Photo courtesy of Maxim Ryazansky.
Completing a college degree can be financially difficult, but Rutgers University Newark is trying to change that.
Rutgers–Newark recently announced that they will be launching the Student Achievement and Resilience (STAR) Fund, which aims to help students dealing with financial hardship and those who may not qualify for traditional financial aid. And you can help build up the fund.
How The STAR Fund Will Help
The fund, led by Chancellor Tonya Smith-Jackson, is intended to provide financial support to students who are faced with:
- Technology needs
- Family emergencies
- Food insecurity
- Housing instability
- Other challenges that could affect their academic success and enrollment
“One thing I have learned about Rutgers–Newark students is that their potential is incredible. Many are juggling school with work, family responsibilities, financial pressures, and other challenges that most people never see,’’ said Smith-Jackson in a statement.
“Sometimes those realities can make it difficult to finish a degree, even for students who are exceptionally capable…”
Eighty percent of Rutgers-Newark students commute and balance jobs and family obligations, according to Smith-Jackson, where many are first-generation, veterans, adult learners, immigrants and students with children or that support relatives. First-generation students, minorities and low-income students, who may have a job, are more likely to consider leaving college at some point due to financial pressure or juggling work and other responsibilities.
The STAR Fund—which is separate from existing scholarships and student-supported programs—is also intended to help students dealing with temporary setbacks like financial holds that could be preventing them from registering to classes which could delay academic progress.
Why It’s Needed
New Jersey is the most expensive state to attend college with the average estimated cost for in-state students is $38,569 a year for room and board, tuition, books, transportation and other combined costs, according to a report from Integra Credit. The average cost for tuition and fees at a public institution is about $15,200.
At Rutgers-Newark, more than 1,500 currently enrolled students have an outstanding balance averaging $2,738 each.
“One unexpected expense, an $800 car repair, can derail things. So many things can unravel a dream, not because the student lacks talent or determination, but because the system has no margin for error.
Financial support is not merely help in crisis. It creates the conditions for humans to survive and flourish… this scholarship fund is so important. It is designed to help students overcome barriers that can stand in the way of their education, giving them the support they need to stay on track, earn their degrees and realize the opportunities they have worked so hard to pursue.”
– Chancellor Tonya Smith-Jackson
You can give to the STAR Fund here.
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