A large number of higher education options are available in the State of New Jersey. Currently, 31 four-year

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

s and

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

are located in New Jersey. In addition, there are nineteen county colleges offering two-year programs, serving the 21 counties in the state.

History

Colonial colleges

Among the original thirteen American colonies, New Jersey is unique in that it was the only colony in which two colleges were established before the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

was promulgated in 1776. Of the nine colonial colleges, New Jersey possessed ''College of New Jersey'', now called

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

, founded in 1746 and ''Queen's College'', now known as

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

(or officially as ''Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey''), founded in 1766. Princeton was established by the

New Light The terms Old Lights and New Lights (among others) are used in Protestant Christian circles to distinguish between two groups who were initially the same, but have come to a disagreement. These terms originated in the early 18th century from a spl ...

Presbyterians. Rutgers was established by clergy affiliated with the

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...

State scholarship programs

To provide post-secondary education to a greater number of New Jersey students and keep high achieving

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

students in the Garden State for college, New Jersey established several

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

s. The New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (NJHESAA) manages these programs. They include memorial scholarships, such as the Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Scholarship (for children of New Jersey

law enforcement officers A law enforcement officer (LEO), or peace officer in North American English, is a public-sector employee whose duties primarily involve the enforcement of laws. The phrase can include campaign disclosure specialists, local police officers, prose ...

killed in the line of duty), and World Trade Center Scholarship Fund (for children of September 11th attack victims). The NJHESAA also coordinates the Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholar program, the NJ STARS award program, and the NJCLASS student loan program.

Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholar

Every year NJHESAA coordinates the Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholar program. This award is granted to any New Jersey high school student who ranks in the top 10% of their graduating class at the end of their

junior year A junior is person in the third year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In United States high schools, a junio ...

. This top 10% must also graduate as the first, second, or third ranking student in the class or achieve at least a 1260 combined critical reading and math score on the

Scholastic Aptitude Test The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...

. Each student receives $1,000 a year for the duration of their college career so long as they attend a college in New Jersey. Students can receive the scholarship for no more than five semesters at a two-year institution and no more than eight semesters at a four-year institution. The award is paid by NJHESAA directly to the institution in which the student is enrolled. The award was established in the 1989–1990 academic year and posthumously honors Edward J. Bloustein, the seventeenth

President of Rutgers University The President of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (informally called Rutgers University) is the chief administrator of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Rutgers was founded by clergymen affiliated with the Dutch Reformed ...

. The award was granted to more than 5,000 students in the 2006-2007 collegiate academic year.

NJ STARS

In 2004, then Governor

Jim McGreevey James Edward McGreevey (born August 6, 1957) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 52nd governor of New Jersey from 2002 until his resignation in 2004 following the revelation of his extramarital affair ...

created the New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship program (NJ STARS) to assist New Jersey high school students who go on to one of New Jersey's county colleges after graduation. Under this program, students who graduated in the top twenty percent of their high school class are provided with free tuition and fees at any New Jersey community college. The program covers up to five semesters of tuition as long as the student takes at least 12 credits each semester. Recipients must maintain a 3.0 grade point average through the first year to get the scholarship renewed for the second year. The program was later expanded to include the NJ STARS II program. Any student who receives scholarship aid in the NJ STARS program at a county college can receive aid at a New Jersey 4-year college after graduation from the county college. The NJ STARS II program provides full tuition for the student at participating New Jersey colleges. The state provides $4,000 for tuition for the student and the college covers the rest of the balance. A student must also apply for

federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

aid to reduce what the colleges must provide.

Colleges and universities

Public research universities

State colleges and universities

Independent colleges and universities

Community colleges

Talmudic schools and theological seminaries

Independent religious colleges

Proprietary institutions with degree-granting authority

Notes and references

External links

State of New Jersey

New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education
{{DEFAULTSORT:Post-Secondary Education In New Jersey Education in New Jersey