About Rutgers University
Source: https://www.rutgers.edu/about
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:17
About Rutgers University
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About Rutgers
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, stands among America’s highest-ranked, most diverse public research universities. The oldest, largest, and top-ranked public university in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, you’ll find us at our main locations in three New Jersey cities, and our footprint can be seen around the region. We’re an academic, health, and research powerhouse and a university of opportunity.
What Makes Rutgers Excellent
Standing among the nation's leading research universities, Rutgers is acclaimed for the excellent achievements of our people and for their contributions to society in the pursuit of education, research, and health care.
[The Vimeo video with id 1036019867 will display here.]
By the Numbers
#1
Public university in New Jersey
U.S. News & World Report
71,000+
Undergraduate and graduate students
615,000+
Alumni around the world
$993 Million
Research grants and sponsored programs
FY 2025
More about Rutgers Rankings
University Mission
As one of the leading comprehensive public research universities in the nation, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, has the threefold mission of:
Providing for the educational needs
of New Jersey through our undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs;
Conducting cutting-edge research
that contributes to the health, environmental, social, and cultural well-being of the state, nation, and world, as well as strengthening the economy and supporting businesses and industries; and
Performing public service
in support of the needs of the people of the state and their local, county, and state governments.
A Public Powerhouse
Discover Rutgers University
[The Vimeo video with id 389042302 will display here.]
Rutgers has locations in New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden and has a major academic and clinical health sciences presence that spans across the state. They’re all different but they’re also all Rutgers—respected, forward-looking, and packed with options.
Rutgers University–New Brunswick
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Founded in 1766, Rutgers–New Brunswick, our flagship location, is New Jersey’s No. 1 public research university, a top 20 public national university, a member of the Association of American Universities, and home of the Big Ten Scarlet Knights.
More about Rutgers–New Brunswick
Rutgers University–Newark
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A leading urban research university that takes every advantage of being located in the heart of New Jersey’s largest city and is just minutes from midtown New York City. With our top-ranked diversity one of our greatest strengths, we focus on economic prosperity and social mobility for new generations.
More about Rutgers–Newark
Rutgers University–Camden
[The Vimeo video with id 389040406 will display here.]
Rutgers traditions and prestige come alive in the heart of the Delaware Valley in an increasingly dynamic urban environment just minutes from Philadelphia. Experience a personalized, close-knit environment at Rutgers–Camden.
More about Rutgers–Camden
Rutgers Health
[The Vimeo video with id 385525209 will display here.]
Home to one of the nation’s largest academic health centers, Rutgers' approach to integrating education, research, and clinical care is transforming lives. No other New Jersey institution comes close in offering our range of programs for educating doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and other health care professionals.
More about Rutgers Health
A Big Ten University
Rutgers' membership in the Big Ten Conference is about more than athletics. It unlocks exclusive opportunities for every campus community. The
Big Ten Academic Alliance
(BTAA), the athletic league's academic counterpart, is the nation’s leading model for effective collaboration among top-tier research universities, conducting over $10 billion in funded research annually. Rutgers is proud to be a member of this prestigious group.
Big Ten Academics
As a member of the BTAA, Rutgers is part of a distinguished group of world-class universities across the nation. BTAA schools combine their unique strengths to advance academic missions and create unique opportunities for each campus community. Since joining the Big Ten in 2012, Rutgers' academic rankings and reputation have consistently increased, boosting the university's degree programs and opening doors to the brightest students and faculty.
Big Ten Athletics
Rutgers Scarlet Knights proudly compete in the Big Ten athletic conference at the NCAA Division I level for men's and women's sports. Our teams consistently deliver thrilling and exciting performances throughout the season against top tier competition.
Big Ten Research
Rutgers stands as a national leader in research and innovation, fueled by nearly $1 billion in research investments annually. Every day, we accelerate solutions that safeguard our land and oceans, advance health care, and modernize infrastructure and agriculture. Together, Big Ten universities conduct over $10 billion in funded research annually, promoting greater strategic engagement across the research enterprise and leveraging the significant resources and facilities of member institutions.
Teaching, Research, and Service
As The State University of New Jersey, a leading national public research university and New Jersey’s top academic health care provider, Rutgers fulfills its mission to provide learning, discovery, innovation, service, and health care at the highest levels.
Our Impressive Schools and Colleges
Collectively, our schools and colleges offer the greatest variety of majors and degree programs in New Jersey, and many rank No. 1 among the public schools and colleges in the state.
Research That Matters
Unrivaled in New Jersey, our research grants and sponsored programs top $990 million annually. Our 300 research centers and institutes—New Jersey’s largest research network—generate innovations and new ways of thinking that impact the world.
An Academic Health Care Leader
Rutgers Health and RWJBarnabas Health form New Jersey’s largest academic health system. What’s special about academic health care? It means we train tomorrow’s leading health care professionals.
Public Service with Lasting Impact
Valued partners locally and globally, Rutgers thinkers conceptualize and implement services and solutions that help individuals and local, national, and global communities thrive.
Renowned Faculty
The achievements of our award-winning faculty drive Rutgers’ world-class reputation. They teach, discover, provide health care, innovate, mentor, and share their knowledge. Leaders in their fields, their everyday endeavors yield brilliant outcomes.
Highly Accredited
Rutgers is accredited by the
Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
, a voluntary, nongovernmental, peer-based membership association dedicated to promoting standards of excellence and improvement in higher education. Our programs and schools also have accreditation from
recognized professional agencies
.
A Commitment to Opportunity
As one of the nation’s largest, highest-ranked, and most accessible universities, Rutgers draws strength from the rich variety of perspectives and life experiences of our community members.
Rutgers Values
The Rutgers community embraces and upholds the fundamental values that define the university: academic excellence that's both accessible and affordable; building a community where every single member of the university has a voice; and serving the common good while making a meaningful difference in the world.
Access to Academic Excellence
Rutgers is committed to driving inclusive access for students, with an aspiration to be the national model for outstanding academic programs, social mobility, and educational equity with purposeful and timely degree completion, career preparation, and lifelong learning.
Building Community
Rutgers endeavors to instill in our students a commitment to community through service and experiences that contribute to a greater understanding of themselves and others, support their whole person while students at Rutgers, and provide meaningful engagement post-graduation.
Commitment to the Common Good
Rutgers believes that the work we do through the excellence of our health systems, scholarly research, and outreach programs propels the creation, sharing, and application of knowledge, and our collaborations with local and global partners address societal challenges and improve the lives of people in New Jersey and beyond.
Our Revolutionary Roots
Our story begins in 1766, a decade before the American Revolution. Our nation’s history is our history. Through social, economic, and technological revolutions, Rutgers continues to thrive and to seize the opportunities that arise with each new generation.
Our Structure
Our academic, administrative, and health care units work in collaboration, giving structure and logic to our comprehensive university.
Leadership and Governance
Working together, Rutgers' executive leadership, governing boards, faculty, and administrators keep Rutgers vibrant and relevant.
Skip to main content
About Rutgers
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, stands among America’s highest-ranked, most diverse public research universities. The oldest, largest, and top-ranked public university in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, you’ll find us at our main locations in three New Jersey cities, and our footprint can be seen around the region. We’re an academic, health, and research powerhouse and a university of opportunity.
What Makes Rutgers Excellent
Standing among the nation's leading research universities, Rutgers is acclaimed for the excellent achievements of our people and for their contributions to society in the pursuit of education, research, and health care.
[The Vimeo video with id 1036019867 will display here.]
By the Numbers
#1
Public university in New Jersey
U.S. News & World Report
71,000+
Undergraduate and graduate students
615,000+
Alumni around the world
$993 Million
Research grants and sponsored programs
FY 2025
More about Rutgers Rankings
University Mission
As one of the leading comprehensive public research universities in the nation, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, has the threefold mission of:
Providing for the educational needs
of New Jersey through our undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs;
Conducting cutting-edge research
that contributes to the health, environmental, social, and cultural well-being of the state, nation, and world, as well as strengthening the economy and supporting businesses and industries; and
Performing public service
in support of the needs of the people of the state and their local, county, and state governments.
A Public Powerhouse
Discover Rutgers University
[The Vimeo video with id 389042302 will display here.]
Rutgers has locations in New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden and has a major academic and clinical health sciences presence that spans across the state. They’re all different but they’re also all Rutgers—respected, forward-looking, and packed with options.
Rutgers University–New Brunswick
[The Vimeo video with id 385524379 will display here.]
Founded in 1766, Rutgers–New Brunswick, our flagship location, is New Jersey’s No. 1 public research university, a top 20 public national university, a member of the Association of American Universities, and home of the Big Ten Scarlet Knights.
More about Rutgers–New Brunswick
Rutgers University–Newark
[The Vimeo video with id 385522439 will display here.]
A leading urban research university that takes every advantage of being located in the heart of New Jersey’s largest city and is just minutes from midtown New York City. With our top-ranked diversity one of our greatest strengths, we focus on economic prosperity and social mobility for new generations.
More about Rutgers–Newark
Rutgers University–Camden
[The Vimeo video with id 389040406 will display here.]
Rutgers traditions and prestige come alive in the heart of the Delaware Valley in an increasingly dynamic urban environment just minutes from Philadelphia. Experience a personalized, close-knit environment at Rutgers–Camden.
More about Rutgers–Camden
Rutgers Health
[The Vimeo video with id 385525209 will display here.]
Home to one of the nation’s largest academic health centers, Rutgers' approach to integrating education, research, and clinical care is transforming lives. No other New Jersey institution comes close in offering our range of programs for educating doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and other health care professionals.
More about Rutgers Health
A Big Ten University
Rutgers' membership in the Big Ten Conference is about more than athletics. It unlocks exclusive opportunities for every campus community. The
Big Ten Academic Alliance
(BTAA), the athletic league's academic counterpart, is the nation’s leading model for effective collaboration among top-tier research universities, conducting over $10 billion in funded research annually. Rutgers is proud to be a member of this prestigious group.
Big Ten Academics
As a member of the BTAA, Rutgers is part of a distinguished group of world-class universities across the nation. BTAA schools combine their unique strengths to advance academic missions and create unique opportunities for each campus community. Since joining the Big Ten in 2012, Rutgers' academic rankings and reputation have consistently increased, boosting the university's degree programs and opening doors to the brightest students and faculty.
Big Ten Athletics
Rutgers Scarlet Knights proudly compete in the Big Ten athletic conference at the NCAA Division I level for men's and women's sports. Our teams consistently deliver thrilling and exciting performances throughout the season against top tier competition.
Big Ten Research
Rutgers stands as a national leader in research and innovation, fueled by nearly $1 billion in research investments annually. Every day, we accelerate solutions that safeguard our land and oceans, advance health care, and modernize infrastructure and agriculture. Together, Big Ten universities conduct over $10 billion in funded research annually, promoting greater strategic engagement across the research enterprise and leveraging the significant resources and facilities of member institutions.
Teaching, Research, and Service
As The State University of New Jersey, a leading national public research university and New Jersey’s top academic health care provider, Rutgers fulfills its mission to provide learning, discovery, innovation, service, and health care at the highest levels.
Our Impressive Schools and Colleges
Collectively, our schools and colleges offer the greatest variety of majors and degree programs in New Jersey, and many rank No. 1 among the public schools and colleges in the state.
Research That Matters
Unrivaled in New Jersey, our research grants and sponsored programs top $990 million annually. Our 300 research centers and institutes—New Jersey’s largest research network—generate innovations and new ways of thinking that impact the world.
An Academic Health Care Leader
Rutgers Health and RWJBarnabas Health form New Jersey’s largest academic health system. What’s special about academic health care? It means we train tomorrow’s leading health care professionals.
Public Service with Lasting Impact
Valued partners locally and globally, Rutgers thinkers conceptualize and implement services and solutions that help individuals and local, national, and global communities thrive.
Renowned Faculty
The achievements of our award-winning faculty drive Rutgers’ world-class reputation. They teach, discover, provide health care, innovate, mentor, and share their knowledge. Leaders in their fields, their everyday endeavors yield brilliant outcomes.
Highly Accredited
Rutgers is accredited by the
Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
, a voluntary, nongovernmental, peer-based membership association dedicated to promoting standards of excellence and improvement in higher education. Our programs and schools also have accreditation from
recognized professional agencies
.
A Commitment to Opportunity
As one of the nation’s largest, highest-ranked, and most accessible universities, Rutgers draws strength from the rich variety of perspectives and life experiences of our community members.
Rutgers Values
The Rutgers community embraces and upholds the fundamental values that define the university: academic excellence that's both accessible and affordable; building a community where every single member of the university has a voice; and serving the common good while making a meaningful difference in the world.
Access to Academic Excellence
Rutgers is committed to driving inclusive access for students, with an aspiration to be the national model for outstanding academic programs, social mobility, and educational equity with purposeful and timely degree completion, career preparation, and lifelong learning.
Building Community
Rutgers endeavors to instill in our students a commitment to community through service and experiences that contribute to a greater understanding of themselves and others, support their whole person while students at Rutgers, and provide meaningful engagement post-graduation.
Commitment to the Common Good
Rutgers believes that the work we do through the excellence of our health systems, scholarly research, and outreach programs propels the creation, sharing, and application of knowledge, and our collaborations with local and global partners address societal challenges and improve the lives of people in New Jersey and beyond.
Our Revolutionary Roots
Our story begins in 1766, a decade before the American Revolution. Our nation’s history is our history. Through social, economic, and technological revolutions, Rutgers continues to thrive and to seize the opportunities that arise with each new generation.
Our Structure
Our academic, administrative, and health care units work in collaboration, giving structure and logic to our comprehensive university.
Leadership and Governance
Working together, Rutgers' executive leadership, governing boards, faculty, and administrators keep Rutgers vibrant and relevant.