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NJ Transit Extends Discount Program To Part-Time Students

Part-time college students rejoice! NJ Transit is now expanding its Student Pass to now include eligible part-time students in their new pilot program, the agency announced Tuesday (Jan. 17). The…

Looming Threat Of New Jersey Transit Strike Could Cripple Commute Into Manhattan For Tens Of Thousands

NEWARK, NJ – MARCH 08: A NJ Transit train arrives into the station as a strike looms on one of the nations most popular commuter lines on March 9, 2016 in Newark, New Jersey. The employee unions, which have been without a contract since 2011, are threatening to strike , will resume talks with management on Thursday while a strike could take place as early as Monday morning.

(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Part-time college students rejoice! NJ Transit is now expanding its Student Pass to now include eligible part-time students in their new pilot program, the agency announced Tuesday (Jan. 17).

The discounted passes will be available starting in February, ahead of the 2023 Spring semester for the bus, train, and light rail riders. Students who wish to be eligible for the discount must be taking at least two courses at a participating college or university. The student pass fare gives riders a 25-percent discount off the already discounted monthly pass. The discounted fare can be purchased through the NJ Transit mobile app. Only students enrolled at participating universities and colleges can receive the discount. Take a look at the list of eligible schools here.

In addition to the newly expanded Student Pass, all qualifying students are also eligible for the "Buy 3 Months, Get 1 Month Free" promotion for college students traveling to and from campus, NJ Transit stated.

Below is the "Buy 3 Months, Get 1 Month Free" promotion information per NJ Transit:

ā€œTo qualify for the Buy 3 Months, Get 1 Month Free promotion, a student at a partner college or university must buy a student monthly pass via the NJ Transit mobile app for three consecutive months: February, March and April of 2023. When the student completes the qualifying purchases in February, March, and April, they will receive a Student Pass equal to the lowest-price purchase made in the previous three months and valid for transportation in May 2023. For a student to be eligible, a school must offer Student Pass registration via their website and verify a student’s eligibility each semester. The student must purchase their Student Pass using their school credentials on the NJ Transit Mobile App. Once verified, Student Pass will appear each month as a ticket option during NJ Transit’s customary monthly pass purchase period, beginning at the 19th of the preceding month through the 10th of the travel month. After the third qualifying purchase, a free monthly pass good for the month of May 2023 will be available for students who have purchased monthly passes for February, March, and April. This free pass is non-refundable, non-transferrable and will not include travel to/from SEPTA, Metro-North stations or Newark Liberty International Airport.ā€

NJ Transit also offers plans for students who need a more flexible transportation option:

Flexpass – "College students needing more flexibility in their commute may choose Flexpass as their best option. Flexpass offers customers 20 one-way trips at a 20-percent discount off full-fare tickets. Learn more at njtransit.com/flexpass."

Student Tickets – "Full and part-time college students attending NJ Transit-accredited post-secondary schools, colleges, and universities can complete an application to purchase a rail monthly pass at a 25-percent discount from rail ticket offices. Applications must be verified by the respective school/college. This offer is available only for a rail pass."

"As NJ Transit ridership continues to grow, we are doing everything we can in our power to continue incentivizing transit use," president and CEO Kevin Corbett said in a statement per the NJ Patch.

"College students using transit today will hopefully become tomorrow’s commuters," Corbett concluded.

New Jersey is known for having several high-ranking public school systems and it doesn't stop at the collegiate level. Choosing where you want to go to college is not an easy decision and you have to weigh a lot of options to make sure your time and money are well spent. Besides making sure the college has your desired major and minor, tuition, class size, internship opportunities, and the school's reputation are just some of the choices to consider. With that in mind, picking an institution that is high ranking comes with many sacrifices. That being said, attending a prestigious college is not an easy feat but is possible.

Niche, a ranking and review website, used several criteria, including acceptance rates, standardized test scores and other factors to determine the order of the list. This is why some schools on the list have the same acceptance rate but have different ranking placements on the list.

According to Niche, one New Jersey school in particular ranks superior amongst the 48 colleges and universities in the Garden State and No. 3 overall for institutions across the country. New Jersey's very own Princeton University ranks No. 3 out of Niche's list of 50 hardest colleges to get accepted into in the United States. Princeton University has a 6% acceptance rate and is known for their excellent programs in chemistry, economics, computer science and public policy. Niche ranked Princeton A+ for Academics, A+ for Diversity, B+ for Athletics, A for Campus Grounds, B+ for the Party Scene and A+ for Value.

According to the Princeton's official website, for the 2021-2022 academic year tuition for undergraduate programs are $56,010 a year. The institution also recently announced a groundbreaking financial aid policy so that most families who make under $100,000 a year will be able to send their child to Princeton for no cost.

Notable alumni from Princeton are former first lady Michelle Obama, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson.

Take a look at the top 10 colleges that are the hardest to get into in the United States below:

10. Brown University

Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, has an 8% acceptance rate.

University Scorecard:

Academics: A+
Diversity: A+
Athletics: B
Value: A+
Campus:A
Party Scene: A-

9. Duke University

Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina, has an 8% acceptance rate.

University Scorecard:

Academics: A+
Diversity: A+
Athletics: A+
Value: A+
Campus:A
Party Scene: A

8. Columbia University

New York City's Columbia University has a 7% acceptance rate.

University Scorecard:

Academics: A+
Diversity: A+
Athletics: B-
Value: A+
Campus:A
Party Scene: A-

7. University of Chicago

The University of Chicago located in Chicago, Illinois has a 7% acceptance rate.

University Scorecard:

Academics: A+
Diversity: A+
Athletics: C
Value: A+
Campus:A-
Party Scene: B

6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has a 7% acceptance rate.

University Scorecard:

Academics: A+
Diversity: A+
Athletics: B-
Value: A+
Campus:A-
Party Scene: A

5. Yale University

Yale University located in Hartford, Connecticut has a 7% acceptance rate.

University Scorecard:

Academics: A+
Diversity: A+
Athletics: A-
Value: A+
Campus:A
Party Scene: A+

4. California Institute of Technology

Cal Tech is located in Pasadena, California, and has a 7% acceptance rate.

University Scorecard:

Academics: A+
Diversity: A
Athletics: C+
Value: A+
Campus:B
Party Scene: B

3. Princeton University

Princeton University has a 6% acceptance rate and is located in Princeton, New Jersey.

University Scorecard:

Academics: A+
Diversity: A+
Athletics: B+
Value: A+
Campus:A
Party Scene: B+

2. Stanford University

Stanford University has a 5% acceptance rate and is located in Stanford, California.

University Scorecard:

Academics: A+
Diversity: A+
Athletics: A+
Value: A+
Campus:A
Party Scene: B+

1. Harvard University

Harvard University tops the list with its 5% acceptance rate. The prestigious university is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

University Scorecard:

Academics: A+
Diversity: A+
Athletics: A-
Value: A+
Campus:A
Party Scene: A-

Autumn Hawkins is the National Hip-Hop and R&B writer for Beasley Media, currently residing in New Jersey. Prior to working at Beasley Media, she was in broadcast news as an entertainment producer. When she's not impatiently waiting for BeyoncƩ to drop new music, she is reading, shopping, or planning a vacation.