Chartered in 1766, Rutgers is the eighth-oldest college in the nation. Our charter was granted by King George III of England and signed by William Franklin, the last Royal Governor of New Jersey and son of Benjamin Franklin.
The Rutgers Edge
As a powerhouse of research, innovation, and public service, Rutgers stands at the forefront of higher education. The Rutgers Edge is defined by a relentless drive to push boundaries, solve real-world problems, and empower communities through knowledge and discovery.
Rutgers Cracks the Code on Forever Plastics
What if plastic was biodegradable?
Each year over 400 million tons of plastic waste enter our oceans, soil, and landfills, where it can persist for centuries.
Rutgers researchers have unlocked a molecular secret: plastic that can self-degrade over time.
With a small change to production methods, plastics get an end date—making a healthier world a reality.
An Engine of Innovation
Rutgers is a research powerhouse, fueled by nearly $1 billion in research investments. Every day, we accelerate solutions that safeguard our land and oceans, advance health and wellness, and modernize infrastructure and agriculture. With 300 research centers and institutes providing the foundation for discovery, our impact is measured in real-world results:
- 200+ New Inventions, Bringing Ideas to Life
- 100+ Startups Getting Rutgers Ingenuity to Market
- 100+ Patents Securing Life Changing Innovations
- 240+ Industry Partners Turning Ideas Into Impact
Physicist Becomes First Rutgers Professor to Earn Kavli Prize
One of the Highest Honors in Science
Eva Andrei, whose groundbreaking research could lead to ultrafast computer chips, highly accurate medical imaging sensors, and more energy-efficient power grids, received the 2026 Kavli Prize in Nanoscience—becoming the first Rutgers faculty member to earn one of the world’s most prestigious science awards.
Andrei, a Board of Governors Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, is one of only 10 scientists worldwide and the only one in New Jersey named a 2026 Kavli Laureate. Awarded every two years, the Kavli Prize recognizes researchers whose discoveries in astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience have transformed their fields and “broadened our understanding of the big, the small and the complex.”
Rutgers Attacks Asthma
A Breakthrough in Identifying and Monitoring the Disease
One in four children in dense urban areas have asthma, far outpacing the national average. Our researchers at the Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science developed a simple blood test to diagnose and manage the disease, replacing difficult breathing tests. Rutgers research improves outcomes and confronts life-threatening health challenges for children and their families.
An Academic Powerhouse
Over 40 Rutgers graduate programs rank in the top 25 across a wide range of disciplines. U.S. News and World Report consistently ranks Rutgers graduate programs among the best in the nation.
U.S. News and World Report once again ranks all three Rutgers University campuses as top 50 public universities. Rutgers-New Brunswick ranks as #16 public university, Rutgers-Newark ranks #36 and Rutgers-Camden ranks #46 among public universities.
Targeting the Causes of Parkinson's
Rutgers Experts Bring Hope to Finding a Cure
At the Rutgers American Parkinson Disease Association Center for Advanced Research—one of only nine such centers—we don’t just seek to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s but to cure it. By focusing on approaches to stop a chief culprit in the disease—the α-synuclein protein—from accumulating in the brain, there is hope for eradicating Parkinson’s.
Rutgers' Precollege Program Is a National Model for Success
Rutgers gives academically promising, low-income, first-gen students a real path to earning a college degree. From 7th grade on, Rutgers Future Scholars receive academic support, enrichment courses, leadership seminars, paid internships, and more. When students complete the program and gain admission to Rutgers, tuition assistance and ongoing mentoring help them through their degree completion.
Rutgers Health Service Corps connects our students with university health professionals, resources, and partners to create impactful service-learning opportunities. Through disease screenings, health education, and overdose prevention programs, the initiative has reached thousands of residents in our communities. By helping our neighbors, Rutgers is addressing health inequities and preparing the next generation of health care and public health heroes.
Rutgers Battles Addiction with Research
One in 5 people struggle with substance use disorder at some point in their life. Rutgers Addiction Research Center—the nation's largest comprehensive addiction research center—brings together a multidisciplinary team of experts to reinvent the prevention and treatment of addiction.
Investment in a Rutgers Degree Pays Off
The results are in. Rutgers prepares students for success. Nine in ten participate in internships or other professional experiences—often leading to their first job. Six months out, nearly 90% are employed, furthering their education, serving in the military, or in a service program. With an average starting salary of $70,000, PayScale ranks Rutgers a top public university for the highest-paid early-career graduates.
That’s career success. That’s the value of a Rutgers education.
Rutgers Teaches Leaders the Power of Kindness
Coursework Shapes Tomorrow's Leaders
Students in Rutgers Master of Business and Science degree program learn to combine science and engineering with empathy and emotional intelligence—the soft skills that define the most effective leaders. They are challenged to perform five random acts of kindness and reflect on the impact, experiencing how seemingly small acts—helping a stranger, leaving an encouraging note, volunteering time—have a positive ripple effect. These future leaders will put the power of empathy to work alongside science, business, and innovation.
Rutgers Is Restoring Freedom and Championing Reform
The New Jersey Innocence Project at Rutgers University is fighting injustice and working on behalf of victims of wrongful conviction. Two innocent men imprisoned for decades were freed in the past year thanks to the project’s investigative and legal work. Additionally, the Rutgers team advocates for reforms to the legal system to reduce unjust convictions—and make our justice system fairer for all.
Rutgers Uses Data For Crime Prevention
To tackle this issue of rising violent crime, the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice developed risk terrain modeling to address areas of high crime without the need for over policing.
With national and international recognition, Rutgers has pioneered a unique approach to reimagining crime prevention. Rutgers' risk terrain modeling technology analyzes root crime causes in city landscapes to improve public safety outcomes.
The Rutgers-led Newark Public Safety Collaborative engages over 40 community organizations providing real world data and insights that empower them to make meaningful actions to reduce crime.
Rutgers' BEAST Is a Game Changer for Structural Tests
When a bridge is compromised, the transit impact and repair costs are substantial. The Rutgers Bridge Evaluation and Accelerated Structural Testing facility (BEAST) is the world’s only laboratory that gathers critical data on how extreme weather and heavy traffic weaken a bridge’s structural integrity—creating, in just one year, a decade’s worth of real-world wear and tear. Armed with this data, transportation departments can make better informed bridge management decisions, saving billions in infrastructure costs and keeping traffic flowing.
Rutgers Fosters Civic Engagement
Civic engagement is a critical component of education and a path toward appreciating our differences, restoring civil discourse, and serving the common good. Rutgers Scarlet Service provides Rutgers undergraduates from all campuses paid internships at government offices and public service-orientated nonprofits.
Students gain hands-on experience addressing important issues while developing a better understanding of themselves and building relationships with others. The program began in 2022 with 100 students interning in and around the state of New Jersey and has grown in 2023 to include a cohort in Washington, D.C.
Rutgers University scientists are driving the research and development of disease and climate-change resistant food crops.
Rutgers has a long and proud history of breeding agricultural crops with improved qualities to meet the needs of selected industries.
Preparing Tomorrow's Changemakers
Rutgers is redefining honors education. Recognized as a national model, the Rutgers Honors Living-Learning Community selects students who have not only achieved academic excellence but are also committed to creating a more just and equitable society. Addressing real problems in the local community, our scholars envision and implement actual solutions—making a difference right away. Through a curriculum designed to have an impact today, Rutgers HLLC scholars leave prepared to change tomorrow.
Points of Pride
Rutgers perennially appears in the most respected annual listings of the world's top universities. And we are the only university in the United States that is a colonial college, a land-grant institution, and a leading national public research university.
Rutgers faculty include members of the National Academies and winners of the National Medals of Science and Technology; Pulitzer Prizes; Guggenheim, MacArthur “Genius,” and Simons Fellowships; the Kavli Prize; Fulbright Scholarships; and NSF CAREER Awards.
Rutgers is proud to be The State University of New Jersey, the Garden State's premier, comprehensive public research university, with educational and outreach programs that reach residents in all 21 New Jersey counties.
Rutgers and its partners form one of the nation's largest academic health care systems, and the largest in New Jersey.
An Exceptional Education at an Affordable Price
Our students receive an outstanding education that prepares them for a future of leadership and success and is also a great value. Forbes magazine ranks Rutgers among the nation's "Best Value Colleges."