FAFSA deadline for eligible New Jersey college students extended until June 1

The FAFSA deadline for eligible New Jersey college students to apply for a renewal of state tuition aid ahead of the 2020-21 school year through the state’s Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (NJHESAA) has been extended from April 15 until June 1, Gov. Phil Murphy announced during his daily briefing on the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday.

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The announcement is the latest in a series of initiatives rolled out by the state to help individuals stay afloat during the COVID-19 outbreak across New Jersey. The 2019-20 school year for New Jersey college students has been put on pause since Murphy ordered all schools across the state to close by March 18.

Murphy said last week that all New Jersey schools will remain closed until at least April 17 and that a decision to reopen institutions will not be revisited anytime sooner. He also reiterated that any decision to reopen schools will solely be his.

Murphy also announced during his daily update on Wednesday that the application for one of the state’s programs to help keep small businesses afloat during the crisis will open at 9:00 a.m. on Friday and can be found and completed here.

The application is specifically for the state’s Small Business Emergency Assistance Grant Program, which will provide grants of up to $5,000 to small businesses across various industries in order to stabilize their operations and reduce the need for layoffs for furloughs. 

In the wake of Murphy’s executive order to shut down all non-essential business across the state to mitigate the spread of the virus, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) approved $75 million in financial support aimed at helping small and mid-size businesses affected by the crisis. That funding could grow to more than $100 million if additional resources from the private sector, or federal and state governments, become available. 

Among the other programs approved: A zero-interest loan program for midsize companies, additional support for private-sector leaders, increased funding for entrepreneurs, and resources for providing more technical support and marketplace info.

The programs are expected to help out 3,000-5,000 businesses across the state.

New Jersey has 22,255 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the second-most of any state, and 355 deaths due to COVID-19 as of Wednesday afternoon. While the vast majority of cases have appeared in North Jersey, 801 positive cases of the virus have popped up in South Jersey.

Camden County has 289 cases, Burlington County has 255 cases, Gloucester County has 149 cases, Atlantic County has 40 cases, Cumberland County has 27 cases, Cape May County has 22 cases, and Salem County has 19 cases.