Governance
Essex County College Facts
Discover
Degrees & Programs
Academics
Continuing Education
Workforce Training & Business Solutions
Paying for College
Path to ECC
Student Life
Campus Information
Student Services
Why ECC?
Student financial assistance for enrollment at Essex County primarily comes from the US Department of Education and the State of New Jersey via the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. Both require the filing of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known by its acronym, FAFSA®, as a basic first step.
Go to fafsa.gov to file the FAFSA®.
How to Fill Out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) Form:
To file the FAFSA®, an applicant must have an FSA ID. For information on how to obtain a FSA ID, see these resources:
How to Create an Account and Username (FSA ID) for StudentAid.gov:
How to Create an FSA ID handout:
https://www.hesaa.org/Documents/FAFSA/How_To_Create_FSAID_Guide.pdf
Other resources from the Federal Student Aid:
Overview of the Financial Aid Process video
Overview of Student Aid Summary:
Federal Student Aid Summary:
Login: http://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/sign-in
This easy to use feature provides a detailed view into aid you’ve received in the past and displays:
Managing Your Account:
Get answers to questions about how to review your loan amounts, manage your payments, and update your personal information. You can also browse common account questions.
https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/topic/managing_your_account/articles
If you are also applying for State of New Jersey student financial assistance, review the various student financial assistance programs administered by the NJ Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA):
https://www.hesaa.org/Pages/Default.aspx See the tabs at the top of the page for Students and the tab for Parents.
You should set up a NJ FAMS account. Doing so will allow you to do the following:
Login or create your account here: https://njfams.hesaa.org
The New Jersey Alternative Financial Aid Application allows NJ Dreamers enrolled in eligible New Jersey colleges and universities to apply for state financial aid. Who should complete this application?
Complete this application if you are not a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen and meet all of the following criteria;
You can apply for student financial assistance from the State of New Jersey by filing the NJ Alternative Financial Aid Application: https://www.hesaa.org/Pages/NJAlternativeApplication.aspx
The Higher Education Act requires a student financial aid office to process student aid based on a “cost of attendance” budget. This is a budget that is constructed using general values for each required category, which includes: tuition and fees, room and board, transportation, and books and supplies, and an allowance for miscellaneous expenses. In short, “Cost of attendance is the total estimated price for one year of college before financial aid is applied: tuition and fees, housing, food, and other additional and personal expenses” (New America/uAspire, 2018, Decoding the Cost of College: https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/policy-papers/decoding-cost-college/).
We construct cost of attendance budgets using actual data for tuition, and average data based on professional reports such as the College Board’s Living Expense Budgets.
Federal Student Aid:File the FAFSA® between 12/31/2023 through 06/30/2025
(NJ deadlines pertain to the filing of the FAFSA® and the NJ Alternative Financial Aid Application (if applicable), and a complete student record in NJ FAMS.)
State of NJ – Fall and Spring Terms
State of NJ – Spring Term Only
Incomplete NJ Applications/ Corrections/Task Completion
Projected Year Changes for
