By Sen Sandra Cunningham and Sen. Stephen Sweeney
[…]The New Jersey Honors Scholars program, an Investing in You initiative that was discussed at last Wednesday’s College Affordability Commission meeting, would build upon the successful NJ STARS program that currently provides up to two years of free community college tuition to those graduating in the top 15 percent of their high school class.
The new Honors Scholars program would expand eligibility for the county college scholarships to the top 20 percent of graduating seniors in each school.
In addition, the new Honors Scholars initiative would provide a $6,000-a-year grant to students graduating in the top 10 percent of their high school class to attend four-year public colleges and universities in New Jersey, and would serve as an incentive to keep these students in the state by cutting $24,000 from the college loans they would owe when they graduate.
To keep the very best students in New Jersey, we are also planning to implement a competitive Einstein Scholars program that would provide a full-tuition grant for all costs, except housing, to 100 students to attend any public institution in the state. Students would have to be in the top 5 percent of their graduating class to apply, and the winning scholars would be selected through criteria to be developed by the Secretary of Higher Education.
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