Rutgers Hikes Student Tuition, Freezes Hiring In $6B Budget

Rutgers students will see a tuition hike under the university’s latest budget.

The Rutgers Board of Governors approved a $6.2 billion university budget for the 2026-2027 academic year last week.

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The spending plan includes a 3 percent tuition increase for in-state and out-of-state students. The university has campuses in Newark, New Brunswick and Camden.

Rutgers administrators said the tuition hike is the lowest increase in four years, and is “well below the rate of inflation.”

Administrators said the university – like others – is facing financial challenges from federal funding and enrollment changes. Rising operational costs are also taking their toll, including staff salaries and benefits, utilities, technology, equipment, facilities and supplies.

Here’s how spending breaks down:

• 33.1% - classroom instruction and academic support
• 21.1% - health care and public service
• 15.8% - administration and operations
• 10.8% - student scholarships, financial aid, and student services
• 10.4% - sponsored research and other sponsored programs
• 5.4% - auxiliary enterprise, including housing, dining, and parking
• 3.4% - Division I Athletics

Revenues to fund the university’s budget come through tuition and fees (28.8%); the state of New Jersey (21.9%); patient care services (19.8%); sponsored research (12.3%); federal student aid, gifts, endowments and investment income (10.2%); and miscellaneous sources, including housing, dining and parking services (7%).

HOW MUCH ARE STUDENTS PAYING?

This year, tuition for a typical full-time arts and sciences undergraduate who is a New Jersey resident will increase on average $448 for the academic year from $14,933 to $15,381. Fees vary by program, but average mandatory fees are estimated to increase by about $117 annually for in-state and out-of-state students from $3,891 to $4,008.

Tuition and mandatory fees for a typical full-time arts and sciences out-of-state undergraduate student will rise from $39,649 to $40,839. On average, housing and dining expenses will increase from $15,332 to $15,945 (4 percent).

STUDENT AID

Rutgers students with family adjusted gross income (AGI) up to $65,000 pay zero for tuition and mandatory fees 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, administrators said.

Through these and other programs, nearly 80 percent of Rutgers undergraduates received some form of student financial aid in the 2025-2026 academic year.

Meanwhile, more than 60 percent of undergraduates received at least one form of need-based aid, and nearly 38 percent qualified for Federal Pell Grants.

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