Public · University

Rutgers University-New Brunswick

New Brunswick, New Jersey · Small city

#4 graduation rate in New Jersey
58.1%
Admit rate
$24,406
Avg net price
84%
Graduation rate
$74,479
Median earnings

Rutgers University-New Brunswick is a public bachelor's-granting institution in New Brunswick, New Jersey (small city setting), enrolling 37,751 undergraduates.

PublicLarge · 37,751 undergradsSmall citySelective · 58% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Big Ten ConferenceCold wintersNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Rutgers University-New Brunswick's admitted students.

Admit rate
58.1%
SAT (mid 50%)
1310–1500
Avg GPA (est.)
3.86

Enter a test score to see where you land against Rutgers University-New Brunswick's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Rutgers University-New Brunswick's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About New Brunswick, New Jersey

New Brunswick is a city in and the county seat of Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The first European settlement at the site of New Brunswick was made in 1681. The settlement here was called Prigmore's Swamp (1681–1697), then known as Inian's Ferry (1691–1714). The New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, constructed at a cost of $172 million and topped by 18 stories of apartments, opened in September 2019. The center also houses the American Repertory Ballet (founded in 1963) and the Princeton Ballet School (established in 1954). (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
27 miles to New York, NY
To the ocean
9 miles
Nearest airport
20 miles to Newark Liberty (EWR) · major hub

How Rutgers University-New Brunswick compares

Selectivity58.1%

More selective than 78% · #6 most selective of 43 in New Jersey

SAT average1410

Higher than 90%

Graduation rate84%

Higher than 92% · #4 of 47 in New Jersey

First-year retention93%

Higher than 91%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$74,479

Higher than 87% · #6 of 38 in New Jersey

Average net price$24,406

Cheaper than 30% · #34 cheapest of 46 in New Jersey

Median debt at graduation$21,500

Lower than 63%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment37,751

Larger than 99%

Percentiles compare Rutgers University-New Brunswick with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New Jersey.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

52,035students
  • Undergraduate37,75173%
  • Graduate14,28427%

Undergraduates by gender

37,751undergrads
  • Women20,91055%
  • Men16,84145%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White30%
  • Black7.0%
  • Hispanic16%
  • Asian34%
  • Other or multiracial14%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
37,751
Graduate enrollment
14,284
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
28%
First-generation students
35%
Students over 25
5%
Median family income
$43,360
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$131,337
Endowment
$1,720,866,182

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 7,681 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From New Jersey84%
  • Other U.S. states8.7%
  • International6.9%

Most first-years stay in state — Rutgers University-New Brunswick draws overwhelmingly from New Jersey.

7% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
58.1%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1310–1500
SAT average
1410
SAT reading
650–730
SAT math
660–770
ACT composite
28–33
Average GPA (estimated)
3.86

Cost

In-state tuition
$17,929
Out-of-state tuition
$37,441
Room & board
$15,714
Books & supplies
$1,418
Total cost of attendance
$36,993
Average net price
$24,406

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
84%
Graduated on time (4 years)
69%
First-year retention
93%
Transferred to another college
8%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$61,263
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$74,479
Median debt at graduation
$21,500
Students with federal loans
35%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
64%

About 15% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
69%
Low-income (Pell)
69%
First-generation
69%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
15,305
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
41%
Housing charge (year)
$8,836
Meal plan (year)
$5,879
Application fee
$70
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Big Ten Conference
Varsity athletes
959 (469 men · 490 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (15)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)277
Football137
Rowing122
Lacrosse87
Soccer66
Basketball46
Baseball40
Wrestling37
Swimming and Diving (combined)35
Field Hockey26
Gymnastics24
Softball20
Golf17
Volleyball17
Tennis8

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
121
Property offenses (2022–2024)
82

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 18 campuses (52,269 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

68reported offenses a year
40 violent a year27 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
19
Rape
16
Fondling
11
Aggravated assault
10
Motor vehicle theft
7.0
Robbery
3.3
Arson
1.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$16,343
$30–48k
$16,210
$48–75k
$18,282
$75–110k
$25,106
$110k+
$35,016

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$77,932

$18,282/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

47%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$10,408
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 47% — get grant money from Rutgers University-New Brunswick itself, averaging $10,408, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 7,769 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$74,479
Typical debt at graduation
$21,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
29%
Out-earn a HS grad
73%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$69,937
Men
$80,772

Men out-earn women by $10,835 (15%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
86°F
Winter low
23°F
Annual rain
49.5″
Annual snow
29″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, New Brunswick 3 SE, NJ US station (2.2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Rutgers University-New Brunswick side by side →

Colleges near Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.