Education (Student Financial Aid)

New Jersey's S 2582 establishes the Grow Your Own Teacher Loan Redemption Program through the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. It repays up to $10,000 annually in student loan principal and interest for teachers who work full-time for five years in school districts designated as having a teacher shortage, specifically in the district where they graduated high school or where they resided for over five years. Participants must have graduated from or lived in a shortage district, hold a teaching position there, and maintain student loan debt. The program limits annual state spending to $500,000 and caps total repayment at $50,000 per participant over five years.

S 2320 establishes the Jersey Strong Public Service Scholarship Program, providing financial aid to New Jersey residents working in public service fields facing critical workforce shortages (such as healthcare, education, or emergency services). Eligible students must work full-time in these sectors for 1-2 years before receiving scholarships covering tuition and fees up to $25,000 for two years or $50,000 for four years at public New Jersey colleges. To qualify, applicants must be NJ residents, U.S. citizens, recent high school graduates, and employed in approved roles at minimum wage or higher. The program requires students to apply for other aid first and maintain academic progress, with scholarships terminating if they withdraw without approved reasons.