GO-TESU

With the support from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and the state Legislature, we are pleased to be able to include additional tuition assistance for need-based adult learners in this year’s state budget.

To be eligible for a GO-TESU grant award, undergraduate students must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a New Jersey resident for at least 12 consecutive months.
  • Be enrolled less than full time in any TESU term.
  • Students must file their Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) applications by Oct. 15, 2024, for Fall and Mar. 15, 2025, for Spring.
  • Be seeking their first associates degree or first bachelor’s degree.
  • Have an SAI (Student Aid Index) between 0-6500.

Students may receive a maximum of a 9-credit award per HESAA (Higher Education Student Assistant Authority) semester. July and August terms are considered summer; September, October, November and December terms are considered fall; and January, February, March, April, May, and June terms are considered spring.

To determine a student’s eligibility for GO-TESU, we review something called SAI, which is your Student Aid Index. It is an index number used to determine your eligibility for federal student financial aid. Your SAI is reported to you on your FAFSA Submission Summary. You can view your FAFSA Submission Summary by logging in to your FAFSA form and selecting “View FAFSA Submission Summary” from the My FAFSA page.

Award Amounts Based on Your Student Aid Index


Based on your Student Aid Index (SAI), determined by your FAFSA, you can receive the following GO-TESU benefits. Award amounts are based on the amount of credits you are registered for in a semester. 3 credits is ¼ time, 6 credits is ½ time, and 9 credits is ¾ time.

SAI ¼ Time Semester Award ½ Time Semester Award ¾ Time Semester Award
0 – 1500 $976 $1,954 $2,564
1501 – 2500 $766 $1,532 $2,298
2501 – 3500 $649 $1,298 $1,947
3501 – 4500 $537 $1,074 $1,611
4501 – 5500 $445 $890 $1,335
5501 – 6500 $299 $599 $899

Students are required to meet satisfactory academic progress and course engagement standards in order for the GO-TESU award to be applied.

Please contact Lyrisa Copson, Associate Director of Financial Aid, with any questions at lcopson@tesu.edu.

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When I asked TESU to support me with the funds I needed to select at least 12 credits after being unemployed due to being laid off, I never expected such a wonderful outcome. Getting the GO-TESU scholarship completely changed my journey because I was not only able to cover all fees that incur for my credits, but also use the extra income to buy the books I needed to complete them."

Crismery Gomez

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This scholarship had such an impact on my financial well-being. It helped me pay back money on credit cards that I used for books and to purchase a new, well-functioning laptop to complete my schoolwork."

Alysha Lefler

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The GO-TESU scholarship will aid in my journey to obtaining my degree in science to become a nurse and follow my dreams of helping those in need. Because of the scholarship I will be able to afford books that financial aid can’t cover."

Bianca Day

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The GO-TESU scholarship has helped me and my husband to accomplish our dream of going back to school and continuing our education."

Divya Grace Thomas

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The GO-TESU scholarship helps me pay my educational and living expenses while pursuing an undergraduate degree at the University, which reduces the amount of money I must borrow using student loans."

Stephen Shamy