EOF Eligibility Requirements and Candidate Selection Process
New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF)
EOF Eligibility Requirements and Candidate Selection Process
The New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) provides financial assistance and support services (e.g. counseling, tutoring, and developmental coursework) to students from educationally and economically disadvantaged backgrounds who attend participating institutions of higher education in the State of New Jersey.
Selection for this program is not guaranteed and depends on a combination of financial, academic, and institutional factors (including limited space availability), as EOF enrollment goals vary across the multiple but distinct undergraduate schools within the Rutgers system.
Financial eligibility is based on documented, verifiable income and assets. Specifically, you and your family’s income and assets must fall within the financial criteria shown on the scale below.
EOF Income Eligibility Scale with Asset Cap Calculation 2023-2024
In addition to meeting the financial criteria, candidates for EOF must also meet the following requirements:
- Demonstrate an educationally and economically disadvantaged background
- Be a New Jersey resident for at least 12 consecutive months prior to first semester of Rutgers enrollment
- Apply to Rutgers and meet academic criteria set by the Rutgers school you plan to attend
- Graduate from high school or receive the equivalent of a high school diploma by the time you register at Rutgers
- File a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the New Jersey Alternative Financial Aid Application (NJAFAA)
- Your gross income and assets (for independent students) or your family's (for dependent students) must fall within the limits on the adjacent scale
EOF provides access to higher education for students from families/communities disadvantaged by low income and lack of access to quality educational preparation necessary to attend college. Candidates may be withdrawn from EOF consideration if they do not demonstrate educational disadvantage.
Candidates may be determined ineligible and/or not referred for EOF program consideration if they do not meet both the financial and the academic criteria for EOF admission in the context of institutional goals specific to the school at Rutgers to which they are applying.
The Admissions Profile indicates the academic profile of admitted students; the approximate SAT and ACT score ranges and grade-point averages for the middle 50% of high school students regularly admitted to Rutgers for fall 2023.
Please note: "Middle 50%" means that 25% of regularly admitted first-year students exceeded these ranges and 25% had scores and grade-point averages below these ranges. Rutgers conducts a holistic review of each student's application that takes into consideration many factors beyond test scores and cumulative grade-point average.
