Need-based financial aid and emergency assistance is supported by more than $14 million in donations, part of the broader Scarlet Promise Initiative.
Great Things to Know about Rutgers
Committed to Access and Academic Excellence, a Beloved Community, and the Common Good
We Make Great Things Happen
Explore the Great Things to Know about Rutgers and discover what makes Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, a distinctive and highly respected institution in the Garden State, the nation, and across the globe. Here you'll find facts, figures, videos, stories, and more that convey Rutgers' reach and impact. Along the way, you'll meet some of the standout Rutgers people in our beloved community who strive to improve the world in the ways that matter most.
Serving the World, New Jersey, and You
Rutgers is a top national research university and New Jersey’s preeminent public institution of higher education. An academic, health, and research powerhouse, Rutgers is a university of academic excellence and opportunity—a changemaker for the common good.
A Beloved Community Learning Together
Rutgers students come from 120+ countries, all 50 states, and all 21 New Jersey counties.
Committed to Access: A Great Educational Value
The typical first-year, in-state Rutgers student paid less than 50 percent of the published tuition rate during academic year 2020–2021, through a combination of substantial financial aid from the university, with qualifying state and federal aid programs. Here are some of our signature programs that provide access to life-changing education.
The program is a national model for educational access, providing academically promising students of modest means from five New Jersey towns with mentoring beginning in 7th grade. Successful participants who earn admission to Rutgers attend with full tuition through grants and scholarships.
Income-based financial aid helps cover in-state tuition and fees and reduces student debt.
• Bridging the Gap at Rutgers–Camden
• RU-N to the Top at Rutgers–Newark
• Scarlet Guarantee at Rutgers–New Brunswick
Thirty-four percent of first-year Rutgers students are first-generation college undergraduates. In honor of National First-Generation College Celebration Day, Rutgers asked students to share their stories about what it means to be the first in their families to go to college. Read what they had to say.
- Rutgers–New Brunswick: #1 in the Big Ten for Social Mobility—U.S. News & World Report
- Rutgers–Newark: Top 10 in the Nation for Social Mobility—U.S. News & World Report and Washington Monthly College Guide
- Rutgers–Camden: #20 in the Nation for Social Mobility—Washington Monthly College Guide

Recent Grads on Their Way
A sampling of where recent grads are beginning their professional lives or furthering their education.
Hired By: Apple • Bloomberg • Bristol Myers Squibb • CNN • Deloitte • Facebook • General Motors • Goldman Sachs • Google • IBM • Intel • Johnson & Johnson • Lockheed Martin • L'Oréal • Merck • Microsoft • Prudential Financial • U.S. House of Representatives
Grad Schools: Columbia • Harvard • Johns Hopkins • MIT • NYU • Princeton • Rutgers • Stanford • University of Michigan • University of Oxford • University of Pennsylvania • Yale

Service to Strengthen Our Democracy
Learning at Rutgers takes place in our classrooms, laboratories, studios, and clinical practices and in the field. Our new standout field experience is the Rutgers Summer Service Internship program—a presidential initiative designed to improve our democracy and advance the common good. Participating Rutgers students receive paid public service internships.

Overview of RSSI
A Research Juggernaut
Rutgers is deeply-rooted in a culture of research, innovation, and collaboration with endeavors that transform lives, improve communities, and advance the common good.
#1 in R&D
Rutgers devoted $720 million to research and development in FY 2020, expending more in R&D than all other New Jersey universities and colleges combined, according to the latest National Science Foundation data. Our research endeavors lead to solutions, insights, and economic impact.
Research with Economic Impact
- 1,197 active patents (FY 2022)
- 94 active startups (FY 2022)
- 1,240 active technologies to license and market (FY 2022)

More Ways to Engage
Download the Companion Great Things Brochure
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Content current as of September 15, 2022
