I think those scores only include students who applied with test scores, so is missing students who applied TO. In reality, the floor is likely quite a bit lower than the 1240.
I also don’t understand why NJ students would pay more $ to go to an OOS public. It seems many students who do attend Rutgers main campus are happy with their college experience.
We did a a bunch of summer tours last year. We didn’t find them much difference than the ones we did during the school year because most were on weekends.
Summer tour schedules are posted in late May or June. I wanted to set up a bunch at nearby colleges where my daughter was attending a pre-college summer program but we had to wait until it got closer because they didn’t know the students availability yet.
we are in NJ. Rutgers is just considered a compromise and a disappointing result for high and medium stats kids. Kids rather go to Delaware or Maryland because they think they are better college experiences and have a better reputation. We also have a ton of kids go to SUNYs at our HS rather than Rutgers. My S isn’t even planning on applying.
I can wrap my head around almost all of the “anti-Rutgers” perceptions, but when someone suggests that Delaware has a better reputation, I’m at a loss.
The other thing that hurts Rutgers is the refusal to join the common app. It’s amazing how many NJ kids won’t throw it out there as a safety, because of the extra work.
For students who are very focused on a particular major field, there are some where Delaware definitely has a stronger reputation.
That’s probably a relatively small proportion of it, though.
I have a kid at Rutgers and also know so many kids (and people my age) that went there… the main reason it’s looked down on (for the people I know at least) is that they don’t consider it a good “college experience”. It’s too spread out, buses all over the place for classes (1st two weeks of a semester can take you over 1/1.5 hrs to make it where you need to go until people figure out the buses), mediocre sports teams and not a significant amount of “school spirit”, fairly unhelpful advisors/admins (you really need to fend for yourself there).
As for the SAT/ACT scores, going back to pre-covid when 90%+ submitted scores, it was still over 1200 (I’m talking about New Brunswick) - it is by no means easy to get in, especially the competitive schools and programs.
It feels very much like it’s like 4 or so separate universities, not all that close to each other, just sharing a common name.
A lack of personal attention, bus schedules, and under-performing sports teams applies to about 40 of the flagships…but I agree they feel like bigger issues at Rutgers.
It can feel like a city school with none of the benefits, while also being a suburban school with none of those benefits either.
It starts with the visitors center…where you get on a bus for the tour, and only get off once to see a very run-of-the-mill dorm. Most of what you see is the same thing you’d see driving through town.
I wasn’t a fan of the Big 10 move, but I understand why they did it. The football games now feel like Wrestlemania. It’s an over-produced show, with very little substance. Maybe its to compensate for the loss the team is likely to endure. Having been to Michigan for a game a few years ago… it’s not even close to that experience.
It’s a shame that Rutgers doesn’t have a better reputation.
my friends who are not from NJ (CA, DC, MI) all have a lot of respect for Rutgers. It’s only locally that it doesn’t have such a great rep. the people that I know who have gone have all done very well in their lives and enjoyed their time there. But the local kids def do not want to go and many (mine included) do not apply. I think this is based on perceived student life issues and not academics.
Rutgers offered my D 0 in merit aid, compared to $15k/yr from Delaware and as much as $25k/ year from private colleges. It’s important to cast a wide net with college applications and not assume in-state is always the best bargain.
My high stats NJ kid was offered a measly $3,500 in merit aid for Rutgers honor’s program, compared to as much as $25k/ year from private schools. He started college in 2020 when Rutgers was shut down so I think it was good he went private.
But what was the net COA at each school? That is the number that matters, not the amount of merit. Did the $15k at Delaware OOS and the $25k from private make them a much lower cost of attendance than Rutgers? Or about the same?
Looks like UDel OOS tuition is 34K, room and board 14K - so yes, $15 in merit makes Delaware maybe $4000 more than Rutgers. I don’t want to harsh on Rutgers - many students and families attend and love it. And as I said upthread, I think academically, it is very good! But the kids in NJ do have a lot of other attractive options nearby.
But I think that’s why ‘in general’, people don’t feel the love from their in-states as much as from OOS or privates.
There is more wiggle room to give merit with the latter two, and yet still make money. All while making someone feel good 
Rutgers is one of the most expensive state schools, so I don’t find it to be a “best buy” compared to other slightly more expensive and, for various reasons, more attractive options. Fortunately my kids are not at colleges with striking faculty.
Maybe some folks in this thread get excited when shopping for a car that’s at MSRP + $5000 ADM + $3000 in junk dealer add-ons, and the dealer offers to sell it to them for $4000.
Can you believe it honey, we’re gonna save 4 grand on this car?
And then there’s clothing stores and 25% off (Spring Sale!)
A friend of mine at a NJ private school tells me that one of the 2 or 3 college advisors there tells each student, “Ok, first things first - get the Rutgers application done and out of the way, then we’ll focus on your targets.”
I think you are exactly correct, which is why I don’t get some of the focus on merit — it’s just marketing. They tell you something is very expensive then convince you to overall spend more than other options but say you got a bargain and make you feel wanted.
Obviously academic offerings, cost, and fit are huge and should be the focus. However, I know many who went to lesser ranked schools, instead of in -state flagships or directionals, because they felt special getting merit aid from an OOS or LAC. They were a marketers dream because decision was emotional about how they felt, not facts.
You should look a bit closer. Rutgers is lower than many of the regional flagships for both in- and out-of-state total cost of attendance.
| School | In-State | Out-of-State | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers | $30,172 | $47,872 | Link |
| University of Delaware | $32,444 | $59,964 | Link |
| University of Maryland | $30,488 | $59,290 | Link |
| University of Vermont | $35,998 | $61,442 | Link |
| Penn State (Main Campus) | $32,270 | $51,635 | Link |
| UConn | $37,878 | $60,546 | Link |
Rutgers is also among the lowest “in-state” COA in the Big 10.
If you consider Rutgers as an in-state option, then attending some of the schools above would require the non-resident COA for comparison purposes (the Bold numbers are the comparisons). Delaware, Vermont, Maryland and Connecticut are double the cost for a NJ kid versus Rutgers.
There are plenty of reasons for a NJ kids to want to go someplace other than Rutgers, but to suggest it’s not competitively priced, or that they went someplace else for $15k in “merit” money isn’t factual.
The other reality in this discussion (that I’ve seen multiple times) is that we’re talking about good to average students, who often get distracted or tired or depressed and need to step away. If you do that out of state, any “merit” or scholarship money will likely not be there when you are ready to return. In-state, assuming you don’t move, there is a lot more flexibility.
I’m thrilled my kids did not choose Rutgers. One is attending a private school with 2 scholarships that costs slightly more. The other attends a college that was open during the pandemic with Covid testing 3 times a week while Rutgers was shut down and neither of these colleges have striking faculty. I am happy to pay a little more for their experiences.
For less expensive state schools, look at UNC, FL, and UT, to name a few.
We were just discussing how it is a bad look for Rutgers to have faculty striking now, if I was an out of state parent who had options and was sending my kid to Rutgers for one of their well known programs (Performing arts, CS, etc) I would worry about how the school treats its TAs and adjunts. They definitely have a PR problem now.
Only some proportion of NJ students have the option, as we know budget is the primary driver of many, if not most, students’ college options.