As a graduate student with an admissions application on file, you are automatically considered for graduate financial support in the form of grants, stipends, and the like. (You can view the eligibility criteria and contact information for the types of support on the Graduate Financial Support Contacts page.)

Additionally, as an NJIT graduate student, you can apply for supplemental funding in the form of an education loan, including such as a Federal Direct Loan, Perkins Loan, or a private loan—by filing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Once your FAFSA is on file at NJIT, you will automatically be awarded Federal Direct Loans, either subsidized or unsubsidized, based on your eligibility. (You are free to decline the loans if you do not want to receive them.)

Keep in mind, though, that all graduate teaching and research award decisions are made by the individual academic departments and not the Office of Graduate Studies. (As such, the terms and conditions of the awards vary.) Also please note that financial support is generally reserved for those students pursuing a doctoral degree.

Merit-Based Scholarships Eligibility

Once you are admitted as a first-time, full-time freshman, your academic records such as SAT/ACT scores and high school GPA, are reviewed to determine your eligibility for NJIT scholarships. Also, many scholarships require that you demonstrate financial need. To be considered for need-based scholarships, you must also have a processed FAFSA on file for the academic year. Scholarship application forms are available here. Please be advised that the combination of grants and scholarships, generally, cannot exceed the student charges the scholarship was intended to pay such as tuition and fees; and if so, the scholarship amounts may be reduced when other aid on the package already funds such charges.

Most merit-based scholarship programs require that you be enrolled full time and maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0. Most scholarships are renewable, but some are not. To continue receiving renewable scholarships, you must continue to meet the scholarship criteria as set forth in the scholarship agreement. However, because some external scholarships funds are determined by the value from the market, there could be occasions where a scholarship may have funds one year and not in a subsequent year if the market is unfavorable. Students will be notified if they are impacted ahead of time so that other options are explored.

For most scholarship programs, NJIT monitors whether a scholarship can be renewed after the spring semester. General scholarship requirements are the following:

• Continuous full-time enrollment;
• Meet the standards of Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as outlined here.
• Maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA (at time of the annual review in June) and attain a minimum 3.0 GPA for each and every semester;
• Not exceed the maximum terms (4-years for non-Architect students and 5-years for Architect students and 3 years for accelerated programs), including the number of years/semesters you have already taken.
• Combination of grants and scholarships awards does not exceed student bill tuition charges or the amount the funds were intended to pay for. The detailed scholarship policy can be found here.

If you are a scholarship recipient and are no longer meeting the scholarship criteria, you are given notification and provided scholarship appeal procedures. Students can only appeal once for a scholarship reinstatement – no second or further appeals requests will be granted. Note that the scholarship appeal process differs and is separate from the SAP appeal process described in “Section X. Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy.”

Scholarship Universe

NJIT invested in a scholarship software to assist students find external scholarships to help meet their educational expenses. The Scholarship Universe software allows students to precisely locate scholarships that meet the student’s academic profile. Student’s with a UCID account can access the software to begin their search. Once students apply, they are taken to the external organization for further follow-up. You can apply here.

Scholarship Policies

Uniform Awarding and Application of Payment

The process for awarding and applying funds to the student account follows the below Uniform Awarding and Application of Payment procedure. When instituting this order, awards will not exceed the charges intended to fund factoring in other awards that are part of the package.

• Direct Charge and Award Lines
• Tuition-Aid-Grants
• Third Party Contracts/External Scholarships*
• NJIT Scholarships (Processed by Student Financial Aid Services)
  • Donors
    • Tuition Only
    • Tuition and Fees
    • Donor supported up to tuition, fees, housing and food
    • Donor supported up to cost of attendance
  • Institutional
    • Tuition Only
    • Tuition and Fees
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
• Federal Pell Grant
• Athletic Aid
• Mandated State Waivers (National Guard, Unemployment)
• NJIT Tuition Remission
• Student Loans
• Student Payments

*Click here for a glossary of terms

* External third party contracts/awards may supersede this order since third party contracts/awards may indicate a specific application of payment (e.g. Tuition, fees etc.). External (third party) scholarships without any indication from the external agency as to application of payment will be processed so that the combination of the external and other relevant grants and scholarships will not produce a credit but will be applied to pay tuition, fees, and on-campus housing and food, if applicable. Other external prestigious awards such as the Bauder, Goldwater, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, Fulbright and Cambridge awards, will have an award cap up to tuition, fees, housing, food and an NJIT Bookstore credit up to $1,200. No cash award will be provided.

The award renewal and application of payment procedure for previous donor-sponsored scholarship recipients where the scholarship intent was unspecified, will follow the previous process as they will be “grandfathered” until graduation, provided the student meets the general scholarship eligibility requirements. The award terms and conditions are accessible on the student’s Highlander Pipeline portal Financial Aid Self-Service Awards section. Although prior recipients of donor-sponsored scholarship awards with unspecified intent will be grandfathered, all awards after Fall 2018 will follow the Uniform Awarding and Application of Payment procedure. Any scholarship with unspecified purpose will be applied towards tuition, tuition-related fees, and on-campus housing and food minus other awards that already cover these charges. However, If the student is a recipient of an NJIT institutional scholarship and was selected to receive a donor-sponsored scholarship, and both awards duplicate the benefit, the institutional award will be reduced first to correct the over award.

Combining Scholarship Awards/Scholarship Over awards
In general, the total amount a student is awarded cannot exceed the charges the award intended to pay. In some instances, when tuition-based grants (like TAG Grants) and NJIT tuition-based scholarships are part of the package, students are limited to receiving these awards up to the cost of tuition. While other NJIT merit scholarships (like Honors scholarship and Freshmen Highlander Scholarships) are restricted to tuition and fees, the combination of other tuition and fee based awards cannot exceed the value of tuition and fees. Federal Pell or SEOG Grants are never reduced in the context of scholarship awarding as the fund can pay up to the cost of attendance.

Outside Scholarships
External scholarships from private organizations may also be restricted to specific expenses by the organization awarding it, and the Office of Student Financial Aid working in conjunction with the Bursar’s Office will apply the scholarships accordingly. This could reduce previously awarded funds. Depending on the type of award and the purpose for the external scholarship, institutional and donor-sponsored scholarships may be reduced to correct the excess. For example, if an outside scholarship is received and it specifies the funds should be used for tuition and an NJIT merit scholarship is already covering tuition, the NJIT merit scholarship will be reduced to factor in the outside scholarship.

On-Campus Housing
For scholarship awarding purposes, on-campus housing constitutes on-campus dorms and the Greek Village as they are owned and/or operated by NJIT. University Centre is not considered on-campus for awarding purposes.

Renewal Process/ Award Selections
To provide adequate time for students and families to plan for their educational expenses, timely awards are necessary. To that end, all scholarship selections from academic departments must be completed no later than June 30 for the upcoming fiscal year. All donor-sponsored scholarships are expected to be renewed provided there is funding and prior recipients continue to meet the scholarship criteria as specified on the scholarship agreement. The University recognizes the value of scholarship renewals as it provides continuous student financial support.

Application of Payment Policy
Further details on the University’s policy for Application of Payment can be found at: http://www.njit.edu/bursar/application-payment/

Uniform Awarding and Application of Payment

Effective Fall 2018, the process for awarding and applying funds to the student account will follow the below Uniform Awarding and Application of Payment procedure. When instituting this order, awards will not exceed the charges intended to fund factoring in other awards that are part of the package.

• Direct Charge and Award
• Lines Tuition-Aid-Grants
• Third Party Contracts/External Scholarships*
• NJIT Scholarships (Processed by Student Financial Aid Services)
  • Donors
    • Tuition Only
    • Tuition and Fees
    • Donor supported up to tuition, fees, housing and food
    • Donor supported up to cost of attendance
  • Institutional
    • Tuition Only
    • Tuition and Fees
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
• Federal Pell Grant
• Athletic Aid
• Mandated State Waivers (National Guard, Unemployment)
• NJIT Tuition Remission
• Student Loans
• Student Payments

*Click here for a glossary of terms

*External third party contracts/awards may supersede this order since third party contracts/awards may indicate a specific application of payment (e.g. Tuition, fees etc.). External (third party) scholarships without any indication from the external agency as to application of payment will be processed so that the combination of the external and other relevant grants and scholarships will not produce a credit but will be applied to pay tuition, fees, and on-campus housing and food, if applicable. Other external prestigious awards such as the Bauder, Goldwater, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, Fulbright and Cambridge awards, will have an award cap up to tuition, fees, housing, food and an NJIT Bookstore credit up to $1,000. No cash award will be provided.

The award renewal and application of payment procedure for previous donor-sponsored scholarship recipients where the scholarship intent was unspecified, will follow the previous process as they will be “grandfathered” until graduation, provided the student meets the general scholarship eligibility requirements. The award terms and conditions are accessible on the student’s Highlander Pipeline portal Financial Aid Self-Service Awards section. Although prior recipients of donor-sponsored scholarship awards with unspecified intent will be grandfathered, all new Fall 2018 awards will follow the Uniform Awarding and Application of Payment procedure. Any scholarship with unspecified purpose will be applied towards tuition, tuition-related fees, and on-campus housing and food minus other awards that already cover these charges. However, If the student is a recipient of an NJIT institutional scholarship and was selected to receive a donor-sponsored scholarship, and both awards duplicate the benefit, the institutional award will be reduced first to correct the over award.

Combining Scholarship Awards/Scholarship Over awards

In general, the total amount a student is awarded cannot exceed the charges the award intended to pay. In some instances, when tuition-based grants (like TAG Grants) and NJIT tuition-based scholarships are part of the package, students are limited to receiving these awards up to the cost of tuition. While other NJIT merit scholarships (like Honors scholarship and Freshmen Highlander Scholarships) are restricted to tuition and fees, the combination of other tuition and fee based awards cannot exceed the value of tuition and fees. Federal Pell or SEOG Grants are never reduced in the context of scholarship awarding as the fund can pay up to the cost of attendance.

Outside Scholarships

External scholarships from private organizations may also be restricted to specific expenses by the organization awarding it, and the Office of Student Financial Aid working in conjunction with the Bursar’s Office will apply the scholarships accordingly. This could reduce previously awarded funds. Depending on the type of award and the purpose for the external scholarship, institutional and donor-sponsored scholarships may be reduced to correct the excess. For example, if an outside scholarship is received and it specifies the funds should be used for tuition and an NJIT merit scholarship is already covering tuition, the NJIT merit scholarship will be reduced to factor in the outside scholarship.

On-Campus Housing

For scholarship awarding purposes, on-campus housing constitutes on-campus dorms and the Greek Village as they are owned and/or operated by NJIT. University Centre is not considered on-campus for awarding purposes.

Renewal Process/ Award Selections

To provide adequate time for students and families to plan for their educational expenses, timely awards are necessary. To that end, all scholarship selections from academic departments must be completed no later than June 30 for the upcoming fiscal year. All donor-sponsored scholarships are expected to be renewed provided there is funding and prior recipients continue to meet the scholarship criteria as specified on the scholarship agreement. The University recognizes the value of scholarship renewals as it provides continuous student financial support.

Application of Payment Policy

Further details on the University’s policy for Application of Payment can be found at: http://www.njit.edu/bursar/application-payment/

Call them scholarships. Call them grants. Call them awards, assistance, or financial aid. No matter what words you use, it's free money you're talking about.

At NJIT, we believe in rewarding your hard work and dedication. Whether it’s for your academic excellence, athletic achievements, SAT scores, financial need, or residency status, we’ve got hundreds of scholarships, grants, and awards waiting for you. The best part? If you’ve filled out your FAFSA, you’re automatically considered for every award you're eligible for – no extra effort needed!

Renewing Your Scholarships – It's Easy!

• Merit-Based Scholarships: Most of our merit-based scholarships renew year after year. As long as you continue meeting the requirements outlined in your scholarship agreement and NJIT's Satisfactory Academic Progress standards, your award will be automatically renewed.

• Need-Based Awards: These will be adjusted each year based on your financial situation and where you are in your academic journey.

What Happens If Your Scholarship Isn't Renewed?

As a student on scholarship probation, the terms and conditions at the conclusion of the fall semester are as follows:

• Earn at least a 3.0 term GPA at the conclusion of the fall semester

At the conclusion of the fall semester, a review of your fall grade(s) and term gpa will be reviewed and you will be informed whether you met the scholarship requirements for the next semester. 

Note: Honors students on probation have a higher gpa requirement for probation (please speak to your Honors advisor for details).

If one or more of your scholarships doesn't get renewed, you'll be notified by e-mail. You can appeal the decision by submitting this online application to the scholarship appeals committee, care of the director of NJIT Student Financial Aid Services. In your letter, you must describe, in detail, the circumstances that prevented you from meeting the eligibility criteria. Reinstatement of the scholarship will depend on the circumstances detailed in your appeal letter and the availability of funding at the time of your request. To view the appeal deadline go to Deadlines to Watch.

There are two types of Federal Direct PLUS loans. These loans are available to parents of dependent students and graduate students. 

Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan

The Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan for undergraduate students is a credit-based loan available to biological or adoptive parent of dependent undergraduate students who are enrolled at least half-time (6 credits) in a degree seeking program. The student must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). The interest rate is variable and adjusted each year on July 1. 

There is also an origination fee which is a percentage of the total loan amount which is deducted before the loan is credited to student's billing statement. Parents should consider the origination fee when determining the amount of the loan request. 

Learn more about the Federal Direct Parent PLUS loans. 

Who can borrow: U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens can apply.

Maximum amount: The loans cover the cost of attendance minus other aid.

Repayment: Payment begins 60 days after the last disbursement of the year is made. Parent may request deferment of repayment while the student is in school and for up to 6 months after the student graduates, drops below half-time or withdraws from school. 

How to apply: Complete the credit-based Parent PLUS Application. 

Other requirements:

• Student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Parent must sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) for funds to be disbursed.

Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan

Federal Direct Grad PLUS loan is a credit-based loan available to students attending graduate school who are enrolled at least half-time in a degree seeking program. The student must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen and making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). The interest rate is variable and adjusted each year on July 1. 

There is also an origination fee which is a percentage of the total loan amount which is deducted before the loan is credited to student's billing statement. Students should consider the origination fee when determining the amount of the loan request. 

Learn more about the Federal Direct Grad PLUS loans. 

Who can borrow: U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens can apply.

Maximum amount: The loans cover the cost of attendance minus other aid.

Repayment: Student may request deferment of repayment while the student is in school and for up to 6 months after the student graduates, drops below half-time or withdraws from school. 

How to apply: Complete the credit-based Grad PLUS Application. 

Other requirements:

• Student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Must sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) for funds to be disbursed.

Federal Direct Loans (Subsidized/Unsubsidized)

Federal student loans are available to eligible students (U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and eligible non-citizens) who submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). These loans are available to qualifying full-time or part-time (6 credits) undergraduate and graduate students (Unsubsidized only) who are making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and are accepted into a degree-granting program (some graduate certificates are eligible too). Federal Direct Loans offer better options than private loans from banks. We encourage students to use federal loans before other private loans, which can carry costly fees and higher interest rates. See the loan Repayment Plans.

Learn more about the Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized loans. 

Federal Direct Subsidized Loan 

These are need-based low-interest loans from the U.S. Department of Education, administered by NJIT. Borrowers must demonstrate financial need after all other awards (grants, scholarships, and federal work-study) are considered. Because these are need-based loans (based on FAFSA), the government pays the interest while the student is enrolled at least half-time (6 credits). You must pay the principal and interest during the repayment period which occurs six months following graduation, or if you are enrolled less than half-time (<6 credits) or withdraw from the university. The federal government withholds an origination fee to defray the costs of administering the loan programs.

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan 

These are non-need-based, low-interest loans from the U.S. Department of Education, administered by NJIT. Both undergraduate and graduate students may be eligible but must be enrolled at least half-time (6 credits). Payment is deferred as long as the student is enrolled at least half-time; after deferment, there is a six-month grace period. The borrower is responsible for the interest on these loans from the time the loan is disbursed. Students may choose to make loan payments while in school (recommended) or allow the interest to accumulate. The federal government withholds an origination fee to defray the costs of administering the loan programs.

Required Loan Documents

First-time borrowers must complete the following documents:

• Master Promissory Note (MPN)
• Entrance Counseling 

As a Federal Direct Loan borrower, before you graduate, or if you drop below less than half-time enrollment, you must complete:

• Exit Counseling discusses topics such as repayment options, grace periods, deferment, and more.

How Loan Amounts are Determined

The amount of federal loans offered is based on the following factors (see the chart below for details):

• Undergraduate or graduate student
• Grade level (freshman, sophomore, junior/senior)
• Dependency status
• Previous federal loan balances

Annual and Aggregate Federal Direct Loan Limits (Subsidized and Unsubsidized)

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

A new program established by the College Cost Reduction & Access Act offering loan forgiveness after 10-years of public service employment.

To qualify for loan forgiveness, a borrower must make qualifying monthly loan payments (120 payments) while working full-time in qualifying public service employment. For further information, view the Public Service Loan Forgiveness document.

Next Steps for Graduating Students

For important information and resources for graduating students, please visit here.

In an effort to improve educational accessibility and affordability, Student Financial Aid Services began the process of providing relevant, trusted external scholarship opportunities to you using new software, Scholarship Universe. This is an initiative that will allow you to maximize your scholarship award opportunities while allowing you to continue your goal of achieving an NJIT degree. 

About Scholarship Universe

• Scholarship Universe is an online portal intended to reduce “scholarship search fatigue” by bridging students to vetted scholarship opportunities through an adaptive matching engine, which identifies relevant scholarships based on individual student's personal information, needs, and eligibility.
• Based on information submitted to build the student's personalized Scholarship Universe profile, students will be able to review a customized list of scholarship opportunities that they qualify for, learn the dollar value of matched opportunities, and directly connect and submit online applications with organizations offering those scholarships.

Steps to apply for External Scholarships:

1. Log in to the platform from this link: https://njit.scholarshipuniverse.com (Use UCID and Password to log in to the system. If you have not already claimed your UCID, we urge you to create your University Computing Identification (UCID) as soon as possible so that you will be able to access NJIT's Scholarship Universe portal. For details on how to set up your UCID, please go to: http://ist.njit.edu/ucid)
2. Upon answering some profile questions at the dashboard, the system will match your profile with the criteria from the external scholarship opportunities.
3. Review the vetted list of external scholarship opportunities and total dollar value for each scholarship opportunity.
4. Go to the Scholarship Tile from the options on the left of the screen
5. View Eligible Scholarships to apply in the Matches section
6. Click on Apply to begin the Scholarship application process
7. You will be directed to the specific external scholarship page to apply for the scholarship
8. External scholarship agency will contact you directly if selected

Students should take care of the following:

• Be sure to update your profile frequently (such as GPA, Major, etc.) to get matched to all the eligible scholarships in a better way.
• Be sure to answer ALL the questions in order to build your profile which would match you to the most relevant scholarships.
• Make sure to complete the outstanding tasks to be considered without any delays. 

If you still have any questions, please go through our FAQs or contact Student Financial Aid Services at finaid@njit.edu or 973-596-3479.