Go to college for free. Well, not really.
If you've lost your job recently, the state law in New Jersey says you have the opportunity to take courses at your local community college or the state’s public four-year colleges for free.
Yep, you heard me right. The recently unemployed can get tuition waivers to take classes at local community colleges and four-year public, state colleges, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
BUT. And, yes there’s a huge BUT. (You didn’t expect it to be that easy did you?)
The recently unemployed can enroll on a space-available basis. Meaning degree-seeking and all other paying students are entitled to enroll first before any waiver students.
Basically, this means some classes won’t have openings, especially courses in more specialized programs like nursing and culinary, according to Gina Skinner, Director of Admissions and Recruitment at Atlantic Cape Community College.
Skinner said courses in Computer Science, Business and Paralegal classes are typically good choices.
Also, there is one day set aside for waiver students to enroll. If they enroll before that day, they will lose the opportunity to get the waiver.
Here’s the other catch:
The waiver does not cover the price of books, fees, and other costs. So students may still rack up several hundred dollars in costs, said Skinner. And, that’s per semester, not year.
Did we also mention an individual must have been working for at least two years before becoming unemployed in order to qualify for the waivers?
Or that waiver students must apply for financial aid but do not have to qualify for it to use the waiver?
Still, in the first two months of this year, more than 1,000 students have already used the waivers to enroll in college courses. That adds up to about $1.2 million in tuition costs.
Last year, nearly 2,600 N.J. residents used waivers at a community college, according to NJCCC data.
The waivers are provided through the state Department of Labor and are obtained through One-Stop Career Centers.
Centers are located in Atlantic City, Pleasantville, Hammonton, Vineland, Wildwood and Toms River.
