Resources for Parents

Dear Parent, Guardian, Family Member, or Friend of a Future Red Hawk:

What a time it has been. Through disruptions, challenges and obstacles beyond anyone’s wildest imagination, we’ve come out on the other side and (hopefully) brighter days are ahead.

A record-breaking 3,500+ first-year students from 32 states and 11 countries have enrolled at Montclair State this fall. These new Red Hawks are resilient student scholars with hopes, dreams and aspirations as diverse as their backgrounds and academic interests. I am so looking forward to seeing what they accomplish.

We know much work remains to be done to close the access gap that widened during the pandemic. We’re dedicated to addressing this multifaceted issue. Some of our new initiatives include:

• Expanding merit and financial aid. We are implementing a broader merit-based scholarship program that aims to increase the total number of students we are able to offer merit aid to each fall starting with fall 2022. We have also committed, as a university, to bridging the Garden State Guarantee for New Jersey residents to provide a 50% reduction in tuition for families making $65,001 – $80,000 annually during their third and fourth years of enrollment. The Garden State Guarantee provides free tuition for families making $65,000 or less during their student’s third and fourth year. These steps are in line with our mission to provide a high value and affordable education to our students.
• Simplifying the application process. We’re actively working on ways to make sure the application process isn’t a barrier for students to enroll. We’ve developed a more intuitive process for Educational Opportunity Fund applicants, too.
• Increasing access to learn about and connect with us. We’re expanding access to our admission materials by implementing a customized digital viewbook that can be accessed anywhere, anytime. Make yours today at montclair.edu/4. We’ve increased the number of Open Houses, information sessions and Saturday tour offerings to accommodate increased visit requests post-pandemic. We’ve also created a robust self-guided tour option, so working families can visit our campus whenever it is convenient for them.

In addition, Montclair State dedicated more than $3 million in pandemic-relief money from the federal government to the summer programs, including the college-path institutes and Summer Bridge Program classes for incoming college students.

We’re excited to be returning to in-person high school visits and college fairs this year and can’t wait to meet your students, but we’re not just speaking to them. This Spring, we invite you to join us for one of our upcoming virtual events for parents and guardians in English or Spanish. You’re invited to view our beautiful campus, learn how we support students inside and outside of the classroom, how to understand financial aid packages and more. To register, visit apply.montclair.edu/portal/parents.

Sincerely,

Jordanna Maziarz
Director, Undergraduate Admissions

Montclair State’s restart plan will guide every aspect of how we operate, from safeguards, to academics, to campus life, housing, dining, transportation and more. Review the detailed plan now on our Red Hawk Restart website. 

If I plan to live on campus in the fall but the COVID-19 emergency prevents me from moving in, will my housing deposit be refunded?

No official decisions have been made that would negatively affect students’ ability to live on campus next fall, so there is not yet a policy on refunding the non-refundable housing deposit. However, this year, when students were asked to move off campus due to the emergency, they were able to make a choice between receiving a prorated refund for housing costs or having a credit applied to their housing bill for next year. We will share any new developments with you as soon as they arise.

I submitted my admissions deposit, but now I don’t know if I will be able to attend in the fall. Can my deposit be refunded?

While the admissions and housing deposits are nonrefundable, we understand that these are challenging times. Before you decide to cancel your enrollment, remember that we’re here to help if we can! Schedule a telecounseling appointment with an admissions counselor to review your situation and consider your next steps. Sign up for a telecounseling appointment today!

Each request for a deposit refund is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. We try to offer as much flexibility as possible to students and their families. If you’d like to request a deposit refund, email Jeff Gant, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, at askthedirector@montclair.edu.

I want to defer my enrollment for a later semester. How can I do that? If I earned a merit scholarship, will I keep it if I defer my enrollment?

Students may defer their enrollment for a semester or a year without having to reapply for admission. To do so, please email us at msuadm@montclair.edu. When you defer your admission, we assume that nothing about your academic record is changing. If you enroll elsewhere during your deferral period, you must reapply as a transfer student. If you had any outstanding application materials–like a final high school transcript– at the time you submitted your deferral request, you must still submit them before you will be able to enroll.

As long as you do not enroll elsewhere during your deferral period, your Presidential Scholarship or National Student Scholarship will be deferred as well.

I have other questions about financial aid, billing or registration. Who can I talk to?

A one-stop resource for any questions you may have about paying for college, navigating our systems or planning for the fall, is Red Hawk Central. Please reach out to them for additional support at redhawkcentral@montclair.edu or 973-655-7600

When can I visit campus?

Unfortunately, all University-sponsored in-person visit programs are on hold for now as we follow the Governor’s directives on closures and social distancing. Rest assured, though, that we want you to see Montclair State for yourself! Once it is safe to host guests on campus again, you’ll be the first to know. In the meantime, we’ve put together a number of ways for you to get to know Montclair State virtually, including a virtual tour and an interactive campus map.