Jersey City-based New Jersey City University (NJCU) has launched the NJCU Debt-Free Promise Program designed to make college education accessible and affordable for New Jersey residents who are pursuing their first undergraduate degree as incoming full-time freshman students.
The goal of the program is to eliminate the need for students to take out loans to cover the cost of tuition and fees. Starting in fall 2016, all New Jersey residents who are admitted to NJCU from high school and attend full-time, with a family household income of $60,000 or less, will be offered a scholarship in lieu of having to take out a loan (after federal and state financial aid is awarded).
In announcing the program, NJCU President Sue Henderson said, “NJCU is proud to offer this debt-free program to New Jersey families that are in most need of this opportunity. Affordability is a major concern that we take very seriously. In fact, in 2015, Washington Monthly named NJCU second among colleges in New Jersey serving students in need.”
NJCU students already graduate with the lowest rate of indebtedness (tuition and fees) of any other public college in New Jersey. The NJCU Debt-Free Promise Program seeks to ensure that every student graduates with a clean financial slate by eliminating the need to take on unnecessary debt so that they can begin their professional careers unencumbered by financial burdens.
To apply for the NJCU Debt-Free Promise Program, students must be admitted to NJCU and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by July 1. Students remain qualified for the program each year, if they submit a FAFSA, are in good academic standing, and register for 15 credits each semester.
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