About Rutgers
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, stands among America’s highest-ranked, most diverse public research universities. The oldest, largest, and top-ranked public university in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, you’ll find us at our main locations in three New Jersey cities, and our footprint can be seen around the region. We’re an academic, health, and research powerhouse and a university of opportunity.
What Makes Rutgers Excellent
Standing among the nation's leading research universities, Rutgers is acclaimed for the excellent achievements of our people and for their contributions to society in the pursuit of education, research, and health care.
By the Numbers
Public university in New Jersey
U.S. News & World Report
Undergraduate and graduate students
Alumni around the world
Research grants and sponsored programs
FY 2025
As one of the leading comprehensive public research universities in the nation, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, has the threefold mission of:
A Big Ten University
Rutgers' membership in the Big Ten Conference is about more than athletics. It unlocks exclusive opportunities for every campus community. The Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA), the athletic league's academic counterpart, is the nation’s leading model for effective collaboration among top-tier research universities, conducting over $10 billion in funded research annually. Rutgers is proud to be a member of this prestigious group.
Big Ten Academics
As a member of the BTAA, Rutgers is part of a distinguished group of world-class universities across the nation. BTAA schools combine their unique strengths to advance academic missions and create unique opportunities for each campus community. Since joining the Big Ten in 2012, Rutgers' academic rankings and reputation have consistently increased, boosting the university's degree programs and opening doors to the brightest students and faculty.
Big Ten Athletics
Rutgers Scarlet Knights proudly compete in the Big Ten athletic conference at the NCAA Division I level for men's and women's sports. Our teams consistently deliver thrilling and exciting performances throughout the season against top tier competition.
Big Ten Research
Rutgers stands as a national leader in research and innovation, fueled by nearly $1 billion in research investments annually. Every day, we accelerate solutions that safeguard our land and oceans, advance health care, and modernize infrastructure and agriculture. Together, Big Ten universities conduct over $10 billion in funded research annually, promoting greater strategic engagement across the research enterprise and leveraging the significant resources and facilities of member institutions.
Teaching, Research, and Service
As The State University of New Jersey, a leading national public research university and New Jersey’s top academic health care provider, Rutgers fulfills its mission to provide learning, discovery, innovation, service, and health care at the highest levels.
Collectively, our schools and colleges offer the greatest variety of majors and degree programs in New Jersey, and many rank No. 1 among the public schools and colleges in the state.
Unrivaled in New Jersey, our research grants and sponsored programs top $990 million annually. Our 300 research centers and institutes—New Jersey’s largest research network—generate innovations and new ways of thinking that impact the world.
Rutgers Health and RWJBarnabas Health form New Jersey’s largest academic health system. What’s special about academic health care? It means we train tomorrow’s leading health care professionals.
Valued partners locally and globally, Rutgers thinkers conceptualize and implement services and solutions that help individuals and local, national, and global communities thrive.
The achievements of our award-winning faculty drive Rutgers’ world-class reputation. They teach, discover, provide health care, innovate, mentor, and share their knowledge. Leaders in their fields, their everyday endeavors yield brilliant outcomes.
Rutgers is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), a voluntary, nongovernmental, peer-based membership association dedicated to promoting standards of excellence and improvement in higher education. Our programs and schools also have accreditation from recognized professional agencies.
As one of the nation’s largest, highest-ranked, and most accessible universities, Rutgers draws strength from the rich variety of perspectives and life experiences of our community members.
Rutgers Values
The Rutgers community embraces and upholds the fundamental values that define the university: academic excellence that's both accessible and affordable; building a community where every single member of the university has a voice; and serving the common good while making a meaningful difference in the world.
Access to Academic Excellence
Rutgers is committed to driving inclusive access for students, with an aspiration to be the national model for outstanding academic programs, social mobility, and educational equity with purposeful and timely degree completion, career preparation, and lifelong learning.
Building Community
Rutgers endeavors to instill in our students a commitment to community through service and experiences that contribute to a greater understanding of themselves and others, support their whole person while students at Rutgers, and provide meaningful engagement post-graduation.
Commitment to the Common Good
Rutgers believes that the work we do through the excellence of our health systems, scholarly research, and outreach programs propels the creation, sharing, and application of knowledge, and our collaborations with local and global partners address societal challenges and improve the lives of people in New Jersey and beyond.
Yesterday and Today
Sol Iustitiae et Occidentem Illustra: The university’s motto, “Sun of righteousness, shine upon the West also,” is today interpreted as a request for the enlightenment of learning to shine equally upon the New World. Learn more about the university's dynamic evolution and visionary leadership.
Our story begins in 1766, a decade before the American Revolution. Our nation’s history is our history. Through social, economic, and technological revolutions, Rutgers continues to thrive and to seize the opportunities that arise with each new generation.
Our academic, administrative, and health care units work in collaboration, giving structure and logic to our comprehensive university.
Working together, Rutgers' executive leadership, governing boards, faculty, and administrators keep Rutgers vibrant and relevant.