Who We Are
Rutgers is a leading national public research university, serving more than 68,000 students at major locations in New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden. The university has more than 486,000 living alumni worldwide and graduates more than 16,000 students each year.
As the state’s preeminent, comprehensive public institution of higher education, we have a threefold mission.
Teaching
We teach across the full educational spectrum: preschool to postdoctoral to lifelong learning, but always with a core commitment to undergraduate education.
Research
From finding new treatments for brain tumors to exploring the origins of the universe, our researchers pursue answers and push boundaries.
Public Service
Our knowledge and problem-solving talents reach near and far, from nurturing small businesses in New Jersey and providing the state’s best cancer care to bringing clean water to rural Thailand and reducing cases of tuberculosis worldwide.
Historic Home: Where Rutgers Began
Rutgers University–New Brunswick is the historic home of Rutgers University. It is where New Jersey’s state university first took root in 1766, and today, it has a depth and breadth of resources found nowhere else in New Jersey and rarely found at other institutions nationwide.
Here 10 Years before Washington Crossed the Delaware
Chartered in 1766 as Queen’s College, Rutgers is the nation’s eighth oldest institution of higher learning and one of nine colonial colleges established before the American Revolution.
What’s a Rutgers?
In the early 19th century, trustee and Revolutionary War veteran Colonel Henry Rutgers, left, donated vital funds to sustain the institution; in 1825, we renamed the school in his honor.
New Jersey’s Land-Grant Institution
In 1864, Rutgers prevailed over Princeton to become New Jersey’s land-grant institution.
The State University of New Jersey
In 1945 and 1956, state legislative acts designated Rutgers as The State University of New Jersey.
Five Campus Communities
Rutgers University–New Brunswick has facilities in the city of New Brunswick, the township of Piscataway, and several surrounding municipalities. The campus functions as a small, vibrant city, made up of five communities.
Prestigious Membership
In 1989, Rutgers was invited to join the Association of American Universities (AAU), making Rutgers one of the top 62 research universities in North America. Princeton is New Jersey’s only other AAU member.
A New Era in Health Care
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, a major new health education, research, and clinical division of the university, was established in July 2013.