One of the most popular questions that we are asked in the Office of Admissions is about merit scholarship programs. Each year, The College of New Jersey offers an exceptionally large number of merit-based scholarships. Approximately 55% of the students who enrolled in the TCNJ Class of 2014 received some type of merit award. At TCNJ, we have two different merit scholarship programs: one for our in-state applicants and another for our out-of-state applicants. Please direct your attention to the category that you fall in!
In-State Merit Scholarship Program:
At The College of New Jersey, all New Jersey residents that are accepted are automatically considered for a merit-based scholarship. We don’t need you to send us any additional information whatsoever! Our decisions for merit-based scholarships are going to be based primarily on SAT or ACT scores and class rank. However, a number of other factors are also considered – including co-curricular involvement and leadership. The average accepted student last year fell within the top 10% of their class and have a Critical Reading and Math combined SAT score of 1300 (ACT composite score of 30). We are looking for our merit scholars to achieve or excel those averages. Last year, we awarded from $1,000 per year to $6,500 per year for eight consecutive semesters of study at TCNJ. More often than not, you will hear if you’ve received a merit scholarship in your acceptance letter. There is a chance, however, that your merit scholarship decision will come two to three weeks after your acceptance. The College of New Jersey also gives its in-state merit scholars the opportunity for additional need-based aid. We need students who want to be considered for need-based aid to submit their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) no later than February 15th. More information can be found at http://www.tcnj.edu/~admiss/freshmen/merit-in.html or by contacting Jay Jacobs (jjacobs@tcnj.edu) or Katherine Miklosz (miklosz@tcnj.edu) or by calling our Scholarship Hotline at (609) 771-3239.
Out-of-State Merit Scholarship Program:
Out-of-State students have a slightly different process when it comes to merit scholarships. First, we do ask out-of-state students to apply for merit-based scholarships after they have been accepted by the institution. The application will be mailed shortly after your acceptance packet. The application consists of three short-answer questions. We also ask for the students’ most updated extra-curricular resume, and we encourage students to send their most up-to-date transcript as well. While academic performance is the primary consideration--typically, out-of-state scholarship recipients have been in the top 10% of their high school class with an average SAT score of 1250 (ACT of 28) or higher--TCNJ is also looking for students who show talents beyond those criteria... students who intend to actively contribute to both the academic and social community on campus. We are very pleased to be one of the few public institutions to offer merit scholarships to high academic achievers from outside our home state. More information can be found at http://www.tcnj.edu/~admiss/freshmen/merit-out.html or by contacting Matt Middleton at middle2@tcnj.edu or over IM at TCNJLI.
All merit scholarship decisions are final on May 1 and do include some stipulations while attending TCNJ including:
- Awards to students named New Jersey Bloustein Scholars are INCLUDED in TCNJ scholarship award amounts
- Students who receive a merit award are strongly encouraged to complete and file the FAFSA no later than March 15th
- High School class rank is required for all students wishing to be considered for merit scholarships. If your high school does not publish class rank, the Office of Admissions will contact your guidance counselor for your percentile
- The writing section of the SAT will not be considered for scholarship purposes
- Scholarships are awarded for eight consecutive semesters of study at TCNJ, and students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of a 3.0 to continue receiving their award
TCNJ does offer other scholarships that include other factors as well as merit. Some of these include ROTC, Community Service, and specific departments. To see descriptions of these and to see if you qualify, please visit http://www.tcnj.edu/~admiss/freshmen/merit-other.html
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