Low-income college students and families in New Jersey are offered more financial aid from New Jersey than from the larger federal grant program, according to a Washington Post article.
Most states provide significantly less than the federal program does.
Carl E. Van Horn, a distinguished professor in the Department of Planning and Public Policy, and the director of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, said that this is primarily a policy choice based on the high cost of college in New Jersey compared to most other states.
“For decades we have had what is known as a ‘high tuition, high aid’ public policy. In other words, tuition is high, but so is the aid for low and moderate income students,” he said.