The Board of Governors of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, today approved a tuition and fee increase of 2.9 percent for the 2019-2020 academic year for undergraduate students. The board also approved a $4.6 billion budget for the upcoming academic year.
Compensation costs for university employees account for 65 percent of the total budget. The university recently reached agreements with labor unions that provide for a 3 percent salary increase for unionized faculty and staff members for fiscal year 2020.
“We know tuition increases are difficult for our students, and we have worked hard again this year to keep them to a minimum as we face rising expenditures,” said Mark Angelson, chair of the Board of Governors. “This increase allows us to maintain our top academic programs and provide access to the highest quality education for all of our students. In fact, for many of our students with the greatest financial need, the cost of tuition will continue to be zero.”
Rutgers’ tuition increase is lower than 2019-2020 increases at several institutions in neighboring states Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware, where tuition will rise between 3 percent and 5 percent.
In New Jersey, Rutgers’ average increase of 2.1 percent over the last five years is on par with average tuition and fee increases at all public colleges and universities for the same period. It is in the mid-range of average five-year increases among Big Ten universities.
For the 2019-2020 academic year – before any financial aid is applied – a typical in-state, full-time Arts and Sciences undergraduate at Rutgers University-New Brunswick would be billed $15,407 in combined tuition and mandatory student fees, an increase of 2.9 percent. For such a student living on campus, total charges (tuition, fees, room and board) would increase to $28,482, up 2.9 percent from last year.
At Rutgers University-Newark, before financial aid, tuition and fees would increase to $14,826 and $28,755 for total charges for students living on campus. At Rutgers University-Camden, rates would increase by similar percentages for typical Arts and Sciences undergraduates to $15,264 and, for those living on campus, to $27,955 for total charges, before financial aid.
“This budget allows Rutgers to remain among the nation’s best public research universities and maintain the quality of our current academic programs, research, resources and services,” said Rutgers president Robert L. Barchi. “At Rutgers, we are striving to meet the significant financial challenges all public colleges and universities face nationwide while keeping tuition and fee increases as low as possible for our students.”
Those resources include need-and merit-based grants and scholarships, including the Rutgers Assistance Grants, soon to be called the Scarlet Promise Grants, which were established in the 1990s. In June 2019, the Rutgers Board of Trustees voted to launch and contribute to an endowment for these grants to continue to help students – especially those who face unforeseen or sudden life-changing circumstances – offset the gap between financial aid and costs.
For nearly 80 percent of Rutgers students, individual student costs are reduced by federal, state, private or institutional financial aid, including need-and merit-based grants and scholarships, federal work-study opportunities, loans and more. Dedicated Rutgers Office of Financial Aid counselors are available to meet with students and parents year-round to navigate the financial aid process, answer questions and advise on financial aid eligibility and availability.
While the 2.9 percent tuition and fees increase is for most undergraduates at Rutgers, specific tuition, fee, room and board charges may vary across the university’s colleges and schools.
