Great Things to Know about Rutgers

Committed to Academic Excellence, Building 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.

67,200
Students at Rutgers
150+
Undergraduate Majors
400+
Graduate Programs
25,000+
Classes Taught Annually

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.

Need-based financial aid and emergency assistance is supported by more than $14 million in donations, part of the broader Scarlet Promise Initiative.

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.

Thirty-four percent of Rutgers undergraduates are first-generation college students. 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.

Leading the Way in Upward Social Mobility

  • 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—Washington Monthly College Guide
  • Rutgers–Camden: #32 in the Nation for Social Mobility—Washington Monthly College Guide
Decorated mortarboard at commencement

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

A group of graduating Rutgers students

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 Scarlet Service program—a presidential program designed to improve our democracy and advance the common good. Participating Rutgers students receive paid public service internships.

President Jonathan Holloway poses with students at the Rutgers Summer Service Internship Initiative launch event on May 19, 2022

Overview of Rutgers Scarlet Service

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.

$929.3 Million
Research Grants & Sponsored Programs
Top 100
World's Most Innovative Universities
1,000+
Companies Engaged in Research with Rutgers
300+
Centers and Institutes

Additional Solar Canopies Help Rutgers Go Green

The Office of Climate Action works to achieve carbon neutrality at Rutgers by 2040. One way Rutgers is working toward that goal is through an expansion of solar power on the Rutgers campuses. The latest solar-power-generation canopies being installed in campus parking lots across Rutgers will generate 14.5 megawatts of power and help Rutgers reduce its output of planet-warming gases

More Ways to Engage

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Web version content current as of September 15, 2022, with updates June 2023

Cover of Great Things to Know about Rutgers Brochure