Governor’s Urban Scholarship
The Governor’s Urban Scholarship is a merit award with a financial-need requirement for students who live in designated New Jersey communities. It is not automatically available to everyone in a city: residence, class rank, and the eligible college all matter. HESAA identifies candidates from data sent by high schools and may notify qualifying students; program materials describe awards subject to state funding and semester limits. For the 2026 high-school class, the official
About Governor’s Urban Scholarship
The Governor’s Urban Scholarship is a merit award with a financial-need requirement for students who live in designated New Jersey communities. It is not automatically available to everyone in a city: residence, class rank, and the eligible college all matter. HESAA identifies candidates from data sent by high schools and may notify qualifying students; program materials describe awards subject to state funding and semester limits.
For the 2026 high-school class, the official fact sheet required residence in an eligible community, ranking in the top 5% at the end of junior year, a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, and a New Jersey Eligibility Index below 10,500. It also called for annual FAFSA or NJ Alternative Financial Aid Application, full-time enrollment, and satisfactory progress at a participating college. Future rules can change; students graduating in 2027 should check whether HESAA has issued that class’s fact sheet.
The 2026 fact sheet describes no separate initial application: the high school reports class rank and HESAA determines who can accept or decline an offer. That does not remove the need to file state aid forms on time or monitor NJFAMS. If you live in Newark, Trenton, Jersey City, or another listed community, verify the exact municipal boundary first and ask your school counselor whether your data was reported; a mailing address in a nearby town may change the result.
Who it serves and what it can cover: The Governor’s Urban Scholarship is a merit award with a financial-need requirement for students who live in designated New Jersey communities. It is not automatically available to everyone in a city: residence, class rank, and the eligible college all matter. HESAA identifies candidates from data sent by high schools and may notify qualifying students; program materials describe awards subject to state funding and semester limits. For the 2026 high-school class, the official fact sheet required residence in an eligible community, ranking in the top 5% at the end of junior year, a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, and a New Jersey Eligibility Index below 10,500. It also called for annual FAFSA or NJ Alternative Financial Aid Application, full-time enrollment, and satisfactory progress at a participating college. Future rules can change; students graduating in 2027 should check whether HESAA has issued that class’s fact sheet.
How to apply or get help: The 2026 fact sheet describes no separate initial application: the high school reports class rank and HESAA determines who can accept or decline an offer. That does not remove the need to file state aid forms on time or monitor NJFAMS. If you live in Newark, Trenton, Jersey City, or another listed community, verify the exact municipal boundary first and ask your school counselor whether your data was reported; a mailing address in a nearby town may change the result. For case-specific questions, contact the program or financial-aid office named on its official page.
College scholarship and financial-aid program