Rutgers University | A complete guide

Rutgers University | An academic and research powerhouse

Rutgers University (The State University of New Jersey) is one of America’s most prestigious and diverse public research universities. It is the oldest, largest, and highest-ranked public university in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, with main campuses in three New Jersey cities and a presence throughout the region.

It is a university of opportunity and an academic, health, and research powerhouse.

Rutgers commits to excellence in teaching, groundbreaking research, and providing services, solutions, and clinical care that benefit individuals and the local, national, and global communities in which they live.

Rutgers University | An Overview 

Rutgers is one of the nation’s leading comprehensive public research universities with three missions.

• Providing for the educational needs of New Jersey residents through undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs
• Conducting innovative research that contributes to the state’s medical, environmental, social, and cultural well-being, as well as assisting the economy and the state’s businesses and industries
• Performing public service to support the needs of the state’s residents and its local, county, and state governments.

The old name of Rutgers was Queen’s College, and it had an affiliation with the Dutch Reformed Church. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States, the second-oldest in New Jersey (after Princeton University), and one of nine colonial colleges in the United States founded before the American Revolution.

Queen’s College was renamed Rutgers College in 1825 in honor of Colonel Henry Rutgers, whose significant gift to the school had stabilized its finances during a period of uncertainty.

Rutgers was a private liberal arts college for most of its history. Still, it has since evolved into a coeducational public research university after being designated The State University of New Jersey by the New Jersey Legislature through laws passed in 1945 and 1956.

9,000 faculty members teach over 45,000 undergraduate and over 20,000 graduate and professional students in 175 academic departments. The university is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Big Ten Academic Alliance and the Association of American Universities.

Campus

Rutgers University-New Brunswick (including grounds in nearby Piscataway), Rutgers University-Newark, Rutgers University-Camden, and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences are the university’s four distinct campuses. The university has other facilities throughout the state, including oceanographic research facilities on the New Jersey coast. These campuses house 33 degree-granting schools and colleges that offer undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. The university is centrally administered from New Brunswick, but chancellors at the Newark and Camden campuses have significant academic autonomy.

Rutgers in New Brunswick

The New Brunswick Campus (or Rutgers-New Brunswick) is Rutgers’ largest campus and birthplace. Primarily located in the City of New Brunswick and adjacent Piscataway in Middlesex County, New Jersey, it comprises five smaller campuses and a few buildings in downtown New Brunswick. The historic College Avenue Campus lies near downtown New Brunswick. It includes the university’s seat, Old Queens, and other nineteenth and early twentieth-century buildings that comprise the Queen’s Campus and Voorhees Mall. Its proximity to the train station and numerous food vendors in downtown New Brunswick, as well as a large amount of off-campus housing and fraternity and sorority houses, make it a popular weekend destination.

Rutgers in Newark

Newark College of Arts and Sciences, University College, School of Criminal Justice, Graduate School, School of Nursing, School of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers Business School, and the Newark location of the Rutgers Law School comprise the Newark Campus (or Rutgers-Newark). The Newark campus has 7,666 undergraduates and 4,345 graduate students enrolled as of 2012.

In 1945, the campus got its new name, Rutgers-Newark, from the University of Newark.

Rutgers in Camden

Camden College of Arts and Sciences, University College, Graduate School, Rutgers School of Business – Camden, Rutgers School of Nursing – Camden, and the Camden location of the Rutgers Law School are all part of the Camden Campus (or Rutgers-Camden). Camden’s Cooper’s Grant and Central Waterfront neighborhoods are home to the schools. The Camden campus has 4,708 undergraduates and 1,635 graduate students enrolled as of 2012. Founded in the 1920s, the campus was the College of South Jersey and South Jersey Law School, and it became a part of Rutgers in 1950.

Courses

Rutgers has a highly regarded Graduate School of Education among its graduate offerings. The university also has one of the highest numbers of doctorate degrees awarded annually among US universities. Rutgers is a public research university home to institutions like the Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, where students can take hands-on science classes and work on community projects.

Popular programs

Business and Management 

• Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration
• Bachelor of Science in Labor and Employment Relations

Life Sciences and Medicine 

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing

School of Environmental and Biological Sciences 

• Agriculture and Food Systems
• Animal Science
• Biochemistry
• Biological Sciences

Others 

• Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration
• Bachelor of Science in Labor and Employment Relations

Rankings

• QS World University Rankings- 267
• QS WUR Ranking by Subject- 99
• Graduate Employability Ranking- 301-500
• US UNI (universities)- 42

Alumni

The university has more than 140 alumni groups in the United States and worldwide. Many have graduated from the university and are notable people in various fields, including Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2008 winner Junot Diaz, FBI Director Louis Freeh, and ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen.

Key takeaways

• Rutgers University is the most prestigious and diverse public research university in the USA. Rutgers is the oldest, largest public university in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, with high rankings.  
• Rutgers’ main campuses are in three New Jersey cities and have a presence throughout the region. It has four campuses- Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Rutgers University-Newark, Rutgers University-Camden, and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences.
• Rutgers also has one of the highest numbers of doctorate degrees among all the US universities. It provides courses in study areas such as business and management, life sciences, and biological sciences.

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FAQs

Q1. Is Rutgers an Ivy League?

Ans- Rutgers University is not a member of the Ivy League. However, due to its legacy and prominence, many people regard Rutgers as an elite Northeastern private school, similar to the rest of the Ivy League.

Q2. What GPA do you need to go to Rutgers?

Ans- The GPA needed to get into Rutgers is 3.0-3.7.

Q3. Does Rutgers University give full scholarships?

Ans- Each year, Incoming students who have demonstrated academic merit and need financial assistance to complete their education receive two full-tuition scholarships, though the federal government does not always follow these criteria. The renewal duration of the scholarship can be up to four years.