To be considered for need-based financial aid, be sure to file the FAFSA. In many cases, you'll be considered automatically, with no separate grant application required. Freshmen who are offered grants must acknowledge acceptance of the award by submitting their tuition deposits by May 1.

Federal Pell Grant ($400–$4,050)
These grants are awarded based on financial need if you are an undergraduate enrolled for at least 3 credits and have not received a first bachelor's degree. In addition to many other requirements, you must also be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen and have a high-school diploma or GED, or demonstrate the ability to benefit from the program offered. Award amounts depend on your reported cost of attendance, your estimated family contribution (derived from the information you provide on the FAFSA), and your choice of whether to attend full or part time.

Educational Opportunity Fund
($1,050 for commuters and $1,300 for on-campus residents)
You are eligible for the EOF grant if you are a full-time student who has been designated through the Educational Opportunity Program at NJIT to receive funds from the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority according to specific criteria. EOF funding is disbursed in the form of refunds to purchase books and supplies each semester. There are also limited New Jersey EOF Summer Grants available. Contact the EOP Office for more information.

Tuition Aid Grant ($1,550–$7,918)
You may receive the TAG if you are a full-time undergraduate with financial need, you do not have a first bachelor's degree, and you are a legal resident of New Jersey. (If you are under 24, your parents must also be legal residents of New Jersey.) The New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority determines eligibility and will notify you of any awards through a student eligibility notice; however, before the grant can disburse, the office of SFAS must certify that you meet all eligibility requirements of the program. To be considered annually for a tuition aid grant, the state must receive your processed FAFSA by the following dates:

• June 1: Renewal students
• October 1: Nonrenewal students
• March 1: Nonrenewal Students, spring term only

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) ($200–$1,000)
You are eligible to receive the SEOG if you are a Pell-eligible undergraduate student pursuing your first bachelor's degree, and you demonstrate exceptional financial need, typically equated with a $0 estimated family contribution as indicated on your student-aid report.

Academic Competitiveness Grant
(Up to $750 for the first undergraduate year and up to $1,300 for the second year)
For the 2006–2007 school year, the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) is available for the first time for first-year students who graduated from high school after January 1, 2006, and for second-year students who graduated from high school after January 1, 2005. The Academic Competitiveness Grant award is in addition to the Pell Grant award.

To receive the ACG, you must be a US citizen, be a federal Pell Grant recipient, be enrolled full time in a degree program, be enrolled in the first or second academic year of your program of study, have completed a rigorous secondary-school program of study (after January 1, 2006, if a first-year student, and after January 1, 2005, if a second-year student). If you’re a first-year student, you must not have been previously enrolled in an undergraduate program, and, if you’re a second-year student, you must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 for the first academic year. For more details, visit the Federal Student Aid (FSA) Web site.

National Science & Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant
(Up to $4,000 for the third and fourth years of undergraduate study)
The National SMART Grant is available during your third and fourth years of undergraduate study as a full-time student if you are a US citizen eligible for the federal Pell Grant and are majoring in physical, life, or computer sciences; mathematics; technology; engineering; or a foreign language deemed critical to national security. You also must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in your major. The National SMART Grant award is in addition to your Pell Grant award. For eligible fields of study or more details, visit the Federal Student Aid Web site.