In May, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed off on legislation that extended financial aid to many undocumented immigrants in New Jersey. Since then, 1,365 undocumented students have submitted applications for financial aid for the 2018-2019 academic year,
according to the New Jersey Record. Of the submitted applications, 665 have been processed for financial aid, 350 applications are pending additional information from the student applicants, and 350 applicants have been deemed ineligible.
As has been reported, “[t]he new law offers state student loans, grants, and scholarships not otherwise available to New Jersey’s undocumented immigrant population, and expands a 2014 New Jersey law that allowed undocumented immigrant students to pay in-state resident tuition rates.”
New Jersey’s Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) administers the program.
According to HESAA’s application website, an immigrant student qualifies for state student loans, grants, and scholarships if the student:
- Attended a New Jersey high school for at least three years
- Graduated from a New Jersey high school or received the equivalent of a high school diploma in New Jersey
- If a male student, registered for Selective Service
- Signs an affidavit stating that the student will file “an application to legalize” his or her “immigration status” or “will file an application” as soon as the student is eligible