Increases among lowest of peer major research universities across America, chair says

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – The Board of Governors of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, today approved tuition and fee increases of 2.3 percent for the 2015-16 academic year, as well as a 3.2 percent increase in financial aid grants for students. 

Tuition and mandatory fees for a typical in-state undergraduate student will rise by 2.3 percent under the plan approved by the board, less than the university’s average increase over the past four years. During that period, tuition and fee increases, which ranged from 2.4 percent to 2.6 percent at Rutgers University-Camden, Rutgers University-Newark and Rutgers University-New Brunswick, all ranked among the lowest for their respective peer groups.

The board also approved allocating an additional 3.2 percent in institutional student aid to ensure that Rutgers remains accessible to a broad range of New Jersey residents. This increase in the Rutgers Assistance Grant program, resulting in a total offering of $32.5 million in 2015-16, will supplement increased state funding for the Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) and Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) programs that assist thousands of Rutgers students each year.

“Rutgers University is committed to delivering a world-class education at the most affordable price possible and the combined actions by the Board of Governors deliver on that commitment,” said Greg Brown, chair of the Rutgers University Board of Governors.

“The tuition increases at Rutgers University-New Brunswick have been among the lowest of our peer major public research universities across America,” Brown said. “The increases at Rutgers University-Newark and Rutgers University-Camden are similarly low by comparison to their peers,” he added.

“In the face of significant financial challenges for public colleges and universities nationwide, I am proud that Rutgers can continue to offer high-quality academic programs while keeping tuition and fee increases to a minimum,” said Robert Barchi, university president. “I commend our faculty and staff at Rutgers for their ongoing commitment to excellence in teaching, research and service to the people of New Jersey.”

The approved increase in student aid is especially important at Rutgers where the majority of undergraduates receive need-based or merit-based grant assistance. At Rutgers University-New Brunswick, 50 percent of students receive grant aid, at Rutgers University-Newark, 62 percent receive grant aid and at Rutgers University-Camden, 65 percent receive grant aid. For the average first-year, in-state student receiving grant aid, the total cost of attending Rutgers is reduced by 45 percent at Rutgers-New Brunswick, 48 percent at Rutgers-Camden and 57 percent at Rutgers-Newark. 

In developing its spending priorities and tuition rates for 2015-16, the Board of Governors was required to address a 3.7 percent reduction in direct state operating funds for Rutgers, as well as recently settled employee union contracts and other mandatory cost increases.

As a result of today’s action, a typical in-state, full-time, Arts and Sciences undergraduate at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, without taking into account any offsetting financial aid, will pay $14,131 in combined tuition and mandatory student fees in 2015-16, an increase of 2.3 percent over last year. For such a student living on campus, total charges (tuition, fees, room and board) will rise 2.4 percent to $26,185. 

The attached charts display tuition and fees at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Rutgers University-Newark and Rutgers University-Camden.

Established in 1766, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is America’s eighth oldest institution of higher learning and one of the nation’s premier public research universities, educating more than 65,000 students and serving people throughout New Jersey. Rutgers University-New Brunswick is the only public institution in New Jersey represented in the prestigious Association of American Universities. Rutgers is also a member of the Big Ten Conference and its academic counterpart, the Committee on Institutional Cooperation – a consortium of 15 world-class research universities.