Kean University

NJ TUITION BENEFIT FOR UNEMPLOYED PERSONS

Dear Student:

According to our records, you submitted a NJ Tuition Benefit for Unemployed Persons for a previous semester. Enclosed for your review is the current policy and procedures to participate in the program. Please review the information carefully to ensure that you understand your responsibility for participating in the program.

To participate in the program you are only eligible to register on the last day of add/drop for each semester. Please see the attached policy and procedures for the last day of add/drop for the upcoming semesters. A new waiver must be submitted for each semester that you will be attending.

In addition, if you are a matriculated student in a degree program, you must have a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file at Kean for the corresponding semester. You can find information regarding the appropriate FAFSA to file on the second page of the enclosed policy and procedures. To ensure that we receive your FAFSA before the beginning of the semester, you must file at least four weeks prior to the applicable registration date. Please be sure to use Kean’s school code (002622) on the FAFSA to ensure that we receive it electronically.

As a matriculated student, you are also subject to meeting the eligibility requirements for Federal Student Aid. If you do not meet the eligibility requirements to receive financial aid you will be ineligible to participate in the program. The Unemployment Tuition Waiver will be reduced by any grant or scholarship funds (i.e. Pell, TAG, etc). Students are not required to take out the Federal Direct Stafford Loan.

Please note that if you register for classes prior to the last day of add/drop, you will forfeit your right to participate in the program. There will be no exceptions to this rule.

If you have any questions regarding the above information, please call the Office of Financial Aid at (908) 737- 3190.

Sincerely,

Office of Financial Aid

POLICY:

Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A: 64-13.1 et seq. or 18A: 64A-23.1, the State of New Jersey created a program to allow certain unemployed individuals to attend a public institution of higher education in the state of New Jersey tuition-free on a space available basis. Additionally, individuals who qualify for this program may have certain fees waived or reduced.

To apply for this benefit, individuals must obtain certification from the Department of Labor, Division of Workforce New Jersey that they qualify for this benefit. Additionally, individuals must verify their past presence in the labor market for at least two years and their unemployed status or receipt of a layoff notice as proof of eligibility or an employability development plan from the Division of Employment Services.

Students are only eligible to register for classes on the LAST day of drop/add on a space available basis. Students who register for classes prior to that date will forfeit his/her right to participate in the NJ Tuition Benefit for Unemployed for that semester. If you are a matriculated student, you will be required to use financial aid to cover program cost. Non-matriculated students will be required to pay from personal resources.

Matriculated students are subject to meeting the eligibility requirements for Federal Student Aid. Students who do not meet the requirements will be ineligible to participate in the program.

Students who qualify for the NJ Tuition Benefit for Unemployed Program will receive a waiver administered by the Office of Financial Aid that will cover tuition and certain fees, minus any federal or state grants the student may be eligible to receive. When the student is eligible for federal and state grants that exceed the student’s cost for tuition and applicable fees, the student does not qualify for the NJ Tuition Benefit for Unemployed.

Individuals who gain employment during the semester the tuition waiver is in effect shall be eligible to continue for that semester as a participant of the program. This does not apply to students who become employed prior to the certification of a waiver.

PROGRAM EXEMPTIONS
	•	Customized courses that are underwritten by specific employers are exempt from eligibility under the tuition waiver program.
	•	Courses offered under the Continuing Education program are exempt from eligibility under the tuition waiver program.

PROCEDURES
	1.	If you are a matriculated student seeking to participate in the tuition waiver program, you must file a Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) prior to seeking eligibility and provide any required documentation as requested by the first day of the semester/term in which the student is applying for the tuition benefit. The student is required to file the FAFSA only once an academic year, but is required to file the FAFSA every academic year the student is applying for this benefit.

		(If you have not filed a FAFSA for the current year, you can file it on line at www.fafsa.ed.gov. It takes approximately 2-3 weeks for your FAFSA application to be processed on line. Please be sure to use Kean University’s school code (002622) so that we can receive your information electronically. Failure to file your FAFSA within ten (10) days of notification on non-filing will result in your tuition waiver being denied.

	2.	Students who have registered on the last day of drop/add, must submit the Unemployed Person Job Training Form (UPJTF) with original signatures to the Office of Financial Aid for the semester in which the student is applying for tuition waiver. The UPJTF must be signed and dated by the Department of Labor, Division of Workforce New Jersey no sooner than 30 days prior to the start of the semester/term. See the reverse side of this letter for eligible dates.

	3.	All tuition waivers will be certified within a week after the add/drop date and submitted to the Office of Student Accounting. Students eligible to receive a tuition waiver will receive a copy of the Financial Aid Notification Letter waiver in the mail. Waivers will not be processed fifteen (15) days after the start of class.

	4.	Students must submit their Tuition Waiver within five (5) days of their registration; waivers will not be accepted after that period. Students who register for classes and have failed to submit a waiver within the time frame specified will be accountable for any expenses incurred not covered by financial aid eligibility. Non-matriculated students will be required to pay out of pocket.

	5.	Students who register for all or part of their classes prior to the last day of drop/add will be denied a waiver for all classes taken for that semester/session. Students will be required to pay any incurred expenses out of pocket or thru financial aid.