The New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) is a state agency that manages higher education financial aid programs for residents of New Jersey. It offers loans, grants, 529 education savings plans, and scholarships. ¹

Its original predecessor, the State Scholarship Commission, was created in 1959. HESAA was created in 1999 to merge three different student-assistance programs into one authority. ² It employed 153 full-time equivalent employees in 2024. ³

Activities

Scholarship Funds

New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority operates a variety of scholarship funds, including the New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Reward (NJ STARS) program that covers the entire tuition of students who rank in the top 15 percent of their high school class and attend their local community college after high school graduation. ⁴

HESAA operates the World Trade Center Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarship grants to children and surviving spouses of New Jersey residents who were killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, or first responders who later died as a result of exposure to toxic materials at the attack sites. ⁵ The scholarships are funded through a combination of state appropriations, a tax return check-off program, and private donations. In the 2024 to 2025 period, 23 students received grants of $6,000 per year or $3,000 per term. ⁶

HESAA also operates the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Scholarship for children of New Jersey law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, as well as a Survivor Tuition Benefits scholarship for children and spouses of law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency service workers killed in the line of duty. ⁷

Financial Aid to Undocumented Migrants

In 2013, then-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) rejected a proposal to offer taxpayer-funded financial aid to New Jersey residents who had been illegally brought to the United States as children and were eligible for deportation relief and work permits under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Instead, Christie signed legislation allowing such “Dreamers” to attend New Jersey state colleges and universities at in-state tuition rates. ⁸

In 2018, Christie’s successor, Governor Phil Murphy (D), signed legislation directing New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority to offer state-funded financial aid to “Dreamer” residents of New Jersey, making it one of the few states to offer taxpayer-funded financial aid to illegal immigrants. ⁹

The legislation also prohibits HESAA or other state agencies from requesting any information about a student’s or parent’s immigration or citizenship status. ¹⁰ The state also does not require applicants or their parents to provide Social Security numbers. ¹¹

The state legislature’s analysis of the program predicted a $5 million cost per year to provide aid to an expected 600 eligible participants. However, 1,365 students applied for state-funded financial aid within just the first four months of the program, and 665 were approved. ⁸

1. “About Us.” HESAA. Accessed May 31, 2025. https://hesaa.org/Pages/aboutus.aspx.
2. “History of HESAA”. HESAA. Accessed May 31, 2025. https://www.hesaa.org/Documents/HistoryofHESAA.pdf.
3. “Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.” State of New Jersey, March 28, 2025. https://www.nj.gov/treasury//omb/publications/24fr/NJFRFY2024Complete.pdf.
4.  “NJ Grants Home: New Jersey Student Financial Aid.” HESAA. Accessed May 31, 2025. https://hesaa.org/Pages/NJGrantsHome.aspx.
5. “World Trade Center Scholarship.” New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. Accessed May 31, 2025. https://www.hesaa.org/documents/wtc_program.pdf.
6. NEW JERSEY WORLD TRADE CENTER SCHOLARSHIP FUND BOARD MINUTES – July 23, 2024.” New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, July 23, 2024. https://www.hesaa.org/WTCMeetingMinutes/03.23.09%20WTC%20Minutes.pdf
7. “New Jersey Scholarships.” HESAA. Accessed June 10, 2025. https://www.hesaa.org/Pages/NJScholarships.aspx.
8. Heyboer, Kelly. “Surprising New Stats Show How Many Unauthorized Immigrants Applied for N.J. College Aid.” NJ Advance Media, October 12, 2018. https://www.nj.com/education/2018/10/more_than_1300_unauthorized_immigrants_apply_for_n.html.
9. Heyboer, Kelly. “Yes, You Have to Pay Taxes — and 5 Other Surprises in N.J.’s New College Aid Plan for Unauthorized Immigrants.” NJ Advance Media, May 12, 2018. https://www.nj.com/education/2018/05/nj_college_financial_aid_for_undocumented_immigran.html.
10. “Bill Text: NJ S699 | 2018-2019.” Legiscan, 2019. https://legiscan.com/NJ/text/S699/2018.
11. “New Jersey Alternative Application.” HESAA. Accessed May 31, 2025. https://hesaa.org/Pages/NJAlternativeApplication.aspx.