TRENTON – Factoring in private scholarships when determining financial aid would be prohibited by legislation passed by the Senate today. The bill is sponsored by Senator Troy Singleton.

“The extreme expense of a college degree is cost-prohibitive for a lot of families in New Jersey. Securing financial aid and scholarships is absolutely necessary to obtain this higher education,” said Senator Singleton (D-Burlington). “However, colleges have been taking financial aid away from students who receive outside scholarships. This is an abhorrent practice and runs counter to the purpose of the scholarship in the first place, to make college more affordable.”

Outside, private scholarships can be defined as any scholarship not given by the school. The scholarship could come from a business, a nonprofit or a family foundation.

The bill, S-985, was released from the Senate by a vote 39-1.