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OT: What is the deal with Rutgers New Brunswick giving out academic scholarships

I'm familiar with Virginia (lots of friends down there) - UVA and W&M get 10%, JMU gets >25%, VT is around 20%. not sure about the other state schools like ODU and VCU.

The flagship schools are getting squeezed hard because of the perception of having enough endowment and donors to cover some of the gap. Instead, I am getting almost daily emails and monthly flyers soliciting donations because my school is claiming poverty.

Yeah, not sure what it is on the aggregate for VA public colleges but definitely the folks in Charlottesville have complained about cuts for years now. CWM too, I suppose...taking your word for it. Perhaps because both have smaller enrollments than VPISU so they've lost some leverage to their counterparts in Blacksburg over the years, though I would think both still have significant influence in Richmond.
 
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There's a few significant dynamics at play here.

1. Rutgers has not had the history of donations that nearly every other school of its size and like have had. Many of those donations are typically for scholarships and endowment funds that need to be built up over the years before they start distributing scholarships. Thats why at Rutgers you're much much more likely to get a scholarship for a specific program (Honors college, engineering program, etc.) because those programs have specific scholarship funds that have been established. You can't forget that Rutgers Univ NB used to actually be 5 different colleges, each having their own scholarships but no headline scholarships for general admission into Rutgers University. That only started being built up less than 10 years ago. And our annual giving/donations only become respectable about 7 years ago (still near or at the bottom of the B1G though)

2. Rutgers accepts significantly fewer out of state students than its peers in the B1G conference. The tution delta is significant (for the same product and services) and its essentially an additional profit margin for schools who bring out of staters in at a high rate. Penn St is notorious for this. Offering scholarships to a few bright students accomplishes many goals, including making your school more desirable to the scholarship earning student's classmates. Rutgers needs to simply accept more out of state students just to increase revenue.

3. State aid to Rutgers is an absolute disgrace. Been steeply declining for decades. We are the highest taxed state in the US and we have some of the best K-12 public schools. But essentially RU (or just NJ universities as a whole) hasn't had the advocate in Trenton its needed over the many many years.


.... to sum this up. Rutgers donors have been increasing their giving and more scholarships will be available in the future. Rutgers SHOULD increase their revenue by accepting a higher % of out of state students (but this makes it harder for NJ students to obtain admission). And lastly, state financial aid is likely to continue to decline and further putting NJ colleges in a survive on your own setting.
You’re #2 point is literally right on the money (pun intended - LOL). I’ve spoken about this on the Issues Board when both my boys were applying to college. Both got into all three schools they applied to at RU (ENG, SAS, SEBS) but it just wasn’t for them.

Their contemporaries (not just classmates) were getting spots at University Park with transcripts (because I knew the parents) not what you would think would merit State College acceptance right out of high school for an out of state applicant.
 
What I hear way too much is “all our tax dollars going to Rutgers Sports” when it is something like 25 cents per New Jerseyan.
It’s even less than that.

I know he’s not around much anymore but @RU4Real ran the numbers and came up with a figure of less than $.25.
 
Only reason I attended RU was because I was awarded a full academic scholarship (would’ve also paid for a 5th year if I wanted) and was part of the honors program. I had always assumed everyone in the program with me received full scholarships as well, but maybe that wasn’t the case?
 
Only reason I attended RU was because I was awarded a full academic scholarship (would’ve also paid for a 5th year if I wanted) and was part of the honors program. I had always assumed everyone in the program with me received full scholarships as well, but maybe that wasn’t the case?
Probably depends on the honors program and at which college, if going back a few years or more. Some of the NB colleges back then even had an honors program that started in the junior year for the last 2 years for those who qualified by how they performed in their first 2 years. And this may not have had any impact on receiving any scholarship money in those latter years, simply an academic merit distinction as well as being reflected on one's degree if he/she successully completed the requirements of said honors program at graduation.

Even the current day NB Honors College (regardless of the actual academic unit/college) may not be full ride for all enrollees but I could be wrong about that.
 
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She did get invited to send her application to the Honors College so I guess we will see where that goes.
Since my kids are late 40’s I can only speak of my nephew and his sister. Nephew is a sophomore Honors College at Rutgers. Outstanding student who was given almost a complete free ride . His sister has scholarship offers at 5 schools 2 are full and the others half . Also accepted into the Rutgers Honors program like her brother but as of yet no signs of assistance.
 
Mr Twister, New Jersey is one of the tops in the country in K-12. One of the reasons our taxes are insane. We educate young kids and then other states schools get the benefits of our kids jacking up their averages. Plus they end up with a lot of money from New Jersey Moms and Dads.
 
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Univ of Maryland OOS tuition is about $53k and the Banneker merit avg is 13k so the tuition would be $40k. Rutgers in state cost is about $28k. Maryland is still $12k more.
Rutgers is actually $36k with everything, if my daughter will only go to Maryland if she gets the full banner key scholarship. Their out of state tuition is ridiculously priced.
 
Mr Twister, New Jersey is one of the tops in the country in K-12. One of the reasons our taxes are insane. We educate young kids and then other states schools get the benefits of our kids jacking up their averages. Plus they end up with a lot of money from New Jersey Moms and Dads.
AND HOW !!!!!
Similar to the bridge sign in Trenton...

“New Jersey educates, the Country takes.”
 
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Similar to the bridge sign in Trenton...

“New Jersey educates, the Country takes.”
What % of them return back to NJ? Are we benefiting from them getting the education outside NJ and not having to expand NJ public universities facilities by 30%?
 
My son had a 1500 on his SATs, a 4.3 GPA and he is an Eagle Scout. Rutgers didn't give him a penny. I think they award money by school and probably by major. Assuming the $ was awarded fairly, they must have some seriously strong CS majors in the school of Arts and Sciences.
 
Rutgersdave, purely based on my own family— I graduated from Rutgers and one sister from Montclair State. Other than three and a half years I lived in Virginia and South Carolina, we both stayed in New Jersey. My brother went to college in North Carolina and other sister in Florida. They never moved back. Have no idea what the actual percentage is, but safe to say A LOT of New Jerseyans who go to college out of state never come back and cause a brain drain on the state.
 
My son had a 1500 on his SATs, a 4.3 GPA and he is an Eagle Scout. Rutgers didn't give him a penny. I think they award money by school and probably by major. Assuming the $ was awarded fairly, they must have some seriously strong CS majors in the school of Arts and Sciences.

They do; and again, opportunities to gain money once you're there.
 
Yes, it’s by college. Honors College always gets scholarship, beyond that things are rough.

And I know no one wants to hear this, but Rutgers gets a LOT of applicants who are 4.0+/1500+ kids. I work at a large public high school in NJ and just looked at our applicants from this year. Just over 50 of our 250ish applicants were 4.0+/1500+ this application cycle (and most of them were way over 4.0).

There is no way RU can afford to give that kind of money out - we’re just one high school, and I know my neighboring schools have the same kinds of stats.
 
Both my niece and nephew got full rides to RU for academics and my brother was a VP at Merck so he did not need the aid. They were tops in their classes at High tech HS if I’m not mistaken so they do give out but must be selective I guess
if I remember correctly, at one time Rutgers gave full academic tuition scholarships to every valedictorian and salutorian in NJ high schools. And I believe surprisingly few took advantage.
 
My info is way out of date since I’ve been retired 17 years. When I was working with state funding, the last administration that didn’t slice RU funding was Tom Kean’s.
 
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The talent/brain drain will continue unabated.
You should see my neighborhood here in SA...a lot of military but a lot of CA, NY, NJ, CT, PA escaping...at some point politicos up in your neck of the woods my come to the realization that it is “not them, maybe it is us”

🤭
 
Someone in the former Republic of Texas is getting dangerously close to politics.
 
Remember for many years (roughly 1990s-2000s) our friends in Trenton subtracted money from the State appropriation for every out-of-state student we accepted.

This coincided with their massive decrease in the overall appropriation over many years and no capital spending between the mid 1980s and Bond issue Governor Christie signed.
 
Remember for many years (roughly 1990s-2000s) our friends in Trenton subtracted money from the State appropriation for every out-of-state student we accepted.

This coincided with their massive decrease in the overall appropriation over many years and no capital spending between the mid 1980s and Bond issue Governor Christie signed.

That turn of events was about as damaging (financially) as any in the "recent" history of Rutgers University.
 
Everyone in prior postings wanted higher standards for Rutgers to increase their college rankings. With the higher standards, it’s become more competitive to get into Rutgers and more competitive to get academic scholarships. Nobody in my family is brainy enough to even think of academic scholarship and that’s why our family plan to save for their kids college education. No one can plan for athletic or academic scholarships.
 
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Everyone in prior postings wanted higher standards for Rutgers to increase their college rankings. With the higher standards, it’s become more competitive to get into Rutgers and more competitive to get academic scholarships. Nobody in my family is brainy enough to even think of academic scholarship and that’s why our family plan to save for their kids college education. No one can plan for athletic or academic scholarships.
What is the best way to save for college now ? The 529? New Jersey or another state ?
 
I was in the same situation many many moons ago. National merit scholarship finalist, scholarship offers from Maryland's honors program. Money from Penn State's honors program, partial scholarships from several very good private schools... not a single cent offered from RU.

Which school came out cheapest all said and done?
 
What is the best way to save for college now ? The 529? New Jersey or another state ?

To get your kids to agree to do a community college for 2 years and then transfer into a 4 year school. If they know what school they want to transfer into and its nearby they can integrate themselves socially via their HS friends that went there and while they're not even students yet - attend all the parties, most of the events, college games, etc.

Honestly for kids/parents that don't have the insane money and don't want to be completely buried in debt - that is by far the smartest and most underutilized route. Takes a lot of intention and self discipline and a bit of sacrifice to pull off.
 
Which school came out cheapest all said and done?
maryland would have been about half ride, penn state was partial and they both came out to a similar price tag to RU full boat, but I had the luxury of being able to choose to go to a smaller school without a scholarship.
 
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This is a good point. State funding to RU is pathetic. That said, sure seems like sometimes the same people complaining about the cost of RU send their children out-of-state to Norte Dame, Michigan, Villanova, etc for $65k/year instead.

Bingo.

Would love to hear the name of even *one* OOS school that's cheaper than RU and comparable academically.
 
Rutgers is actually $36k with everything, if my daughter will only go to Maryland if she gets the full banner key scholarship. Their out of state tuition is ridiculously priced.

So all in, unless that scholly comes through, RU is still cheapest?
 
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maryland would have been about half ride, penn state was partial and they both came out to a similar price tag to RU full boat, but I had the luxury of being able to choose to go to a smaller school without a scholarship.

Perhaps you would've chosen similarly even if you did get some/partial money from RU? or how about full-ride money? ....seeing as you may have preferred the smaller school environment to big flagship.

Just curious, did you stay in that state where you went to school to live & work upon graduation or did you end up elsewhere (incl. back in NJ, or NYC/Philly metros)?

Many variables play into the post-college relocation decision so it doesn't reflect one way or the other IMO. Historically, I don't think NJ has fared too poorly, in the aggregate, when it comes to brain drain but the state could be doing worse these days than a generation or two ago. Not sure one way or the other.
 
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If you know families whose child wants to go to Rutgers, but can’t because of financial reasons , RU offers a program called Bridging The Gap. It offers tuition assistance at the Camden campus at up to 100 percent. Here is more information—

 
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Perhaps you would've chosen similarly even if you did get some/partial money from RU? or how about full-ride money? ....seeing as you may have preferred the smaller school environment to big flagship.

Just curious, did you stay in that state where you went to school to live & work upon graduation or did you end up elsewhere (incl. back in NJ, or NYC/Philly metros)?

Many variables play into the post-college relocation decision so it doesn't reflect one way or the other IMO. Historically, I don't think NJ has fared too poorly, in the aggregate, when it comes to brain drain but it could be doing worse these days than a generation or two ago. Not sure one way or the other.
i would have definitely considered RU if a full ride was on the table.

I ended up coming back to NJ after graduation, but I will say that it was significantly harder to find a job up here than if I had gone to college in the area. I do think that is a consideration that many kids don't value enough. Unless you're getting into the traveling consultant/Big 4 life, where you go to school is likely where the job offers are going to be. To break back into the NJ/NYC market when going to school out of the region, it gets a lot harder, as there's so much competition for jobs.
 
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