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Even as an Albert Dorman Honors Scholar, your undergraduate scholarships are strictly for undergraduate courses or courses directly pertaining to your undergraduate degree program. If you take a graduate course and it is deemed as solely for your graduate degree, you will be responsible for the cost of those credits.
Yes, because undergraduate scholarships can only be applied to undergraduate classes (and scholarships require full-time of undergraduate enrollment) your scholarship will be adjusted so as to only cover undergraduate charges. Your enrollment will still be considered full time but you will be responsible for covering the graduate costs.
No, the Office of the Registrar will determine whether or not your graduate course pertains to your undergraduate degree program following the academic policies governing dual degree programs. You can contact them via email registrar@njit.edu
The amount varies and depends on the number of credits you are taking for graduate enrollment. Please note that the difference in cost between undergraduate and graduate is extensive. Visit the bursar’s website for more information concerning the cost per credit.
Yes, since you are meeting the undergraduate full-time status and you will be charged as a full-time undergrad your scholarship would remain. However, you will have an additional 3-credit charge for the graduate course.
Undergraduate scholarships are designed to only pay for undergraduate credits that apply to a student’s undergraduate degree program. Understanding students seeking dual degree programs, there are some policies that dictate how the undergraduate scholarship will be awarded in semesters where students take graduate level credits.
Generally, students who take graduate credits where the credits will apply to the undergraduate program will have no impact their scholarship awards (assuming they meet all the requirements for the scholarship). However, when the graduate level credits do not apply to the student’s undergraduate program, the award will be reduced to only cover the undergraduate credits. The determination of graduate credits applying to the undergraduate program occurs after the last day to add/drop by the Office of the Registrar.
To help you better understand Dual Degree and Scholarship Policies, please see the FAQ.
Financial Aid Awareness Month
For the month of February, we will be posting a new topic daily on a portion of FAFSA process! Don't worry if you missed a topic, we will save them below!
Make sure you can log into your StudentAid.gov account—and remember your username and password that you used in 2025-2026 so you can access and submit the 2026–2027 FAFSA form.
If you or your parent need to create their FSA ID, please watch this video:
FA Awareness Month: Topic of the Day
For the month of February, we will be posting a new topic daily on a portion of FAFSA process! Don't worry if you missed a topic, we will save them below!
(Friday, February 27, 2026)
How Do I Create a StudentAid.gov Account If I Don’t Have a Social Security Number? Students must be a U.S. Citizen or Eligible Non-U.S. Citizen to be eligible to file a FAFSA.
Useful Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu_EfT5_qtM
PREVIOUS TOPICS
(Thursday, February 26, 2026)
How Do I Complete the 2025-26 FAFSA Form If My Parents Are Divorced or Separated? If your parents are divorced or separated, which parent’s information will be required is determined by whether your parents live together or not and which parent provided the most financial support.
Useful Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba2irkCtYvo
(Wednesday, February 25, 2026)
Federal Student Aid Estimator. The student may want to use the Federal Student Aid Estimator before filling out the FAFSA® form to help them understand their options for paying for college or career school by providing them an early estimate of how much federal student aid they may be eligible for.
Useful Link: https://studentaid.gov/aid-estimator/estimate/student-information
(Tuesday, February 24, 2026)
List Your School You’re Attending. Be sure to add any colleges, career schools, or trade schools you’re considering, even if you haven’t applied or been accepted yet. You can list up to 20 schools on the online 2025–26 FAFSA form. Even if there’s only a slight chance you’ll apply to a school, list it on your FAFSA form. You can always remove a school later if you decide not to apply, but if you wait to add a school, you could miss out on financial aid.
(Monday, February 23, 2026)
Records of Your Assets. The FAFSA form will ask you and your contributors questions about your assets, so make sure you have records of your savings and checking account balances, as well as the value of any investments, such as stocks, bonds, and real estate excluding your primary residence. Report the current amounts of your assets as of the date you sign the FAFSA form, rather than reporting the 2023 tax year amounts.
Useful Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpjwM6zzdPc
(Friday, February 20, 2026)
Types of Aid Available. Don’t count yourself out by not filing your FAFSA. Learn about the different types of aid that may be available for you.
Useful Link: https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types
(Thursday, February 19, 2026)
Untaxed Income. You and your contributors may need to answer FAFSA questions about untaxed income, such as child support and interest income. On the 2025–26 FAFSA form, you’ll use 2023 tax or calendar year information to answer these questions.
Useful Link: https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/untaxed-income
(Wednesday, February 18, 2026)
Your 2023 Federal Income Tax Return. Beginning on the 2025–26 FAFSA form, you and your contributors must provide consent and approval to have your federal tax information transferred directly from the IRS into your FAFSA form. Providing consent and approval is mandatory, even if you or your contributors don’t have an SSN, didn’t file a tax return, or filed a tax return outside the U.S.
Useful Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd21zLLR6yw&t=4s)%20
(Tuesday, February 17, 2026)
Managing your Student Loans. Want to start making early payments on your Federal Direct Loans? Click on the link to sign into your Federal Student Aid account and to find your Loan Servicer.
Useful Link: https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/make-payment
(Monday, February 16, 2026)
Award Offer Filed your FAFSA but haven’t received your financial aid award offer? Check your document portal for any outstanding financial aid requirements.
Useful Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1EbAs2XpgE
(Friday, February 13, 2026)
FAFSA Submission Summary. After your FAFSA form is submitted and processed, you’ll receive an email with instructions on how to access an online copy of your FAFSA Submission Summary.
Useful Link: https://studentaid.gov/help/fafsa-submission-summary
(Thursday, February 12, 2026)
What is Consent and why is it important? Consent and approval are needed to retrieve and disclose federal tax information from each participant on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid FAFSA® form. With consent and approval, we can obtain your federal tax information automatically from the IRS to help complete the FAFSA form.
Useful Link: https://studentaid.gov/2526/help/consent-federal-tax-info
(Wednesday, February 11, 2026)
Don’t miss out on State Aid. Complete State Records in NJFAMS by March 1, 2026 or 30 days from initial notification.
Useful Link: https://www.hesaa.org/Pages/StateDeadlinesCurrentAY.aspx
(Tuesday, February 10, 2026)
Who needs to create a StudentAid.gov account? Beginning with the 2025–26 FAFSA® form, each of your contributors, if you have any, will be able to create a StudentAid.gov account even if they don’t have an SSN.
Useful Link: https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch
(Monday, February 9, 2026)
Why do I need to provide consent and approval? Both you and your contributors must provide consent and approval to have the IRS transfer your federal tax information into the FAFSA form. Your contributors must provide consent and approval even if they don’t have a Social Security number SSN, didn’t file a tax return, or filed a tax return outside the U.S. If you or your contributors don’t provide consent and approval, you won’t be eligible for federal student aid.
Useful Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd21zLLR6yw
(Friday, February 6, 2026)
Who is a Contributor on the FAFSA? “Contributor” is a new term introduced on the 2025–26 FAFSA form. It refers to anyone you, your spouse, your biological or adoptive parent, or your parent’s spouse who’s asked to provide their information, consent and approval to have their federal tax information transferred automatically from the IRS into the FAFSA form more on that later, and signature on your FAFSA form.
Useful Link: https://studentaid.gov/help/which-parent-contributor
(Thursday, February 5, 2026)
Understanding your SAI. The Student Aid Index SAI is an eligibility index number that your college’s or career school’s financial aid office uses to determine how much federal student aid you would receive if you attended the school.
Useful Link: https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/how-sai-calculated
(Wednesday, February 4, 2026)
New Jersey Dreamers, you may still be eligible for State Aid! If you did not receive State Aid for fall or just started classes in spring, you still have time to file your 2025-2026 NJ Alternative Application by February 15th!
Useful Link: https://www.hesaa.org/pages/njalternativeapplication.aspx
(Tuesday, February 3, 2026)
It’s time to file your 2026-2027 FAFSA! NJIT priority deadline for FAFSA filing is March 1st. Click on the link to file your FAFSA! Make sure to add our school code on your FAFSA before you submit your application or we will not receive it. NJIT School Code 002621. If you haven’t added our school code, click the link below to do so today.
Useful Link: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
Financial Aid Services is hosting a number of events in honor of the financial aid awareness month. Please check them out on our events page!
What is the Garden State Guarantee?
The Garden State Guarantee (GSG) is New Jersey’s promise to make a college degree more accessible and affordable. By reducing out-of-pocket costs for students and families, New Jersey is limiting the amount of debt that residents must borrow to attend an in-state, public college or university. This program further builds on Governor Phil Murphy’s commitment to improving college affordability.
The Garden State Guarantee (GSG) program will provide up to four semesters of free tuition and mandatory fees for undergraduate, New Jersey resident students who attend in-state, public four-year institutions.
Under this program, New Jersey residents who attend an in-state, public, four-year institution and have an annual adjusted gross income (AGI) between $0 and $65,000 will pay a net price of $0 for tuition and mandatory fees during their third and fourth years of study. GSG funds are applied as a last-dollar award to cover the cost of tuition and fees that are not already covered by federal and state financial aid or institutional or outside scholarships. Students must be enrolled full-time (at least 12 credits per semester) and must be working toward completing their first Bachelor’s degree.
We encourage you to visit the GSG website for information and eligibility requirements.
Who is Eligible?
- New Jersey residents, including students who qualify as NJ Dreamers.
- Must complete the FAFSA or NJ Alternative Application and meet all state deadlines to have state aid eligibility determined. Failure to complete your state aid process jeopardizes your eligibility for this program too. Check your state aid status online at HESAA.
- Have an Adjusted Gross Income of $0 to $65,000 for free tuition and mandatory fees. The Adjusted Gross Income figure is based on parent(s) AGI for dependent students or student/spouse AGI for independent students. The income-establishing eligibility will be based on the income reported on the FAFSA/NJ Alternative Application for the academic year in question.
- Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
- Enroll full-time (at least 12 credits per semester) in your third or fourth year at NJIT, defined as having earned 60-89 credits for the third year and 90-128 earned credits for the fourth year (credits include those a student has earned from a different institution as long as NJIT has accepted the credits). Students who satisfy all eligibility criteria may receive GSG up to the overall cap of 4 semesters, or once you reach 128 credits, whichever comes first. Once a student has reached 128 credits, or reached the maximum payments, they are no longer eligible for GSG.
- Students must be working towards their first bachelor’s degree. Both continuing students and incoming transfers are eligible.
How to Apply
You will automatically be considered for the GSG when you complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). There is not a separate application to complete. Remember these important application requirements:
- Complete your FAFSA. NJ Dreamers should file the NJ Alternative Application available on HESAA’s website.
- Students must file the FAFSA or NJ Alternative Application by HESAA’s state grant deadlines.
- If HESAA requests additional documentation, those deadlines must also be met. You must complete the state grant process, regardless of eligibility for state grant aid.
- Students must also submit any documentation required by the NJIT Office of Student Financial Aid Services.
Questions and Answers
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For dependent students, only parent(s’)/guardian(s’) AGIs are considered, not the student’s income. For independent students, the AGI of the student and spouse, if applicable, is considered.
Students who satisfy all eligibility criteria may receive GSG up to the overall cap of four (4) semesters.
Third-year students are defined as having earned 60-89 total accumulated credits, and fourth-year students are defined as having earned 90-128 total accumulated credits, regardless of the institution(s) at which the qualifying credits were earned (i.e.: accepted transfer credits from another institution of higher education, Advanced Placement courses, dual-enrollment programs, etc.). Once a student has reached 128 credits or reached the maximum payments, they are no longer eligible for GSG.
Yes. Expanding equitable and affordable college access to a high-quality degree in New Jersey is the GSG’s driving force. Be sure to submit your FAFSA or the New Jersey Alternative Financial Aid Application by the applicable State deadline.
No, GSG funding is available only to third- and fourth-year students at in-state, public, four-year institutions. Complete the FAFSA or the New Jersey Alternative Financial Aid Application if you are an NJ Dreamer.
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Scholarship Universe is an online platform powered by CampusLogic that matches students to relevant, vetted scholarship opportunities. This tool has the potential to increase the amount of gift aid our students receive, and consequently reduce their reliance on student loans.
Scholarship Universe saves students the time and energy of sifting through hundreds of fraudulent or irrelevant scholarship opportunities and allows them to focus on submitting strong applications for scholarships that they are uniquely qualified for.
Each scholarship opportunity that a student sees on Scholarship Universe has gone through an extensive vetting process in order to protect students from scholarship scams. When students are searching for good matches in Scholarship Universe, they can rest assured that the opportunities are legitimate and worth the time and effort it takes to apply.
Students will log into Scholarship Universe using their UCID credentials to set up a profile. Scholarship Universe will then present them with scholarship opportunities specifically tailored to their profile. The more information students provide in their profile, the more personalized and relevant the scholarship search results will be.
Students should keep in mind that the database of scholarships is approximately 10,000 at any given time, so it’s very important to be specific when creating a profile to ensure that they are getting the most relevant matches.
Scholarship Universe makes it easier for students to apply for and receive grants and scholarships. This should ultimately reduce students’ out-of-pocket costs and drive down reliance on student loans, making NJIT even more accessible and affordable.
You're here, you're eligible, and you're ready to work. Now check out the rules and requirements for our campus work-study programs, and, if you have more questions, feel free to contact Student Financial Aid Services.
Academic-Year Employment Qualifications & Restrictions
To be eligible for work-study during the fall and spring semesters, you must:
- Be making Satisfactory Academic Progress for financial aid
- Be officially accepted into and enrolled in a degree program
- Be enrolled for at least 3 credits for FCWS or 6 credits for IWS
- Work no more than 20 hours per week
- Work no more than 8 hours per day
Summer Employment Qualifications & Restrictions
To be eligible for summer work-study, you must:
- Be making Satisfactory Academic Progress for financial aid
- Be officially accepted into and enrolled in a degree program
- Be enrolled for a minimum of 3 credits for either summer or fall
- Work no more than 40 hrs/wk if you're enrolled for 0-to-5 credit hours during the summer
- Work no more than 8 hours per day
Student Employment Manual
Training manual to guide the Supervisors through the entire hiring process can be found here.
The guidelines of the Student Employment Manual were developed to guide supervisors of student employees through the hiring process; topics to be covered include – but are not limited to - hiring a student employee, supervisor expectations, student expectations, the interview process, scheduling, orientation, budget monitoring, retention and resignation/termination.
Rights & Responsibilities
As a work-study employee, you'll be expected to:
- Adopt a professional attitude toward your job
- Report to work on time and keep your assigned work schedule
- Stay within the 20 or 40 hour weekly working limits
- Give your supervisor notice if you'll be absent or late
- Perform the job to best of your ability
- Observe rules of confidentiality
- Provide two weeks' notice if you plan to vacate the position
- Keep an accurate record of your hours
- Take a 15-minute paid break for every five (5) consecutive hours of work
Cornerstone Hiring System
The Cornerstone Hiring System is NJIT's digital job bank—where you can search for jobs and employers can post open positions. Through Cornerstone you can:
- View the complete list of campus job openings
- Apply for positions
- Get e-mail notifications whenever you're chosen for interviews
- Students: Log in to Cornerstone to look and apply for jobs
- Employers: Log in to Cornerstone to post jobs and review applicants
To log in to Cornerstone, you must have an NJIT email address.
As a new or a continuing student in one of our financial aid approved Graduate Certificate programs--whether on campus, at an extension site, or online--you are probably eligible for some sort of financial assistance. You may also apply for an outside scholarship.
Financial Aid Approved Graduate Certificate Programs
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Private Loans
Because not all private lending institutions require that loan recipients be matriculated, you may be able to qualify for a private loan. (Be aware that loans from private lenders require credit approval and honor specific lender rules.)
Federal Education Loans
If you are registered for a minimum of 6 credits and are in any of the aid-approved Graduate Certificate programs, you may qualify for Federal Direct loans, Federal Perkins loans, or federal Work-Study awards. (Keep in mind that you still must meet the requirements of each individual aid program.)
Federal Tax Credits
In addition to being eligible for certain private loans, independent non-matriculated students (or parents of dependent non-matriculated students) may be eligible for the following federal tax credits:
- American Opportunity Tax Credit - This tax credit expands and renames the existing Hope Credit and can be claimed for qualified tuition and related expenses that you pay for higher education in 2009 and 2010. Qualified expenses include tuition and related fees, books, and other required course materials. The full credit is generally available to eligible taxpayers who make less than $80,000 (or $160,000 for married couples filing a joint return); however, the credit is gradually reduced for taxpayers with incomes above these levels. (The American Opportunity Credit is not available on the 2008 returns taxpayers are filing during 2009.)
- Lifetime Learning Credit - If you are an adult who wants to go back to school or a college junior/senior, or maybe someone looking to earn a graduate degree, you can apply for this tax credit. The credit is limited to 20% of the first $10,000 you spend on education, meaning that the highest credit that can be granted is $2,000. You do not have to pursue a degree in order to receive the credit; you must only be currently enrolled in a course. Unlike the HOPE Scholarship Tax Credit (above), which can be claimed per student, this credit can be claimed only per family; however, you can claim for an unlimited number of years; that is, you can keep going back to take classes and continue claiming until you have received a $2,000 credit. The same income limits on the HOPE Scholarship Tax Credit apply to the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit.
Taken together, the tax credits are excellent ways to help pay for school. For in-depth information, check out IRS Publication 970 on the IRS website.
Veteran's and Military Benefits
If you are a service member, a veteran, or a military-civilian trying to reach your educational goals, check out our available resources, including the Military Tuition Assistance program.
Scholarships for Adults
NJIT offers merit-based scholarships for undergraduate New Jersey residents and out-of-state students; however, there are many outside scholarship opportunities available for the adult learner:
- Careers and Colleges
- SuperCollege.com
- Scholarships.com
- Military.com
- Paying for College: For Students
and more!