Nomination and Application Process – Application Deadline January, 8 2024
Thank you for submitting outstanding applicants over the years and welcome to those of you who are new to the New Jersey Scholars Program (NJSP). NJSP’s mission is to “provide New Jersey’s rising high school seniors of extraordinary demonstrated academic potential with a free, ungraded, diverse, inclusive, and residential interdisciplinary learning environment that sharpens critical thinking, writing, and research skills, stimulates a desire for life-long learning, and fosters lasting interpersonal connections.”
The program requires students to claim residency as well as attend high school in New Jersey and complete their junior year in June of 2024. The Program is tuition free – there is no fee to the student other than personal expenses – and it is funded by private contributions. Scholars approach the Program’s theme in an interdisciplinary fashion.
We allow 2 nominations per school and all applicants must be nominated by their School Counselor or school designated Nominating Official. We do not accept nominations from parents or friends. If you are a School Counselor and would like to receive our Nomination and Application email please send us an email at – njsp@njsp.lawrenceville.org.
School counselors are to complete the online nomination form. Nominee(s) will not receive the application from NJSP unless this form is complete. A confirmation email is sent to the School Counselor upon completion of the online form along with the application email that is sent to the nominee. If your nominee does not immediately receive the application email, please contact njsp@lawrenceville.org to rectify. We ask that a personal email address is used in lieu of a school email address as some school will reject outside communications.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to complete all parts of the application including: 1) registration information, 2) summary of activities, 3) four short essays, 4) research paper sample and 5) two letters of recommendation (this can be a coordinated effort).
We will notify applicants about their application status by late February. Those selected as finalists, are invited to attend our Finalist Interviews. Each Finalist will take part in a group interview with at least five other Finalists.
We will notify all Finalists of the Selection Committee’s decision by early April 2024. Throughout the process, we will inform School Counselors concerning the status of their applicant(s). Accepted applicants must be prepared to commit fully to the Program by attending the full five-weeks, no exceptions will be made for personal commitments.
A crucial part of the magic of the NJSP derives from the fact that the Scholars live together for five weeks in one dormitory with each gender residing on separate floors. Together they help each other rise to the challenges posed by NJSP. The camaraderie that develops is extraordinary. With their resident housemaster and assistant housemasters, the Scholars learn to live together, learn together, and laugh together. A theme-related field trip as well as Fourth of July cookout and group trip to a community pool, a food festival that showcases the cultural diversity of the Scholars, and arts festival that highlights the tremendous talents of all class members, offer additional opportunities for growth, learning, and fun. The program ends with a graduation ceremony to which all parents and families are invited. All-in-all, the New Jersey Scholars Program offers an extraordinary experience.