New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education

08/28/2026

Officially, Secretary Margo Chaly🎓

Sworn in by Justice Noriega, Secretary Chaly continues her chapter of leadership under the Sherrill Administration as New Jersey’s first Latina Secretary of Higher Education, with a vision to ensure our colleges and universities continue expanding opportunity for residents and creating pathways to successful futures.

As she shared with state leaders during her confirmation process, higher education is about preparing New Jerseyans for careers and empowering economic mobility while uplifting the communities, ideas and innovations that drive our collective progress.

We are ready for the work ahead.

08/24/2026

Make the most of your college experience! Recent New Jersey graduate Zaa’min Jones shares his advice.

An Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) scholar from Saint Elizabeth University, participant of the Newark Guaranteed Education Program and former New Jersey Student Mental Health Ambassador, Zaa’min spoke with us earlier this year to share some insight with those coming up behind him. For Zaa’min, the professors and mentors in his academic community helped him to realize his potential.

08/18/2026

Don’t wait! New Jersey employers are accepting applications now for paid fall 2026 internships made possible by our Career Accelerator Internship Grant Program. Get work experience in a professional setting.

Visit our internship listings page to find an opportunity that fits your career goals and learn how to apply today!

Browse paid internship openings across New Jersey through the Career Accelerator Internship Grant Program (CAIGP).

08/13/2026

Over 60 high-achieving, rising high school seniors from across New Jersey participated in the tuition-free Governor’s School of Engineering & Technology program at Rutgers University this summer.

Acting Secretary of Higher Education Chaly joined the scholars for a panel discussion with New Jersey’s Chief Innovation Officer Dave Cole and Commissioner of Health Dr. Raynard E. Washington to offer a view into the ways engineering and science intersect with public service and policy.

Cultivating curiosity across disciplines is key to equipping young people to think critically about the world around them, understand the broader impact their work can have and to engage thoughtfully in the civic and technological challenges ahead.

Photographs courtesy of Rutgers University

08/11/2026

New Jersey just took major steps to protect kids online and support youth mental health.

A new package of online safety measures has been enacted by Governor Sherrill to strengthen safeguards for children, address harmful features on social platforms, and advance independent research on the impacts of social media.

To support this work, our office released a notice of funding opportunity to establish a Social Media Research Center at one of our four‑year public institutions. The Center will study emerging risks, addictive design features, and ways to reduce negative impacts on young people.

07/30/2026

Happy National Intern Day!

From cutting‑edge innovation to vital community organizations and small businesses, interns are making an impact across New Jersey this summer.

And with NJ OSHE’s Career Accelerator Internship Grant Program, we’re helping NJ-based employers provide paid, career-connected learning experiences for college students & recent grads in a wide diversity of fields.

Check out what some of them are up to!

07/23/2026

New Jersey invested nearly $400 million in 2023 to help modernize higher education facilities statewide and expand access to high‑quality spaces for our college learners.

As part of this effort, Montclair State University received grant funding to support its construction of a new Interdisciplinary Science Building that will help to meet the growing demand for diverse science and health talent.

This week, OSHE Assistant Secretary and CFO Angela Bethea joined the university for its groundbreaking on the project, which will bring state-of-the-art teaching and research labs for expanded chemistry, physics and interdisciplinary science programs, a large flexible event space, technology-driven classrooms, faculty workspaces, student lounges and huddle spaces to the campus beginning in the 2028–29 academic year.

Photos courtesy of Montclair State University

07/16/2026

To ensure New Jersey college students have consistent access to mental health support, the Sherrill Administration is continuing its investment in free, unlimited teletherapy and on-demand wellness programming for the 2026-27 academic year.

Offered in partnership with Uwill, the program reaches students across 45 participating colleges and universities statewide. Since April 2023, it has delivered over 100,000 therapy sessions to more than 23,000 students, making it one of the most far-reaching college mental health investments in the nation.

Read more:
bit.ly/NJMentalHealthPartnership

07/14/2026

Mentors are a big part of the GEAR UP support system, which helps students from low‑income and first‑generation backgrounds get college ready.
 
At our annual Mentor Training Day, we equip mentors with the skills and confidence to guide middle and high school students through summer programs and the academic year, making sure they have what they need to thrive.
 
Read more about the day by visiting our site. Link in bio.

07/07/2026

To grow the pipeline of aerospace professionals from New Jersey, primarily in civil aviation fields, and address a deepening national shortage of certified air traffic controllers, three public institutions have received a total of $3.5 million in grant funding.

Atlantic Cape Community College and Kean University were awarded $1.5 million, while Warren County Community College was awarded $500,000. With the funding, they will build out aviation and aerospace programming, and help accelerate the path into on-the-job training.

Read the press release:
bit.ly/NJ-ATC-Grant