Tuition Hike Coming At Rutgers In New Jersey; Board OKs Budget

NEW JERSEY — The cost of attending New Jersey’s state university is going up.

The board of governors at Rutgers University approved a $5.6 billion operating budget for the 2024-2025 academic year on Monday. The budget will include a 4 percent tuition and fee increase.

The university has campuses in Newark, New Brunswick and Camden, and serves students from across the state.

Tuition for a typical full-time arts and sciences undergraduate who is a New Jersey resident will increase on average $274 per semester from $6,837 to $7,111. Fees vary by program, but average mandatory fees are estimated to increase by about $63 per semester, Rutgers administrators said.

Some cost factors in this year’s budget include increases in negotiated salaries, employee benefits including health insurance premiums and pension contributions, need-based student financial aid and inflationary increases in supplies and general operating expenses.

According to Rutgers administrators, the majority of the budget – 77 percent – is spent on the university’s core mission of “student instruction, research, public service and health care.” Nearly 15 percent is allocated for administration, operations and maintenance; 5 percent funds services including housing, dining and parking operations; and 3 percent is spent on Division I athletics.

Rutgers spokespeople said the university continues to improve access and affordability for students through income gap-bridging programs, including the Scarlet Guarantee in New Brunswick, RU-N to the TOP in Newark, and Bridging the Gap in Camden, which complement New Jersey’s Garden State Guarantee. Last year, through these and other programs and Rutgers institutional financial aid, about 75 percent of Rutgers undergraduates received some form of student financial aid.

Rutgers administrators added:

“Funding for the budget, up from $5.4 billion last year, comes largely through tuition and fees (27 percent); the State of New Jersey (21 percent); health care services (20 percent); sponsored research (15 percent); and miscellaneous sources, including housing, dining, parking services, student aid, athletics, gifts and donations, and endowment and investment income (17 percent).”

"We are committed to providing access to an excellent academic experience and this budget reflects that commitment while meeting our financial responsibilities,” said Amy Towers, board chair.

Rutgers previously rolled out a 6 percent tuition and fee hike for the 2023-2024 academic year. That budget also included a nearly 7 percent increase for meal plan costs, and a 5 percent increase in housing costs for students who reside in Rutgers facilities. Read More: Rutgers Board OKs Controversial Medical School Merger, Tuition Hike

Last week, a trio of state lawmakers made a push for a new bill in the New Jersey Assembly, citing worries about the affordability and accessibility of higher education. If it becomes law, the legislation would cap tuition increases for undergraduates at public colleges and universities to 2 percent over the prior academic year.

• See Related: NJ Bill Would Limit College Tuition Hikes To 2 Percent

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