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What should I expect after learning about the NJ STARS program?
Notification to Prospective NJ STARS Students
- If you were in the top 15% of your class, your high school will notify you of your eligibility for the NJ STARS program at the end of your junior year.
Each February, HESAA sends a letter to graduating students whose high schools have identified them as potential NJ STARS candidates. - If you receive this letter, you can still apply to the NJ STARS program at Bergen Community College for up to five semesters after high school graduation, even if you attended another college.
After receiving the list from HESAA, Bergen Community College will send qualifying students in Bergen County more information about the NJ STARS program, usually by mid-March.
Students who did not receive correspondence from HESAA or Bergen Community College
- If you didn’t receive a letter from HESAA, it means you may not have been in the top 15% of your class at the end of your junior year.
However, you can still become eligible if you’re in the top 15% of your class at the end of your senior year. Please check with your high school guidance office for more details. - Students who believe they should have been on the HESAA list or who qualify at the end of their senior year can still be eligible for the NJ STARS Program.
They will need to provide proof of their class rank and class size, either through an official, signed, and sealed transcript or the Certification of HS Class Rank Form for Prospective NJ STARS Students from their high school which must contain the school seal. - Qualified out-of-county students should receive a letter from HESAA but would receive correspondence from their home county college.
Placement Tests are No Longer Required
On June 21, 2021, the full New Jersey Council of County Colleges unanimously approved a resolution that changes the test used for final NJ STARS eligibility, designating “a student’s high school academic ranking as the test of a student’s final eligibility for NJ STARS.”
Accordingly, prospective NJ STARS students no longer have to take placement tests but they must be waived from taking the tests before registering for their courses. Students who still wish to take the placement tests may do so. If a student takes the tests and requires a remedial course or courses, they can either choose to be waived, or they can take the remedial course or courses if necessary, but they must still register for 12 or more college-level credits. Please note: NJ STARS will only pay for college-level courses.
First Steps
- To make sure you meet all eligibility requirements, visit the HESAA website and review the NJ STARS Fact Sheet for your graduation year. Qualified students can use NJ STARS for up to five semesters after high school graduation, even if they attended another college or university.
- Next, download and complete the Self-Identification Form for Prospective NJ STARS Students, and email it to [email protected]. Once we receive your form and if you have applied to Bergen Community College, you will be added as a prospective NJ STARS student in our records. After we verify your eligibility, you won’t need to take placement tests. If you haven’t applied to the college yet, make sure to email [email protected] after you apply so we can complete the process.
- For Fall semesters, in July (and December for Spring semesters), temporary protection will be added to your records once you’ve self-identified as a prospective NJ STARS student.
This means you won’t have to pay tuition immediately, and your classes won’t be dropped for non-payment. This protection will continue as long as all steps are completed, and the NJ STARS Application/Contract is signed and submitted before the semester starts.
If you sign your NJ STARS Application/Contract after the first semester, you will need to pay tuition first and then wait for reimbursement from the State of New Jersey.
Please visit the How to Apply to the NJ STARS Program Web page to begin the NJ STARS certification process. The steps outlined above are also the first steps on the webpage. Students and their parents can view the videos that are on the FAQs webpage.