"You do the work, you make the grades, and the
NJ STARS Program will cover the cost."

Download the Brochure (PDF Format)

What is NJ STARS?

The New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Rewards Scholarship – NJ STARS – has been created and funded by the State of New Jersey to provide New Jersey’s brightest students with free tuition at Union County College. If you graduate in the top 20 percent of your high school class and attend UCC full-time, you are eligible for free tuition at UCC thanks to NJ STARS.

NJ STARS will cover tuition and fees for up to five semesters at UCC. This is yet one more way that UCC can be your family’s affordable alternative to the ever-rising cost of a college education!

Who is Eligible?

To qualify for the NJ STARS scholarship, you must have attended at least your full senior year at and graduated
in the top 20 percent of your class from a high school within Union County. If you’re not a Union County resident, may qualify for NJ STARS at UCC if your major is not available at your local community college.

You must first apply for all Federal and state grants, such as the Pell Grant and the Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, (the FAFSA). NJ STARS will cover any remaining balance of tuition and fees not covered by other Federal and state grants. Eligible students who do not qualify for other grants will have their tuition and fees completely covered by NJ STARS.

• You must enroll in an associate degree program at Union County College.
• You must enroll full-time (take at least 12 or more credits each semester).
• To continue the scholarship in your sophomore year at your community college, you must achieve academic standing placing you in the top 20 percent of your college class.
• Certain restrictions apply for students enrolled in developmental courses at UCC – contact the Financial Aid Office for more details.

NJ STARS is available to students who have graduated from a New Jersey high school since the program was introduced in 2004. Those who graduate within the top 20 percent of their class and meet all other criteria have up to two years from the date of high school graduation to enroll and begin using the scholarship at UCC.

NJ STARS can also cover full tuition and fees for a complete Bachelor’s Degree with NJ STARS II – NJ STARS recipients who graduate from UCC with a 3.0 grade point average can attend any one of New Jersey’s state four-year colleges or universities free of charge for their junior and seniors years. Go to www.njstars.net to learn more about this unique scholarship program.

New Jersey’s Community Colleges

New Jersey's 19 community colleges offer high quality instruction in over 450 programs of study. By attending a community college, you can earn an Associate's Degree and enter the workforce, or you can transfer to a four-year college or university to earn your Bachelor's Degree. UCC has transfer articulation agreements with many four-year colleges and universities that will ease your transition into a Bachelor's Degree program. These agreements define how the courses you complete at UCC will be evaluated for transfer credit when you transfer to a participating institution.

NJ TRANSFER is a statewide initiative of the New
Jersey Commission of Higher Education that can help
you with this process. Its many features include:

• Which courses to select at Union County College
• Course equivalencies with New Jersey four-year colleges
• Where you can transfer your UCC courses in New Jersey
• How the courses will satisfy four-year degree requirements
• How to contact a New Jersey college or university if you need information about admissions, financial aid or transfer recruitment events

For more information visit the NJ TRANSFER
web site at www.njtransfer.org.