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Rutgers scholarships, student loans and grants
Compare financing available to become a Scarlet Knight.
Rutgers might not be the most expensive college out there, but it also isn’t cheap. Despite having a tuition clocking in more than $25,000 less than many private universities, students often graduate with more debt. You can avoid this by looking into your options for free funding: scholarships and grants.
What do you want to read about first?
How much does it cost to go to Rutgers?
| Cost of attending Rutgers | Annual in-state cost | Annual out-of-state cost |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $11,999 | $28,036 |
| Fees | $3,078 | $3,183 |
| Room and board | $13,450 | $13,450 |
| Books and supplies | $1,350 | $1,350 |
| Transportation | $848 | $1,416 |
| Other expenses | $3,413 | $3,413 |
| Total cost for the 2018–2019 academic year | $34,138 | $50,848 |
As you can see, when weighing in costs of attending college, tuition is only half of the picture. Rutgers also includes factors like housing, books, travel and general living expenses when estimating your total cost of attendance. This amount is important — it determines how much financial aid you’re eligible to receive.
What’s the average student debt load for Rutgers students?
Rutgers students graduated with an average student debt load of $25,974 in 2016, according to the US Department of Education. However, by taking advantage of Rutger’s scholarship and grant programs, you could end up carrying less debt.
Does Rutgers offer a tuition payment plan?
Yes. If you’re unable to cover your upfront costs of attendance in one lump sum, you can sign up for the Rutgers University Tuition Payment Plan (RTPP). This allows you to pay off your bill in monthly installments.
Students can choose between an annual or semester plan.
Top Rutgers scholarships
Rutgers has several of its own scholarship programs for students. These include:
Rutgers Presidential Scholarship
This full scholarship is available to both in-state and out-of-state students at the New Brunswick campus. However, only the top 1% to 2% of students receive this merit-based award based on academic performance in high school. There’s no separate application — you’ll find out if you qualify after getting your Rutgers acceptance letter.
Scarlet Scholarship
This scholarship is roughly enough to cover personal expenses for high-performing in-state students at the New Brunswick campus. All students at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy or the School of Engineering are eligible for a Scarlet Scholarship. Like with other merit-based scholarships, there’s no separate application.
Trustee Scholarship
Trustee Scholarships are enough to cover at least room and board for Rutgers students while attending school. It’s available to both in-state and out-of-state students, with the exception of those attending the pharmacy or engineering school. There’s no application — you’ll find out if you qualify after you’ve been accepted.
Leroy Davidson Scholarship
While any full-time undergraduate student might qualify for this needs-based scholarship, Rutgers gives preference to family members or employees of one of the Allegiance Retail Services supermarket chains, including Foodtown and Market Fresh. It’s enough to cover your estimated textbook costs and has no academic requirements to stay eligible.
FIRST Scholarship
This scholarship is for tech-savvy students interested in engineering. You must have already participated in a FIRST competition to be considered and submit an application by February 1. This scholarship is almost enough to cover half of in-state tuition for your entire stay at Rutgers.
September 11th Memorial Scholarship
New Jersey students who lost a parent or guardian during the 9/11 attacks are eligible for full tuition at Rutgers. There’s no formal application, though qualified students must send a letter with documents proving their eligibility to the financial aid office.
Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress to remain eligible.
Vincent R. Kramer Merit Endowed Scholarship
This scholarship is only given to one first-year student at Rutgers–New Brunswick with outstanding leadership qualities. Students must file the FAFSA to be considered, and Rutgers favors students with a connection to a member of the the Rutgers Alumni Association (RAA).
Those students must send a letter with the name of the member of the RAA, their year of graduation and their relationship to the applicant to the financial aid office.
Additional Rutgers scholarships
Rutgers offers several more scholarships — though not all are available on all campuses. These include:
- Academic Achievement Scholarship
- Academic Excellence Scholarship
- Chancellor Scholarship
- Dean’s Scholarship
- Delaware River Academic Achievement Scholarship
- Delaware River Academic Excellence Scholarship
- Delaware River Meritorious Achiever Scholarship
- Distinguished Scholar Awards
- First-Year National Scholarships
- Francis B. and Paige D. L’Hommedieu Scholarship
- Honors College Alumni Scholarship
- International Chancellor’s Merit Scholarship
- International Chancellor’s Scholarship
- James Dickson Carr Scholarship
- Meritorious Achiever Scholarship
- Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Scholarships
- Rutgers Class Endowed Scholarships
- Rutgers International Award
Are there other scholarships and grants available?
There are. If you’re unable to cover all your expenses with a Rutgers scholarship or grant, you might want to look into government and private options.
In addition to federal grant programs, most states offer free funding to residents. However, you might have difficulty qualifying if you’re an out-of-state student.
Student loans to pay for Rutgers University
Having trouble covering all of your expenses with grants and scholarships? You might have to take out student loans. The US Department of Education recommends that students apply for federal aid first — which includes work-study and federal grants — before turning to private lenders.
However, federal aid comes with annual limits and isn’t available to international students. If you can’t qualify for enough from the government, consider a private student loan.
Compare private student loan providers
Updated February 27th, 2020
Bottom line
Compared to most private universities, Rutgers is a steal — especially for in-state students. But that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to cover all of the costs out of pocket. While it has a wide range of needs- and merit-based scholarships available to students, you might have to use a mix of different types of aid.
Learn more about your options by reading our guide to student loans.
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