Funding Your Education

In This Section

Rutgers University–Newark is committed to making education affordable. Financial aid can consist of a variety of funds in the form of grants, loans, and possible scholarships.

2024-2025 Academic Year

Changes have been made to the 2024-2025 FAFSA as a part of the FAFSA Simplification Act. These changes are meant to modernize the FAFSA process, making it easier and faster to file while maximizing the aid available for every student. Due to these changes, some families have experienced issues when attempting to complete the new FAFSA. Institutions are experiencing delays in receiving the FAFSA data that allows for the preparation of 2024-2025 financial aid packages for students.

Due to these issues, the Rutgers priority filing deadline has been extended to March 15, 2024. If you have not done so, complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA by this date to be considered for any financial aid for which you may be eligible. In addition, the deadline for admitted students to accept our offer of admission has been extended to June 1, 2024.

Net Price Calculator

The Rutgers net price calculator (NPC) is designed to give you a personalized early estimate of your cost to attend Rutgers University. It’s very easy to use and takes less than 5 minutes to complete. It’s mobile friendly too! By answering just a few questions, you can better understand the cost of attendance, customized to your financial situation.  

Net Price Calculator

How to Use Net Price Calculator

Update On When Financial Aid Offers Will Be Available for Fall 2024

The message below was sent to Newly Admitted Undergraduate Students for Fall 2024--

The message below was sent to Newly admitted Gradaute Students for Fall 2024--

Admitted Student Day Presentations for Fall 2024

Understanding Your Financial Aid Package

Deep Dive FAFSA 2024-2025

To Qualify for Student Aid in the United States, You Must Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

The U.S. Department of Education uses the FAFSA to determine your eligibility for federal student aid, including grants, scholarships, federal work-study, and Federal Direct Loans. The FAFSA may also determine your eligibility for state and school aid.  If you plan to be enrolled this Fall 2024 semester, we strongly encourage you to complete the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Filling out the FAFSA is straightforward; with a bit of preparation and the helpful tips below, you should be ready to GO!

Who Is Eligible to Receive Federal Aid?

Students need to be enrolled in a Title IV-eligible school, meaning one that can receive federal financial aid funds, to receive aid.

  • U.S. citizens
  • Nationals
  • Legal permanent residents
  • individuals with an Arrival-Departure Record from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services showing specific designations (such as refugees)\

FAFSA School Code- Rutgers University

  • Rutgers University (all locations) has one school code
  • When you get to the Colleges section, select the "Search by School Code" option 
  • Type 002629 in the Federal School Code search bar and click Search
  • Select Rutgers University and click "Continue"

2024–25 FAFSA Form

You might need the following information or documents as you fill out the 2024–25 FAFSA form:

  • Your parents’ SSNs if you’re a dependent student (Your answers to questions on the FAFSA® form determine whether you are considered a dependent or independent student)
  • Your 2022 federal income tax return.
  • Applying online – Students and all Contributors will need a studentaid.gov account.
  • Records of child support received.
  • Records of untaxed income.
  • Current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts.
  • Net worth of investments, businesses, and farm.
  • Rutgers school code: 002629.

Keep these records! You may need them at a later date. Do not mail these supporting records to us unless we request them. We will notify you at the Rutger email account if documents are required to complete your financial aid file. A complete list will be available on the MyRutgers Portal and the Financial Aid Widget.

Important Terms You Will See Throughout the FAFSA Form Process

  • Contributor: Refers to anyone required to provide information, consent, approval, and a signature on the FAFSA form. Beginning with the 2024-25 FAFSA, each contributor will complete their own section of the form. The contributor’s role is to organize the FAFSA form, each section consisting of a group of questions and instructions about that contributor.
  • Parent: A legal parent includes a biological parent, an adoptive parent, or a person the state has determined to be your parent (for example, when a state allows another person’s name to be listed as a parent on a birth certificate).
  • Dependent Student: At least one parent will be a contributor to the FAFSA, and their information, consent, approval, and signature will be required.
  • Independent Student: Parental Information is not required on the FAFSA. If you are married and do not file taxes jointly, your spouse will contribute to the FAFSA, and their information, consent, and approval, and signature are required to complete the FAFSA.  
  • Provisionally Independent: The student can complete the FAFSA without parent information, consent and approval, and signature when a student answers the unusual circumstance question as “Yes.” The student must provide documentation of their circumstance to the Office of Financial Aid.  Learn more by visiting the Scarlethub.
  • Student Aid Index:
  • FAFSA Submission Summary: Replaces the Student Aid Report (SAR) as the student’s output document, providing a summary of data input on the FAFSA form.
  • Unusual Circumstance: conditions that justify a financial aid administrator adjusting a student’s dependency status, commonly referred to as a dependency override, based on an unusual situation (e.g., human trafficking or parental abandonment).
  • Special Circumstances: A special or extenuating situation (such as the loss of a job) that impacts a student’s financial condition and supports a financial aid administrator adjusting data elements in the Cost of Attendance (COA) or the Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation on a case-by-case basis. Learn more by visiting the Scarlethub.
  • FSA ID: username and password used to log in to all Federal Student Aid products and tools on StudentAid.gov.
  • Consent & Approval: The student and each contributor to the FAFSA form must provide consent and approval to the access, disclosure, and use of FTI in evaluating the applicant’s eligibility for Title IV aid. Consent and approval are required regardless of the application method (online or paper).
  • FAFSA FTI Approval: formal approval granted by an applicant and any applicable contributors for a given FAFSA cycle to retrieve and use Federal Tax Information (FTI) to determine an applicant’s federal financial aid eligibility as well as permit the redisclosure of FTI by the Department to an eligible institution; state higher education agency; or a designated scholarship organization for the application, award, and administration of student aid programs. An applicant and contributor (if applicable) must provide approval once each year. If FAFSA FTI approval is not provided, the student will not be eligible for Title IV aid until each contributor approves.

FAFSA Filing Options 

  1. FAFSA Form online.
  2. FAFSA PDF (note: you must print out and mail the FAFSA PDF for processing).
  3. Request a print-out of the FAFSA PDF by calling us at 1-800-433-3243; then, fill out the form and mail it for processing.

Let's Briefly Review Each FAFSA Filling Option

FAFSA On Line

Families can complete the form using a computer, mobile phone, or tablet. The Federal Student Aid website is mobile-responsive, so pages fit the device's screen size and shape. The easiest, fastest, and most accurate way to complete a form is by using the online application and providing consent and approval for accessing, disclosing, and using federal tax information (FTI). The online FAFSA form provides robust instructions and help in completing the form. It also provides a clear path for the student and each contributor, allowing them to skip (or never see) questions that are unnecessary, irrelevant, or already known based on information previously provided or imported. However, some applicants will be unable or unwilling to complete the FAFSA form online.

On the 2024–25 FAFSA form, every contributor needs a StudentAid.gov account before accessing and completing their section of the online form.

Creating An FSA ID- What You'll Need

  • Your Social Security number (if applicable)
  • Your own email address
  1. Go to Create Account.
  2. Provide your name, date of birth, and Social Security number (SSN) if applicable.
  3. Enter a unique username.
  4. Enter your email address.
  5. Enter a strong password.
  6. Enter your mailing address.
  7. Enter your mobile phone number. Select the box to indicate if you want to register your mobile phone to receive one-time secure codes if you forget your username or password. (You’ll be required to provide your email address or mobile phone number and to opt-in to messaging before you can proceed.)
  8. Select your communication preferences.
  9. For security purposes, complete the challenge questions and answers.
  10. Confirm and verify your information.
  11. Agree to the terms and conditions.
  12. Enable two-step verification by verifying your email address or mobile phone. You can also use an authenticator app.
  13. Write down your back-up code.  

Note: Contributors without an SSN.

What if We Do Not have a Social Security Number?

Starting the ONLINE FAFSA Form

  1. To start the online 2024–25 FAFSA form: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
  2. select “Start New Form.”
  3. You’ll be taken to the “Log In” page to enter your account username and password.
  4. After logging in, you can select your applicable role to fill out the FAFSA form: “Student” or “Parent.”
  5. You (the student) should select “Student.”
  6. If a parent wants to start their dependent child’s FAFSA form, they should select the “Parent” option.

While filling out the form, students and parents must disclose income and indicate whether they received benefits from federal programs like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or free or reduced-price school lunch. Child support payments have been moved to the asset section of the form – which only families with an adjusted gross income of $60,000 or higher must fill out.  

The online FAFSA is typically processed by the Department of Education within three to five days, and then the information is sent to the list of schools each student provided. The colleges use that to determine financial aid eligibility.

PAPER (PDF) FAFSA Form

The paper (PDF) FAFSA form is available online from the Department of Education.  The form can be printed and completed by hand or by typing the data on the PDF before printing and mailing it. If needed, students can request single copies from the Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) by calling 1-800-433-3243. FSA no longer prints or mails aid-related publications. For help filling out the FAFSA form, go to StudentAid.gov/fafsahelp or call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). If you need assistance in another language, visit StudentAid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/request-interpreter.

The paper application requires all the same information as the online version, including consent and approval, and signatures from all contributors. The paper form may leave more room for mistakes as there are no electronic edits or skip logic built into this process.   Students and families who elect to complete the paper PDF FAFSA Form should thoroughly read the instructions to avoid processing errors and delays.

The paper FAFSA is 22 pages long:

  • Pages 1-6: Informational Text
  • Pages7-12: Student Role Questions
  • Pages 13-14: Student/Spouse Role Questions
  • Pages 15-17: Parent Role Questions
  • Pages 18-19: Parent Spouse or Partner Role Questions
  • Pages 20: Preparer Role Questions
  • College Use only and Data Entry Use only sections
  • Pages 21-22: Notes/Glossary

Helpful Hintes for the Paper (PDF) FAFSA Form

  • You may fill the answer fields electronically and then print the form or print the form first and complete it by hand.
  • If you complete the form by hand, use dark ink and write clearly. 
  • Fill in both circle and square answer fields completely.
  • For circle answer fields, choose only one response. 
  • for square answer fields, choose all that apply.
  •  Print in BLOCK CAPITAL letters and skip a box between words.
  • Report dollar amounts such as $12,356.41 without cents.

After you complete this application, make a copy of pages 7 through 20 for your records. Then mail the original of pages 7 through 20 to:

Federal Student Aid Programs
P.O. Box 70204
London, KY 40742-0204

Extra postage will be required. After your application is processed, you will receive a summary of your information in your FAFSA Submission Summary. If you provide an email address, your summary will be sent by email within three to five days. If you do not provide an email address, your summary will be mailed to you within three weeks. If you would like to check the status of your application, go to StudentAid.gov or call 1-800-433-3243

Regardless of submission method, paper or online, the applicant will receive a FAFSA Submission Summary. The report includes the applicant's responses to the form's questions as well as the Student Aid Index. This number is used to determine a student's eligibility for federal financial aid.

New Jersey State Financial Aid 

HESAA, the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, is the only New Jersey state agency with the sole mission of providing students and families with financial and informational resources for students to pursue their education beyond high school.

File the NJ State Alternative Financial Aid Application is NOW AVAILABLE!

Note: Dates are subject to change for New Jersey state aid.

 

Commitement to College Cost Transparency Initiative 

Rutgers University-Newark is committed to using the Principles & Standards of the College Cost Transparency Initiative in its student financial aid offer. 

 

How to Access Your Financial Aid Offer Letter

In an effort to help you best understand how to apply for financial aid, the university has created tutorial videos on how to go about applying for financial aid; how to file a FASFA; how to go about understanding student loans; and how to deal with student loan issues.

these deadlines will help maximize your financial aid eligibility. Accessing Your Award Letter

Make sure to activate your netID. If you should have issues with your netID, please contact the Rutgers-Newark OIT Help Desk by calling (833) OIT-HELP or emailing help@newark.rutgers.edu 

Step by step guide on logging into myRutgers to view financial aid award letter

View your financial aid award letter with tutorial video (located at the bottom of the site)

Understanding your offer letter with tutorial video (located at the button of the site)

Managing Required Documents

View tutorial video (located under video tutorial tab on botton of site)

Step-by-step guide on how to upload your required document(s) 

Granting Access to Authorized Users

The myGuest Dashboard provides authorized users such as parents, guardians, and third parties with the ability to view student information online. Students must grant authorization to guests and choose which information they will be able to view. Please note: A guest will only be able to view financial aid information if the student granted them access to do so. In addition, students must choose the Custodial permission level when granting access if authorized users need to submit requested documentation.

Step by step for granting access to authorized users

Step by step for Authorized users

 

image above provide process prior to the new 2024-2025 FAFSA Simplicifation

RU–N to the TOP

In 2016, the university established the Rutgers University–Newark Talent and Opportunity Pathways financial aid program, (RU-N to the TOP), for newly enrolled undergraduate students. The university expanded its reach of the RU-N to the TOP program for students who are newly admitted for fall 2022.  The expanded program continues to solidify our strategic plan and commitments to boundary-crossing scholarship, diverse talent cultivation, and engagement as an anchor institution. The RU-N to the TOP program enables us to build upon these commitments and recruit the most outstanding students from across the state of New Jersey.

The RU-N to the TOP program provides a “last-dollar” financial aid scholarship that covers the cost of in-state tuition and mandatory fees. The scholarship is offered after all federal, state, institutional, internal/external scholarships and grants have been applied. Students must meet the program’s eligibility and income requirements.  There is no separate application that is required for this scholarship.

Newly admitted students for fall 2022 and beyond will automatically be considered with the completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Financial Aid (FAFSA) or the NJ Alternative Application if you are a NJ Dreamer. Students who are unable to complete the required financial aid form due to ineligibility will need to complete a paper FAFSA and submit supporting income document to validate their AGI.

Garden State Guarantee                           Garden State Guarantee Logo

The Garden State Guarantee (GSG) is New Jersey’s promise to make a college degree more accessible and affordable. By reducing out-of-pocket costs for students and families, New Jersey is limiting the amount of debt that residents must borrow to attend an in-state, public college or university. This program further builds on Governor Phil Murphy’s commitment to improving college affordability.

You will automatically be considered for the GSG when you complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid  (FAFSA) or, if you qualify as a NJ Dreamer, the NJ Alternative Financial Aid Application (NJAFAA), by the posted state deadlines. Please use school code 002629 for Rutgers University.

You can learn details by visiting the "At a Glance" site.

Garden State Gurantee (GSG) Fact Sheet

Federal Student Aid Relief Programs

One-Time Federal Student Loan Debt Relief

This one-time debt relief is provided by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) as part of the Biden-Harris Administration student debt relief plan. Learn more about the Federal Student Loan Debt Relief program via the studentaid.gov site. Deadline for submission of the application is December 31, 2022.

Apply for Federal Student Loan Debt Relief

Public Services Loan Forgiveness

The “limited PSLF waiver” refers to the time-limited changes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program rules that allow borrowers to receive credit for past periods of repayment that would otherwise not qualify for PSLF. This opportunity ends on Oct. 31, 2022.

Note: If you are new to PSLF and want some background about the program, please visit our PSLF information page.

Still have questions about funding your education?

What forms do I need to complete to be eligible for financial aid?
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You will need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The 2024-2025 FAFSA will be released in December 2023 as part of the FAFSA Simplification Act. Rutgers University has created a site to explain the FASFA Simplification.

The school code for Rutgers is 002629.

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How long will it take for Rutgers University to receive my FAFSA?
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The Office of Financial Aid generally receives your FAFSA within seven business days from the time you complete the application. 

The 2024-2025 FAFSA will be released in December 2023 as part of the FAFSA Simplification Act. Rutgers University has created a site to explain the FASFA Simplification.

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I was selected for verification, and I've submitted all my paperwork. How long will it take to complete my file?
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The Office of Financial Aid generally takes 10 to 14 business days to process all documents from the time received. However, keep in mind that the time frame to process documents can be extended during peak processing time.

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Do I need to complete a separate application for a Graduate or Parent PLUS Loan?
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Yes. To apply for a PLUS loan, visit studentloans.gov. Make sure to log in with the appropriate FSA ID.

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Do I need to complete a separate application for federal direct loans?
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The only application needed for federal direct loans is the FAFSA

The 2024-2025 FAFSA will be released in December 2023 as part of the FAFSA Simplification Act. Rutgers University has created a site to explain the FASFA Simplification.

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How often do I apply for financial aid?
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The FAFSA is valid for one academic year, so you need to apply for the FAFSA every year by the university priority deadline. 

The 2024-2025 FAFSA will be released in December 2023 as part of the FAFSA Simplification Act. Rutgers University has created a site to explain the FASFA Simplification.

The 2025+2026 FAFSA will be released on October 1. 2024.

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Is there a deadline to apply for financial aid?
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The 2024-2025 FAFSA will be available in December, which is a change from the typical October 1 release date. The exact date will be communicated when available. Please do not attempt to complete the 2023-2024 FAFSA for the 2024-2025 academic year.

The 2024-2025 Rutgers priority filing deadline is March 15, 2024 for incoming, continuing and transfer students.

At this time, New Jersey financial aid deadines have not changed. Please visit the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) website for more information.

Dates are subject to change.

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What is the maximum family income cutoff for financial aid?
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There is no specific cutoff, as every situation is different.

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Do I have to be admitted to Rutgers before applying for financial aid?
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To maximize your financial aid eligibility, we recommend that you apply for financial aid before you know your admission status. However, you must be admitted to a regular degree program at Rutgers University to receive any form of financial aid.

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What happens if there's a change in my family's income from last year?
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If your income has changed from last year, please file a Change in Family Circumstances Form (CIFC).

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Can part-time students still receive financial aid?
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Yes. However, you must be enrolled at least half-time in your program to be considered for federal direct loans. The New Jersey Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) and some scholarships require you to be enrolled full-time.

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Is financial aid available for summer sessions?
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Yes. However, it is contingent on your academic year eligibility and limited university funding. The Summer Aid Application generally becomes available on April 1.

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Is financial aid available for study abroad programs?
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Please contact the Rutgers Center for Global Education to learn more about financial aid available for study abroad students.

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What will happen to my financial aid offer if I drop a course or withdraw from the university?
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If your tuition is adjusted because you drop a course, it may be necessary to reduce your financial aid. If you completely withdraw from the university during the first 60 percent of the term, your financial aid eligibility must be recalculated. Dropping courses and withdrawing are academic actions that might have serious financial implications, and they may affect your future aid eligibility because of failure to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Contact your regional office to speak with a financial aid representative for more information.

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I have prior educational loans that need to be deferred. Who processes my forms?
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The registrar of your respective school processes deferment forms.

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Key Contacts

Blumenthal Hall3rd Floor
249 University AvenueNewarkNJ07102

The Office of Financial Aid can assist with any questions in reference to federal, state and institutional aid.

Click here to contact us