawaii also make in-state tuition and financial aid available to DREAMers.

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