HESAA Gives Back: The NJ World Trade Center Scholarship Fund

The tragic events of September 11, 2001 are forever a part of American history. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives as a result of the attack. Some of those victims were residents of New Jersey. To honor those that lost their lives in the attack and to help take care of their families, the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) created a special New Jersey World Trade Center Scholarship Fund.

This unique scholarship from HESAA benefits a surviving spouse and dependent children of New Jersey residents who were killed or died as a result of injuries sustained by the terrorist attacks.

Benefits

Scholarship recipients may attend any Title IV eligible college or university in New Jersey or out-of-state. The average amount recipients receive is $6,500, and this scholarship is renewable each semester as long as recipients continue to meet the eligibility requirements. The scholarship amount cannot exceed the actual tuition, fees, room and board charged. Scholarship amounts may change as a result of changes in program funding and student’s other available financial assistance.

Eligibility

Listed below are the eligibility requirements for this HESAA scholarship:

• Be a child or spouse of an individual who was a NJ resident on September 11, 2001 who was:
• Killed in the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001
• Died as a result of injuries received in the attack
• Died as a result of illness caused by exposure to the attack sites
• Declared missing and officially presumed dead as a result of the attack
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Be a full-time, undergraduate student
• Eligibility to apply is limited to eight years from the date of the child’s high school graduation and eight years from the date of death for the spouse.
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress
• Not have received the maximum allowable number of payments. For example: eight semesters of payment for a regular four-year degree program; five semesters of payment for a regular two-year degree program.

Application Process

Applying for the WTC Scholarship is easy. Visit the New Jersey Grants and Scholarships page on HESAA’s website where you will find the application. Make sure you get your application submitted before the deadlines below:

Fall 2016 Semester Deadline: October 1, 2016
Spring 2017 Semester Deadline: March 1, 2017

When you apply you will be asked to provide the following document to verify your eligibility:

• Proof that the deceased was a New Jersey resident on September 11, 2001
• An original or certified copy of the death certificate, or an accurate and complete photocopy of the original or certified copy of the death certificate
• A letter from the deceased’s physician stating the cause of death
• Proof that the deceased was registered with an appropriate state or federal registry, including, but not limited to:
• The Victim’s Compensation Fund
• The World Trade Center Medical Monitoring & Treatment Program
• The World Trade Center Health Effects Treatment

At HESAA, we are proud to offer the NJ World Trade Center Scholarship Fund. Recipients of this scholarship deserve our continual love and support. We hope that this financial assistance will make getting an education a reality and that a college degree will make for a brighter future. This scholarship is a small way we are giving back and offering support to the wonderful citizens of New Jersey.