Rutgers University

rutgers university accreditation

Degrees Offered at Rutgers University

Rutgers University appears in our ranking of 30 Great Colleges With An Increasing Student Population.

Across all of the university’s campuses, Rutgers houses 29 schools and colleges educating 51,000 undergraduate and 20,000 graduate students. The university has over 150 undergraduate majors and 400 graduate programs. A sampling of the undergraduate majors Rutgers offers includes accounting, aerospace engineering, astrophysics, biomedical engineering, cell biology and neuroscience, childhood studies, clinical laboratory science, criminal justice, digital filmmaking, environmental policy, landscape architecture, law, marine sciences, and meteorology. Rutgers also offers many unique minors as well, such as equine science, counterterrorism studies, and national security.

Undergraduate students can also participate in the Rutgers Global Study Abroad program. The offerings for studying abroad are diverse. For example, students can study Arabic in Jordan, criminal justice in Hague, social movements in Germany, finance and economics in China, liberal arts in Italy, dance in Jerusalem, or computer science in Hong Kong.

The variety of available options for study only increases at the graduate level, with areas of specialization that one can’t find many other places, including regenerative medicine, turfgrass science, theatrical fight choreography, and autism studies. Rutgers offers graduate certificates, master’s degrees, doctoral degrees, professional degrees, and post-doctoral studies in over 400 areas, such as accounting, addictions counseling, applied behavior analysis, biomedical sciences, business administration, cell and developmental biology, medicine, law, education, criminal justice, nursing, and global affairs. Graduate students are encouraged to study abroad to gain additional experience that can’t be learned in the classroom. Additionally, in most programs, conducting independent research and advancing the current body of knowledge are required.

Finally, adults seeking continuing education opportunities can participate in non-credit courses in a range of subjects, from alcohol studies to developmental disabilities to public security. There are several dozen options available, both on campus and online. There are also specific programs for youth, veterans, those that are unemployed and would like to develop marketable skills, and adults over age 50.

About Rutgers University

Officially named Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Rutgers is a public research university in the state of New Jersey. The university’s history is lengthy and rich, founded in 1776 as Queen’s College. It is the eight oldest college or university in the United States. Currently, the university has an enrollment of approximately 70,000 students, in addition to approximately 24,000 faculty members and staff.

The university has four campuses. Rutgers University-New Brunswick is the original campus and is still considered Rutger’s primary campus. Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences campus is touted as one of the nation’s largest academic health centers. Rutgers University—Newark is considered a research institution. Finally, Rutgers University—Camden is a smaller campus that prides itself on its diverse student body and urban location.

Rutgers’ focus on research is impressive, with $712 million in annual research expenditures amongst the university’s 300 research centers and institutes.

The university has received a plethora of accolades with the U.S. News and World Report naming Rutgers—New Brunswick as the #1 public university in the northeast, the #1 public national university, and #56 in the nation for all public universities. The Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings named Rutgers University as one of the top 100 universities in the world.

Rutgers University Accreditation Details

Rutgers University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Some of Rutgers’ many department-specific accreditations include:

  •  AACSB International (Business School)
  •  New Jersey Board of Nursing
  •  Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
  •  Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
  •  Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education
  •  International Commission on Accreditation of Public Administration Education and Training Programs (ICAPA)
  •  American Bar Association
  •  American Chemical Association
  •  Council on Social Work Education
  •  Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
  •  American Physical Therapy Association
  •  Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)

Rutgers University Application Requirements

Rutgers University is a fairly competitive school, with an acceptance rate of around 58%. Prospective high school seniors and other first-year applicants seeking fall admission need to submit their application materials by December 1st.

Admission into the graduate program requires submission of an application, official transcripts, and GRE or GMAT test scores. While the university itself does not have a minimum required GRE score, some individual programs may require high GRE scores or minimum GPAs for acceptance. Graduate school applicants are also required to submit recommendations and a personal statement. The deadlines for application vary by program with some programs having specific application deadlines and others having rolling admissions. Prospective students should contact the website for the specific program they are interested in for requirements and deadlines.

Tuition and Financial Aid

The undergraduate tuition rate varies based on the campus the student attends. For the Newark and New Brunswick campuses, base tuition for New Jersey residents for 2019 is $11,886 and is $28,194 for residents of other states. At the Camden campus, tuition ranges from $11,000 to $13,000 for New Jersey residents and $27,000 to $29,000 for residents of other states, depending on the program chosen.

There are several options for scholarships and grants available for undergraduate students attending any of the Rutgers campuses. First-year students are eligible for consideration to receive merit-based awards that range from $3,500 per year to full tuition. According to the Rutgers website, students will be offered the highest value award that they are qualified to receive. In addition, residents of New Jersey who meet specific income guidelines might be eligible for funding from the New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund. The university also has a large pool of endowments and private scholarships available to first-year and transfer students, in addition to program-specific scholarships and grants.

Graduate-level tuition varies widely, depending on the program, with residents of New Jersey paying $25,000 a year in the law program (and $40,000 a year for non-residents) and students studying business paying $23,000 a year for New Jersey residents and $41,000 a year for out-of-state residents.

Rutgers states that the majority of graduate students in the university’s programs receive financial aid, with most doctoral students receiving full tuition support. Merit-based assistance, such as fellowships, assistantships, and scholarships are available and all graduate students are considered for these forms of aid. There are also options for need-based and non-need-based assistance.

For more information on Rutgers University‘s highly diverse selection of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, see the university’s website.