Rutgers University, New Brunswick, expects a record enrollment of more than 56,400 undergraduate and graduate students on its three main campuses this fall. Rutgers will welcome the largest first-year class in its history, with an estimated 7,300 first-year students expected university-wide. Preliminary figures show first-year enrollment has increased more than 3 percent from last year and transfer student enrollment is up 6 percent.
The class is an accomplished one, university officials noted, with 150 valedictorians and salutatorians choosing to enroll. Approximately 1,500 new students in this class have joined smaller living-learning communities based on interest areas and cocurricular activities, such as the honors program; Discovery Houses in business, health and medicine, law and leadership, and psychology; RU–tv; Weather Watchers; social justice; and engineering.
“The increase in first-year and transfer students, along with the growing numbers of valedictorians and salutatorians choosing Rutgers, reflect the university’s solid reputation for academic quality and value,” said Courtney McAnuff, vice president for enrollment management. “At the same time, the growth in the critically important retention rate attests to the overall academic and social experience Rutgers offers its students.”
This year’s class is again among the most diverse, representing nearly 100 countries and 39 states, according to the university. The numbers of black and Latino first-year students have grown more than 10 percent university-wide. Also, about onethird of enrolling students will be the first in their families to attain a four-year college degree.
Below are some notable characteristics of the incoming class. Final statistics will be available later this fall.
Admission process
• Rutgers experienced a record number of first-year and transfer applications for this fall — close to 45,000.
• Rutgers estimates there will be more than 7,300 incoming first-year students university wide — an all-time record.
• First-year enrollment increased more than 3 percent from last year.
• Nearly 8,000 first-year and transfer students are expected on the New Brunswick campus.
Academic profile
• Approximately 150 incoming students were valedictorians or salutatorians of their high school classes.
• Enrollment of Rutgers Presidential Scholars has nearly doubled since 2007, from 59 to an estimated 117 first-year students, an all-time high. The average Presidential Scholar has an SAT (Critical Reading plus Math plus Writing) of more than 2,300, and was ranked in the top 3 percent of his or her graduating class.
• The mean combined SAT scores (Critical Reading plus Math plus Writing) for enrolling students are close to 300 points above the national average. The top 1,000 students enrolling at Rutgers have an average SAT score of more than 2,100 and rank in the top 6 percent of their class.
Background and diversity
• The incoming class represents nearly 100 countries and 39 states.
• University-wide, the number of African-American/black and Latino firstyear students has risen more than 10 percent.
• About one-third of enrolling students are from families in which neither parent has a four-year college degree.
Programs of highest interest as expressed by first-year and transfer students are: business (including concentrations in accounting, finance, marketing, management); engineering; premedicine and dentistry; biology; psychology; teacher education; criminal justice; pharmacy; nursing; and English.
In-state tuition and fees add up to over $12,500 for the current academic year, not including room and board.
“A typical in-state, full-time, Arts and Science undergraduate on the New Brunswick/Piscataway campus will pay $9,926 in tuition and $2,633 in mandatory student fees in 2010-11,” said Sandra Lanman, director of the Office of Media Relations. “For such a student living on campus, room charges will be $6,836 in 2010-11, while a meal plan will be $4,070.”