Rutgers University is making students an offer that could be life-changing for many. If a student’s family earns less than $65K a year, they could go to school their tuition-free. And for families that earn less than $100K, tuition could be significantly lowered.
It’s all part of a new financial aid program called the Scarlet Guarantee that will be available starting this fall to students on the New Brunswick-Piscataway campus. About 20 percent of the campus’s undergrads are expected to qualify for the program, which totals approximately 7,600 students. The program is tied to the Garden State Guarantee, launched by Gov. Phil Murphy to make college more accessible and affordable.
Under the combined programs, undergraduates will pay no annual tuition or fees for all four years at Rutgers if their families have an adjusted gross income of $65K or less based on their tax documents.
Students whose families have an adjusted gross income of $65,001 to $80K will pay no more than $3,000 per year in tuition and fees. Those with families that have an adjusted gross income of $80,001 to $100K will pay no more than $5,000 per year in tuition and fees.
The programs do not cover the other costs of attending college such as room and board, books, transportation and other costs.
Rutgers is known for having one of the highest tuitions of a state school in the country. In-state tuition and fees are currently $15,804 a year for the average undergraduate on the New Brunswick-Piscataway campus. The university is hoping that this program will not only help students attend college but make them a more competitive choice as compared to going out-of-state.
