rutgers university admission essay

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How to Respond to the 2023-2024 Rutgers Supplemental Essay Prompts

Cece Gilmore is a Content Writer at Scholarships360. Cece earned her undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University. While at ASU, she was the education editor as well as a published staff reporter at Downtown Devil. Cece was also the co-host of her own radio show on Blaze Radio ASU.

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Bill Jack has over a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. Since 2008, he has worked at Colby College, Wesleyan University, University of Maine at Farmington, and Bates College.

The Rutgers University essay prompts are ready and waiting! If your goal is to become a Scarlet Knight, then read on because we have a handy dandy guide on how to best respond to the Rutgers’ application prompts. Keep in mind that students can also apply to Rutgers through the Common Application , but our guide focuses on the Rutgers specific prompts. Ok, let’s learn how to best respond to the Rutgers supplemental essay prompts!

First, some background on Rutgers University

Rutgers University is the state university of New Jersey. As a diverse public research university. Rutgers offers three regional campuses in the following cities in New Jersey: 

• New Brunswick

Rutgers offers more than 150 undergraduate majors throughout their schools and colleges across all three campuses. Therefore, Rutgers has something for everyone! Let’s break down the Rutgers essay choices to make responding as clear as possible. 

The Rutgers University supplemental essay prompts

Rutgers requires applicants to complete only one essay – so it is your lucky day!  Applicants can choose from a list of five different topics or submit an essay on the topic of their choice. Therefore, be sure to select the prompt that most interests you. Essay responses should be up to 3800 characters (or 500 words).

Remember, do not select a prompt or write your own essay about a subject you have already written about for your Common App or in any other part of your application. You want Rutgers to get a good well-rounded sense of who you are so avoid repetition when possible! 

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“Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.”

For this prompt, think about a moment in your life that has changed you. If an event did not immediately pop into your mind, this may not be the prompt for you. However, if you read this prompt and said, “I have a profound story to share…,” think of the following questions to help you write your response. 

Questions to consider

• Who was involved and what happened during this experience? 
• What did you learn from this instance?
• How has this event changed you as a person? 
• What do you want someone to take away from this story of your life? 

The most important aspect of this essay response is to focus on how this experience demonstrates your character or helped to shape it. Don’t get too caught up in describing the experience in extreme detail. Connect back to Rutgers at the end of your response and show how you plan on using your experience to help you in your future endeavors. It will also demonstrate that you are the type of person who truly learns from the past and will continue to blossom while attending Rutgers.

Also see: How to write an essay about yourself  

“What interests or excites you? How does it shape who you are now or who you might become in the future?”

For this prompt, it is important to focus on your main hobbies and interests. You want to be completely authentic in your responses to allow Rutgers to truly get to know you. Therefore, truly reflect on your passions and life and select the one that means the most to you. 

• What is something you are passionate about? 
• What have you learned from this passion/interest? 
• How did you become interested in this topic? 

After writing about your passion or interest, it is important to answer the second part of this question, “How does it shape who you are now or who you might become in the future?” 

In order to answer the second part of this question, you will need to reflect deeply on this passion or interest you selected. 

• How has this interest changed you? 
• What have you learned about yourself through this passion? 
• Why is this an interest you have? 

The most important thing is that you are reflecting upon your passion and digging deep to discover what motivates you and how it has shaped you. 

Also see: What looks good on a college application?

“Describe a time when you had a positive impact on others. What were the challenges? What were the rewards?”

To answer this prompt, choose a distinct time in your life where you had a positive impact on others. Be sure this is a very obvious event or time when you had a positive impact.  Once you decide what event to write about, make sure that you provide meaningful details. This includes setting the scene, describing what exactly happened, and how you had a positive impact.

After describing the time, dive into the challenges and rewards of this particular time in your life. In addition, write about what you have learned from this experience. 

• How did you make a positive impact on others? 
• Would you want to be in a similar situation again? 
• What were the responses of those around you? Positive or negative? 
• Why did you take on the role of being a positive impact on others? 
• What did you learn about yourself from this experience? 

“Has there been a time when an idea or belief of yours was questioned? How did you respond? What did you learn?”

To begin this prompt, think about a time in which you were questioned. This could be a time in which you realized your beliefs were right or even wrong!

Once you choose an example, set the scene and make that experience come to life. 

• What led up to your beliefs being questioned?
• Who questioned you? A stranger? A close friend? 
• Was this questioning of beliefs friendly? Or more confrontational? 
• Did this event make you question your beliefs? Or uphold these beliefs more strongly? 
• What did you learn from this event? 
• How will you demonstrate what you learned from this event while attending Rutgers? 

The most important part of responding to this prompt is your demonstration of growth and learning from this experience. Therefore, be sure to truly reflect on this experience and share how you will continue to take what you learned with you. 

“What success have you achieved or obstacles have you faced? What advice would you give a sibling or friend going through a similar experience?”

For this response, choose to write about either a success you have achieved or an obstacle you have faced. No matter which option you choose to write about, it is important to describe what exactly happened. After describing either the success or obstacle, you should then describe what you learned from this experience. 

Then, you should detail advice you would give a friend or sibling that is going through a similar situation. This genuine advice should be that you would actually give a friend or family member. 

• What accomplishments mean the most to you?
• What obstacle have you had to overcome?
• Did anyone support your success or help you through a difficult time?

“Submit an essay on a topic of your choice”

The final topic example for the Rutgers supplemental essay is to just simply submit an essay on a topic of your choice. Select this option if none of the other options stood out to you. Remember, this is an admissions requirement, so you want to ensure that you are putting your best foot forward and not using an essay from another school.

The most important thing to note if you select this option is that you should not be repeating yourself in your application. Therefore, if your Common App essay is about your soccer career, this essay should not be about your soccer career! Rather, highlight one of your other amazing characteristics. Write about something that has not yet been discussed on your application.

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Wrapping up

Although Rutgers only requires one essay response, it can be quite daunting trying to choose between all of the options they provide. Therefore, try to pick the topic that most appeals to you–the one that makes you feel you could  write a novel about! Also, remember if none of the topics appeal to you, you can choose to write an essay on a topic of your choice. Remember, Rutgers is viewing your application as a whole, so it is important to be authentic and avoid repetition. Best of luck! 

Additional resources

Scholarships360 is a great source that offers an abundance of assistance in the college application process! Check out our other helpful guides on how to write a great supplemental essay , how to respond to the Common App prompts , how to write an essay about yourself , and how to write 250 or 500 word essays. 

Other colleges to consider

• University of Delaware (Newark, DE)
• Cornell University (Ithaca ,NY)
• New York University (New York, NY)

Frequently asked questions about responding to the Rutgers supplemental essay prompts

Does rutgers care about application essays, how long should my rutgers essay be, how to i stand out when writing my rutgers essay, can i reuse essays from other applications for my rutgers essay, scholarships360 recommended.

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A Good Rutgers Essay Example

What’s covered:, essay example , where to get feedback on your essay .

With over 60,000 students, Rutgers University is the largest higher education institution in New Jersey. With such a large school, there is something for everybody, which is why it might seem that everybody applies. In order to make your Rutgers application stand out from the crowd, you need to have well-written essays. In this post, we’ll share a real essay a student submitted to Rutgers, and outline its strengths and areas of improvement. (Names and identifying information have been changed, but all other details are preserved).

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Since the Rutgers essay prompts are the same as the Coalition Application prompts, we recommend checking out our guide to the Coalition Application essays for a comprehensive breakdown on how to write these supplemental prompts.

Prompt: Has there been a time when you’ve had a long-cherished or accepted belief challenged? How did you respond? How did the challenge affect your beliefs? (No word count given)

I was about to eat the last cookie when I heard a low growl. I looked up at my friend, her cheeks flushed red, and her brow pinched in a tight dip. She didn’t make eye contact with me when I extended my hand to give her the cookie. She pushed it away, and I kept insisting until she finally gave in. Growing up, family was extremely important to me. I was taught to treat others like my family, a mantra we would repeat. Sharing that cookie, despite not having lunch that day, was like sharing the last tortilla with my brother.

As much as I would like to say family is important to me now, it’s not. At least not the accepted concept of family which is the people you are related to by blood. The problem with this concept of family is that you don’t get to choose the people in your family, no matter how good or bad of a person they are. 

Unfortunately, I learned this through my dad’s death. Before this tragedy, my family was inseparable. We would have parties every weekend to celebrate the big game or just see each other. Now, those parties only frequent the occasional birthday. It was weird for me to lose my closeness with my family, but this closeness was quickly replaced by relationships with my friends. I’ll never forget the heartfelt discussions I had with my friend Nick, who would give his shoulder for me to cry on and tell a joke that would make me wheeze in laughter.

Two years have passed, and I stand towering over my dad’s grave. There’s a flag pierced in the dead grass, and my hands are frozen. It’s quiet, and I think about the detrimental truth my mom whispered in my ear. It took me so long to realize this, blind to the hints he left behind. He would have improved his chances of surviving cancer if he took care of himself. He didn’t care about my brother and me, and at his grave I accepted that. I talked to him genuinely one last time, touched his tombstone, then walked away. I moved on.

This truth of my dad not caring for his health dawned the realization that my family was just a bunch of people who didn’t know me. I coped through isolation as I was comfortable being alone, but my family tried to force me out to go places and surround myself with people who weren’t emotionally available. In response, I instead surrounded myself with the people I chose to be my family, such as Nick. We would often go to the mall and browse each store or go to the Rollercade and spend hours falling. I would steal sips from his red ICEE, and he would always try to catch me but slip on the floor. These moments meant more than scarce instances I had with my dad. 

Every day I message my friends, some new and others old. I cherish these people who are not bound by blood, but for my personality, my laughter, my jokes, and my intelligence. I’ll never forget how my reformed belief of family allowed me to make friends who have made long lasting impressions and positive influences in my life.

What the Essay Did Well

The first thing that jumps out at you is how vulnerable this essay is. The author wasn’t afraid to let the reader into their personal life, and because of that, the essay is stronger. So much more is revealed about who this student is and how they respond to difficult situations because they were honest with us.

Another thing that this essay does well is describing what family means to this student. Taking an accepted concept like family and boiling it down to the little moments helps us see what they value. For them, seeing each other frequently, celebrating together, having a shoulder to cry on, sharing the last bite of food, and losing track of time by just being in each other’s company is what makes a family. Sprinkling in all these examples and anecdotes shows us what their definition of a family is, without explicitly needing to tell us.

There’s a nice balance in this essay between what this student accepted as the traditional idea of family and how they now see family. For this prompt, it’s important to have that balance so you can show what the long-cherished belief was, as well as how a challenge to that belief changed your perspective. This essay does a good job of encompassing both.

What Could Be Improved

Although a really vulnerable topic can be great for revealing personal details and creating empathy, it can also backfire and make the reader uncomfortable. This isn’t a guarantee, but it’s something to keep in mind when choosing a deeply personal and somewhat traumatic topic. For the most part, the author did a good job of keeping the story focused on themselves and their emotions, but it’s always a possibility that someone reading the essay lost someone close to them and finds this essay too hard to read.

In terms of the structure of the essay, it wavered back and forth between focusing on the student’s dad and their friends. To make it a little easier to follow, they should have started with how their traditional family was important to them until their dad died, and then explain how they found a new definition of family among their friends. This structure is more concise and clearer than starting with the dad, jumping to Nick, going back to the dad, and then going to Nick once again.

Want feedback like this on your Rutgers essay before you submit? We offer expert essay review by advisors who have helped students get into their dream schools. You can book a review with an expert to receive notes on your topic, grammar, and essay structure to make your essay stand out to admissions officers.

Haven’t started writing your essay yet? Advisors on CollegeVine also offer expert college counseling packages . You can purchase a package to get one-on-one guidance on any aspect of the college application process, including brainstorming and writing essays.

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Rutgers University Supplemental Essays Guide: 2021-2022

Not sure how to approach the Rutgers essay prompts? CollegeAdvisor.com’s guide to the Rutgers supplemental essays will show you how to write engaging Rutgers essays and maximize your admissions odds.

For more help crafting your Rutgers supplemental essays, click here to create your free account or schedule a free advising consultation by calling (844) 343-6272.

Rutgers Essay Guide Quick Facts:

• According to U.S. News , the Rutgers University Ranking is #63 in National Universities.
• Rutgers has an acceptance rate of 66.9%.
• Rutgers requires one essay of 3800 characters through the Coalition Application or their Rutgers portal.
• We recommend completing the Rutgers supplement essay cohesively and thoroughly to maximize your admissions odds. Strong Rutgers essays can make a huge difference!

Rutgers University wants students who will be active members of their academic community and the Global Rutgers network . Rutgers looks for students who can clearly articulate their beliefs and values to others. This is why the Rutgers application essay is so important.

Ready to get started? Let’s talk Rutgers essays.

Does Rutgers have a Supplemental Essay?

Yes. Rutgers accepts applications through the Rutgers Application Portal or the Coalition Application. All applicants must complete one Rutgers supplement essay, which can be submitted either through the Coalition Application or through the Rutgers Application Portal.

The Rutgers-specific essay prompts are the same as those listed on the Coalition Application.

Check out the Rutgers admissions website for more specific details, including information about the Rutgers application essay and tips on how to write strong Rutgers essays.

How Many Essays does Rutgers Require?

Good news! There is only one Rutgers supplemental essay.

Rutgers requires one essay of 3800 characters including spaces (around 500 words). This essay should address one of four topics . Your Rutgers application essay can also be on a topic of your choosing.

Does Rutgers Care about Supplemental Essays?

Yes—all schools care about supplemental essays, and Rutgers is no exception.

The Rutgers essay is a great chance for applicants to show who they are and why they should be admitted. Additionally, your Rutgers application essay is your only chance to address the admissions team on your own terms. The Rutgers admissions team will read thousands of Rutgers essays, and you want yours to stand out. In your Rutgers supplement essay, then, you should do all you can to show what makes you unique.

How do I Write the Rutgers College Essay?

We have provided the prompts for the Rutgers supplemental essays 2021-2022 below. You’ll find a breakdown of how to approach the Rutgers essays as well as tips for creating a strong application narrative.

In your Rutgers supplemental essays, you’ll want to keep your application narrative in mind. An application narrative is the story that your application tells. Ideally, each part of your application will work together to form a full picture. For example, a student looking to study architecture may seek out recommendation letters from their math teachers. That student may also highlight a summer internship at a local architecture firm. Finally, they may write an essay on the moment that they discovered their interest in building design.

Unsure of what an application narrative would look like for you? Check out CollegeAdvisor’s article A Deep Dive into the Personal Narrative .

What are the Essays for Rutgers?

The Rutgers supplemental essays 2021-2022 are available on the main Rutgers website along with a full list of application requirements. You can also find the Rutgers application essays on the Coalition Application.

Additionally, we’ve outlined each of the Rutgers supplemental essays below. We’ve also included strategies on how to respond to each of the Rutgers essay prompts.

Have questions about how to approach supplemental essays for other applications? Then check out our FAQs on all things Supplemental Essays .

Let’s break down the Rutgers essay prompts!

Choosing one of the Rutgers essay prompts is one of the most important parts of the essay process. There are five Rutgers essay prompts. Not sure which to choose? Try thinking about the following questions as you approach each potential Rutgers supplemental essay topic.

For each potential Rutgers application essay topic, ask yourself:

• Do I have a specific story to tell?
• Why am I telling this story?
• How does my story connect to my interest in Rutgers?
• Can I address what I like about Rutgers that I can’t find anywhere else?

If you can answer these questions clearly, then you are ready to write your Rutgers application essay!

Need more inspiration? Then, check out CollegeAdvisor’s article 39 essay tips from Admissions Experts .

Rutgers Supplemental Essays – Topic 1 (Optional)

Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.

The Rutgers essay prompts are designed to help you introduce yourself to the admissions committee. In your Rutgers supplemental essay, you want to discuss an experience that is about YOU. This prompt asks you to tell a story about who you are or who you have become.

Consider what values and personality traits you hold. What story might reflect these traits? For example, you might have plenty of stories about going fishing with your grandpa. However, if none of these stories emphasize your patience or your passion for family, then we won’t learn much from your Rutgers application essay.

The first of the Rutgers essay prompts asks you to tell a “story.” This story should be a full narrative with a beginning, middle, and end. However, the most important part of this story is that it revolves around you. Don’t spend so much time in your Rutgers application essay discussing what happened that you don’t have the space to tell your reader why it mattered and how it relates to your identity.

In addition, you’ll want to connect this story with the kind of student you’d be at Rutgers. Among other things, the Rutgers essay prompts are designed to assess how you’d “fit” at Rutgers. You should use your Rutgers application essay, then, to show how your priorities align with Rutgers’ offerings and values.

Have you read the Rutgers mission statement? Check out their about page for more info.

Rutgers Essay Draft Key Questions:

• Does your essay emphasize your core identity?
• Do you clearly showcase your values and personality traits?
• Does your essay show how you would embody Rutgers’ ideals?

Rutgers Supplemental Essays – Topic 2 (Optional)

Describe a time you made a meaningful contribution to others in which the greater good was your focus. Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your contribution.

This Rutgers supplement essay topic has two parts. Firstly, it asks you to describe a meaningful contribution you made to others. This contribution can be large or small-scale. What matters most is that the contribution you discuss in your Rutgers application essay reflects something important about you.

With prompts like this, writing can sometimes feel like bragging—this makes some students downplay their achievements out of self-consciousness. In your Rutgers supplement essay, however, don’t discount the value of your contribution. Your Rutgers application essay should show that you care about the common good and have actively dedicated yourself to others. In your Rutgers supplement essay, you should foreground what’s important to you and how you’ve served the world around you.

The second part of this Rutgers supplement essay question asks you to discuss the challenges and rewards of your contribution. When you talk about challenges, don’t undermine yourself. Avoid sentences that start with “I didn’t do…” or “I failed at…” Instead, focus on how you solved these challenges or how you would have solved them if you were to do it over again. The strongest Rutgers essays will use specific details to discuss how you contributed to your community, the impact you made, and any complications that you faced.

• Does your essay respond to both parts of the question?
• Do you clearly state the impact of your contribution?
• Do you avoid fixating on the challenges and shortcomings of your contribution?

Rutgers Supplemental Essays – Topic 3 (Optional)

Has there been a time when you’ve had a long-cherished or accepted belief challenged? How did you respond? How did the challenge affect your beliefs?

As you approach this Rutgers supplement essay, start by finding a clear and concise way to describe your belief. A belief can be anything as serious as your religion or as simple as the belief that hot dogs are also sandwiches (controversial, I know). In both scenarios, your readers need to understand what your belief is and where it came from.

The story you tell in your Rutgers supplement essay should reveal something deep about your character and values. The best Rutgers essays, then, will use an instance of a belief being challenged to reveal something essential about how a student deals with conflicting perspectives.

Once you’ve established your belief, then discuss how it felt for this belief to be challenged. How did this conversation affect you? Did it force you to reconsider your perspectives? Did it create an emotional response? As you write, describe how you felt specifically. Ask yourself if you felt attacked by this challenge or if it opened your eyes to the viewpoints of others. Finally, describe how your belief system changed. Discuss any realizations you had and how you changed as a result of the situation. Overall, your Rutgers supplement should discuss what kind of student or thinker this conversation helped you become.

• Do you describe your belief and its origins?
• Does your Rutgers supplement essay describe how you were emotionally affected by this situation?
• Do you share how this challenge changed you as a student and thinker?

Rutgers Supplemental Essays – Topic 4 (Optional)

What is the hardest part of being a teenager now? What’s the best part? What advice would you give a younger sibling or friend (assuming they would listen to you)?

This Rutgers essay may seem difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. The key to this Rutgers supplemental essay is to be honest. You don’t need to spend your Rutgers supplemental essay describing big-picture issues. Instead, just make sure your Rutgers supplement essay speaks clearly and deeply about something that matters to you.

Additionally, make sure you describe how these issues directly impact your life and shape the person you’re becoming. Discuss both the positives and the negatives, and make sure you use clear language.

Finally, remember that your Rutgers supplemental essays should be about you. In this Rutgers supplement essay, don’t just focus on general struggles and triumphs that teenagers face. Instead, make sure you tie these experiences to your own development. The best Rutgers essays will use a student’s view of the world to relate to their own experiences.

• Do you speak honestly about your experiences?
• Does your Rutgers supplement essay clearly define the positives and negatives of the teenage experience?
• Do you focus equally on the positives and negatives?
• Is your essay about you?

Rutgers Supplemental Essays – Topic 5 (Optional)

Submit an essay on the topic of your choice.

Not interested in any of the other Rutgers essay prompts? This is a perfect chance to show Rutgers who you are on your own terms.

However, make sure you don’t use this Rutgers application essay to tell a story about someone else. If you choose your own topic for your Rutgers supplement essay, make sure that it reflects an important aspect of yourself that you can’t discuss anywhere else. If you read your essay and it can apply to any other topic above, choose another of the Rutgers essay prompts.

Moreover, if your essay says a lot about a topic but nothing about you, then you should change your topic. This comes from the scope of your question. If your topic is something like “why I like bread,” then your reader will learn a lot about bread and nothing about you. However, if your topic is “why baking bread with my grandma taught me to value patience,” then your reader will learn about your experiences and insights. The strongest Rutgers essays will use specific details to tell a story that your reader couldn’t learn from any other part of your application.

• Does your Rutgers application essay topic reflect something not shown elsewhere in your application?
• Does your topic not fit with any of the other Rutgers essay prompts?
• Do you discuss what kind of student or person you are?

Additional tips for writing your Rutgers Supplemental Essays

Choose your topic wisely.

Do not choose a Rutgers application essay topic that does not speak to you. At the end of the day, your response to the Rutgers essay prompts needs to connect to your own experiences. Many essays might be well-written, but they would still be ineffective if they tell us nothing about the writer. In your Rutgers essays, the admissions team wants to understand what kind of person and student you are. Don’t make up a story in order to seem more interesting. Instead, just be yourself and thoroughly explain why your topic matters to you.

Do Your Research

Don’t forget to read the official Rutgers materials. In these materials, the school explains what makes Rutgers unique. This should be in your mind while you write your essay. Ultimately, your answers to the Rutgers essay prompts should work in conversation with Rutgers’ own values.

Connect it back to Rutgers

Although you are writing an essay about yourself, remember that this is a school-specific application. For this reason, you should probably mention Rutgers at least once. Your responses to the Rutgers essay prompts should describe something specific about Rutgers you couldn’t find elsewhere.

Rutgers Supplemental Essays: Final Thoughts

Your Rutgers application should connect yourself to the school. Remember that Rutgers wants to admit students who have a clear definition of why they need to be at Rutgers specifically. Spend time on the Rutgers website, and focus your essay on values related to the school. Finally, don’t forget to proofread your work. Good luck!

This 2021-2022 essay guide on Rutgers was written by Joy Nesbitt , Harvard ’21. For more CollegeAdvisor.com resources, click here . Want help crafting your Rutgers supplemental essays? Create your free account or schedule a free advising consultation by calling (844) 343-6272.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, rutgers essay prompts for 2023-2024 applicants.

I'm starting to work on my Rutgers application and I'm trying to find the essay prompts for 2023-2024. Can anyone help me out? Also, any advice on how to approach these prompts would be greatly appreciated!

I understand you're looking for the Rutgers essay prompts for the 2023-2024 application cycle. While I don't have the exact prompts in front of me, I recommend checking the Rutgers University undergraduate admissions website for up-to-date information on their essay requirements. Keep an eye out for updates, as they typically release essay prompts during the summer months before the application cycle begins.

As for advice on how to approach writing your essay, consider the following tips:

1. Read and understand the prompt carefully: Take time to fully understand what the essay question is asking, and ensure that your essay addresses all aspects of the prompt.

2. Be genuine and authentic: Write about something that is meaningful to you, and share your unique perspective. Avoid cliché topics and focus on conveying a personal story that says something significant about who you are.

3. Stay organized: Create an outline to ensure that your essay has a clear structure and logical flow. This will help you stay focused on addressing the prompt while maintaining coherence.

4. Show, don't tell: Use specific examples and anecdotes to illustrate your points, rather than relying on generic statements. This will create a more engaging and memorable essay.

5. Edit and proofread: This is a key step in the writing process. Make sure to review your essay for grammar, spelling, and punctuation, as well as clarity and coherence. It is a good idea to have someone else read your essay to provide feedback and catch any errors or areas for improvement.

Remember that your essay is an opportunity to showcase your personality, strengths, and interests to the admissions committee. It is important to be honest, engaging, and thoughtful. Lastly, don't forget to give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm, write, and revise your essay. The more time and effort you put into your writing, the better your essay will be. Good luck with your application!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

Rutgers University Undergraduate College Application Essays

These Rutgers University college application essays were written by students accepted at Rutgers University. All of our sample college essays include the question prompt and the year written. Please use these sample admission essays responsibly.

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College Application Essays accepted by Rutgers University

A simple smile merudh vijay patel, rutgers university.

"Merudh, get up, get up!" It was four in the morning, and I was four years old. The heart-pounding sound of my dad's voice woke me out of a deep sleep. As I peeked through my bedroom door, I saw my father bolt out of our house with my mother in...

A Commitment to Change Anonymous

For most of my adolescent life, I had always hidden behind the somewhat comforting excuses for my weight: "You're just big boned," "You just have a slow metabolism," "Someday you'll grow into your body." But there was no denying the obvious truth:...

How Multiculturalism Shaped Me Anonymous

I grew up overseas, frequently visited my home country of Bangladesh, and have interacted with a great variety of people – all experiences that have shaped the person I am today. I have traveled to over twenty countries and lived for an extended...

How I Will Contribute to Rutgers University Anonymous

Though I am a white male who has grown up in the predominantly uniform communities of Englishtown and Monroe, my life experiences have been far from homogeneous or commonplace. My deep commitments to different clubs and organizations have deeply...

Diversity Anonymous

Although I may appear to be a typical male suburbanite from the predominantly white Monroe Township, I have intimately known and collaborated with a most diverse group of staff members through my experiences with the Monroe Falcon newspaper. As...

Lesson Well Learned Anonymous

The black and white keys mesmerized me, as always. They were of another ancestry - Steinway – different from the Yamaha I owned; but as I sat on the meticulously handcrafted ebony bench, I felt at home. My hands floated effortlessly upward, and...

Culture Shocked in Monroe Anonymous

In the summer before high school started, my family completed the year-long process of moving from our apartment in Brooklyn to the quiet suburbs of New Jersey. This extreme culture shock during such an important and transitory phase of my life...

A Month in Ghana Anonymous

For the first time, I was an outcast. The minority. The one who didn’t fit in. I was a speck of white in a sea of black, and everyone around me made sure that I realized that. I was in an unfamiliar country, across the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded...

Finding Purpose as a Nanny Anonymous

As I watch the edges on the shiny four-by-six memories that I pinned to my wall warp and curl, I cannot help but feel my heart ache. I spent an entire school year and summer investing my time, energy, and love into my job as a nanny for six...

Modesty. Simplicity. Practicality. Anonymous

I could not understand. There was no sign of trash on the streets. There was no trace of graffiti on the benches or walls. Everything was impeccably clean and simple in the middle of Stockholm, Sweden, with its 780,000 inhabitants. It is still a...

It’s a typical week during the autumn season. After school on this short Wednesday, I stay at school to lead the community service group, A.R.T.E., with my friend. We plan and organize for the upcoming “Fall Fest” at our school. After a short but...

Success In Humiliation Anonymous

It was May 3, 2007, a warm, bright day. Every field was filled with blooming flowers and all the trees were covered with lime green leaves; everything seemed beautiful and normal besides this madness. I was in the back seat of a police car that...

David Wolkoff's eBay Store David Wolkoff

When I was fifteen I borrowed $200 from my father, bought a broken Sidekick phone on eBay, watched YouTube videos to learn how to repair it, and re-sold it for an $80 profit. That was the start of David Wolkoff’s Store, an eBay business, which has...

My Greatest Influence Rebecca Seibert

My greatest inspiration, and my greatest influence, comes from not just one person but from a group. This group is my non-biological family, and happens to be a small, homegrown nonprofit organization. Without this group, I would not be the person...

A Vibrant Student for a Vibrant Community Kelvin Yao

I am an Asian, upper middle class, suburban kid, and I am not really that diverse if one simply looks at skin color, race, ethnicity, place of origin, or religion. But diversity is more than simple geography or socioeconomic status, especially in...

The Depth of Life Anonymous

Although I woke up that morning and most likely performed my usual routine, I cannot recall what was going through my mind. I can tell you for sure that I had no idea that day would end up altering the way I value life. Before the sun ruptured the...

A Dream Benjamin Gordon

I had a dream last night that my most revered mentors came together to weave their unique threads into the fabric that ultimately became my Common Application essay.

Kurt Vonnegut, my favorite novelist, was in charge of the introduction to this...

Experience is Key Anonymous

As I walk down the bustling streets, merchants are shouting for me to buy their various goods and children zoom by me as they play with one another. I attempt crossing the busy street to be confronted by the incessant honking of horns. I smile...

Looking Past the Rearview and into the Future Anonymous

Computers, video games, iPhones. Fuel injected, cereal box import rice rockets dominate the streets. Hybrid cars and green technology. Pop, rap and screamo. For better or for worse, times have changed. While modern applications serve their...

Excellence Anonymous

Excellence: a virtue, an ideal, a lifestyle. Excellence has not only come to embody myself; my actions, from their very core, induce excellence. A misconception exists that success is an indication of excellence—in fact, excellence is an...

The Climb Anonymous

People’s cultures are like fingerprints--no two are ever the same. Although I was born in the United States, I can truly say that I have grown up with two different cultures. My family originates from Egypt, and I am the first generation to be...

Never give up so easily Anonymous

Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity.

--Hippocrates

I am fortunate to have grown up in a medical family: my grandfather and his brothers are traditional Chinese medical doctors. In fact, since my parents took...

My Intertidal Inspiration Ana Amalia Calvo

I stare out from the bay, my hip waders sunken into the mushy sand as I admire the smooth and confident glide of a blue heron landing on a rusted rack off the next sandbar. My father and I share an affinity towards nature, as well as an...

Space. The Final Frontier Anonymous

These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before ...

People sit on their couches awaiting the first-ever episode...

Recent Questions about Rutgers University

The Question and Answer section for Rutgers University is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Would This Be a bad idea for a College Essay?

I think this really depends on the context of what is expected for your essay. Unfortunately this is only a short-answer space about specific literature.

Do my quotes strongly support the author's purpose which is to inform us on the importance of finding a purpose, path, and journey in your life?

I'm not sure what novel your quotes pertain to, but I would say that they seem to fit in with the categories you've cited.

How does the apartment building itself create problems for the Younger family as they begin the day? Since the family has to share a bathroom they fight over the bathroom.

From the text:

Moreover, a section of this room, for it is not really a room unto itself, though the landlord's lease would make it seem so, slopes backward to provide a small kitchen area, where the family prepares the meals that are eaten in the...

Supplemental Essay Guide 2024-25

What do the 2024-25 supplemental essay prompts really mean, and how should you approach them? CEA's experts are here to break them all down.

Acceptance Rate

Undergrad population.

• Liberal Arts (52)

* Tuition filtering is based on out-of-state fees

Agnes Scott College 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Alvernia University 2023-24 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide  

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The most memorable essay this Rutgers admissions officer’s ever read

Rutgers admissions officer talks to SocratesPost about how they read student applications, what essays stand out the most, and how their office handles disagreements on who gets in. We were surprised to learn that you can apply as early as freshman year of high school because transcripts are not required. Continue to read more surprises from Kia, an admissions officer at one of the top U.S. public universities. Catch up on the first part here!

Rutgers Requirements for Admission

Choose your test.

What are Rutgers's admission requirements? While there are a lot of pieces that go into a college application, you should focus on only a few critical things:

• GPA requirements
• Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements
• Application requirements

In this guide we'll cover what you need to get into Rutgers and build a strong application.

School location: Piscataway, NJ

This school is also known as: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Admissions Rate: 66.3%

If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious their requirements are.

The acceptance rate at Rutgers is 66.3% . For every 100 applicants, 66 are admitted.

This means the school is moderately selective . The school expects you to meet their requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but they're more flexible than other schools. If you exceed their requirements, you have an excellent chance of getting in. But if you don't, you might be one of the unlucky minority that gets a rejection letter.

We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies . We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools , from state colleges to the Ivy League.

We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.

Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.

Rutgers GPA Requirements

Many schools specify a minimum GPA requirement, but this is often just the bare minimum to submit an application without immediately getting rejected.

The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need for a real chance of getting in. For this, we look at the school's average GPA for its current students.

Average GPA: 3.73

The average GPA at Rutgers is 3.73 .

(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA. This school did not officially report its average GPA, but we've estimated it here using data from over 1,000 schools.)

With a GPA of 3.73, Rutgers requires you to be above average in your high school class. You'll need at least a mix of A's and B's, with more A's than B's. You can compensate for a lower GPA with harder classes, like AP or IB classes. This will show that you're able to handle more difficult academics than the average high school student.

If you're currently a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change in time for college applications. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.73, you'll need a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate . This will help you compete effectively against other applicants who have higher GPAs than you.

SAT and ACT Requirements

Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Only a few schools require the SAT or ACT, but many consider your scores if you choose to submit them.

Rutgers hasn't explicitly named a policy on SAT/ACT requirements, but because it's published average SAT or ACT scores (we'll cover this next), it's likely test flexible. Typically, these schools say, "if you feel your SAT or ACT score represents you well as a student, submit them. Otherwise, don't."

Despite this policy, the truth is that most students still take the SAT or ACT, and most applicants to Rutgers will submit their scores. If you don't submit scores, you'll have one fewer dimension to show that you're worthy of being admitted, compared to other students. We therefore recommend that you consider taking the SAT or ACT, and doing well.

Rutgers SAT Requirements

Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school's average score.

Average SAT: 1300

The average SAT score composite at Rutgers is a 1300 on the 1600 SAT scale.

This score makes Rutgers Moderately Competitive for SAT test scores.

Rutgers SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)

The 25th percentile SAT score is 1190, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1410. In other words, a 1190 on the SAT places you below average, while a 1410 will move you up to above average .

Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:

SAT Score Choice Policy

The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.

Rutgers has the Score Choice policy of "Highest Section."

This is also known as "superscoring." This means that you can choose which SAT tests you want to send to the school. Of all the scores they receive, your application readers will consider your highest section scores across all SAT test dates you submit .

Click below to learn more about how superscoring critically affects your test strategy.

For example, say you submit the following 3 test scores:

Even though the highest total you scored on any one test date was 1000, Rutgers will take your highest section score from all your test dates, then combine them to form your Superscore. You can raise your composite score from 1000 to 1400 in this example.

This is important for your testing strategy. Because you can choose which tests to send in, and Rutgers forms your Superscore, you can take the SAT as many times as you want, then submit only the tests that give you the highest Superscore. Your application readers will only see that one score.

Therefore, if your SAT superscore is currently below a 1300, we strongly recommend that you consider prepping for the SAT and retaking it . You have a very good chance of raising your score, which will significantly boost your chances of getting in.

Even better, because of the Superscore, you can focus all your energy on a single section at a time. If your Reading score is lower than your other sections, prep only for the Reading section, then take the SAT. Then focus on Math for the next test, and so on. This will give you the highest Superscore possible.

Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.

Rutgers ACT Requirements

Just like for the SAT, Rutgers likely doesn't have a hard ACT cutoff, but if you score too low, your application will get tossed in the trash.

Average ACT: 28

The average ACT score at Rutgers is 28. This score makes Rutgers Moderately Competitive for ACT scores.

The 25th percentile ACT score is 28, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 33.

Even though Rutgers likely says they have no minimum ACT requirement, if you apply with a 28 or below, you'll have a harder time getting in, unless you have something else impressive in your application.

ACT Score Sending Policy

If you're taking the ACT as opposed to the SAT, you have a huge advantage in how you send scores, and this dramatically affects your testing strategy.

Here it is: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have absolute control over which tests you send. You could take 10 tests, and only send your highest one. This is unlike the SAT, where many schools require you to send all your tests ever taken.

This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school's ACT requirement of 28 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can. When you have the final score that you're happy with, you can then send only that score to all your schools.

ACT Superscore Policy

By and large, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.

We weren't able to find the school's exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore. Regardless, you can choose your single best ACT score to send in to Rutgers, so you should prep until you reach our recommended target ACT score of 28.

Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and ACT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.

SAT/ACT Writing Section Requirements

Currently, only the ACT has an optional essay section that all students can take. The SAT used to also have an optional Essay section, but since June 2021, this has been discontinued unless you are taking the test as part of school-day testing in a few states. Because of this, no school requires the SAT Essay or ACT Writing section, but some schools do recommend certain students submit their results if they have them.

Rutgers considers the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration. You don't need to worry too much about Writing for this school, but other schools you're applying to may require it.

Final Admissions Verdict

Because this school is moderately selective, strong academic performance will almost guarantee you admission . Scoring a 1410 SAT or a 33 ACT or above will nearly guarantee you admission. Because the school admits 66.3% of all applicants, being far above average raises the admission rate for you to nearly 100%.

If you can achieve a high SAT/ACT score, the rest of your application essentially doesn't matter. You still need to meet the rest of the application requirements, and your GPA shouldn't be too far off from the school average of 3.73. But you won't need dazzling extracurriculars and breathtaking letters of recommendation to get in. You can get in based on the merits of your score alone.

But if your score is a 1190 SAT or a 28 ACT and below, you have a good chance of being one of the unlucky few to be rejected.

Admissions Calculator

Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are. Pick your test: SAT ACT

• 80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
• 50-80%: More likely than not getting in
• 20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
• 5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
• 0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in

How would your chances improve with a better score?

Take your current SAT score and add 160 points (or take your ACT score and add 4 points) to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?

At PrepScholar, we've created the leading online SAT/ACT prep program . We guarantee an improvement of 160 SAT points or 4 ACT points on your score, or your money back.

Here's a summary of why we're so much more effective than other prep programs:

• PrepScholar customizes your prep to your strengths and weaknesses . You don't waste time working on areas you already know, so you get more results in less time.
• We guide you through your program step-by-step so that you're never confused about what you should be studying. Focus all your time learning, not worrying about what to learn.
• Our team is made of national SAT/ACT experts . PrepScholar's founders are Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers . You'll be studying using the strategies that actually worked for them.
• We've gotten tremendous results with thousands of students across the country. Read about our score results and reviews from our happy customers .

There's a lot more to PrepScholar that makes it the best SAT/ACT prep program. Click to learn more about our program , or sign up for our 5-day free trial to check out PrepScholar for yourself:

Application Requirements

Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We'll cover the exact requirements of Rutgers here.

Application Requirements Overview

• Common Application Not accepted
• Electronic Application Available
• Essay or Personal Statement Recommended for all freshmen
• Letters of Recommendation
• Interview Not required
• Application Fee $70
• Fee Waiver Available? Available
• Other Notes

Testing Requirements

• SAT or ACT Considered if submitted
• SAT Essay or ACT Writing Optional
• SAT Subject Tests
• Scores Due in Office None

Coursework Requirements

• Subject Required Years
• Foreign Language 2
• Social Studies
• Electives 5

Deadlines and Early Admissions

• Offered? Deadline Notification
• Yes December 1 February 28
• Yes November 1 January 31

Admissions Office Information

• Address: 65 New Brunswick, NJ 08854-8097
• Phone: (848) 445-1000 x1000
• Email: [email protected]

Other Schools For You

If you're interested in Rutgers, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to Rutgers.

Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

These schools are have higher average SAT scores than Rutgers. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.

Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

If you're competitive for Rutgers, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.

Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

If you're currently competitive for Rutgers, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If Rutgers is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.

Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2023 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.

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• Graduate School
• Rutgers University–Camden
• Rating 4.67 out of 5   30 reviews
• Nursing (DNP)
• Physical Therapy
• Social Work

Graduate Schools

Graduate schools within rutgers university–camden.

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• sort list below alphabetically active A-Z

Rutgers Law School - Rutgers University - Camden

School of business - rutgers university - camden, school of nursing - rutgers university - camden, the graduate school - rutgers university - camden, masters programs, most popular masters programs.

• Business 124 Students
• Public Administration 32 Students
• Accounting 21 Students
• Specialized Teaching and Education 18 Students
• Liberal Arts and Humanities 12 Students
• Biology 10 Students
• Criminal Justice and Safety Studies 9 Students
• Psychology 8 Students
• Computer and Information Sciences 7 Students
• English Language Studies 7 Students

Doctoral Programs

Most popular doctoral programs.

• Law 134 Students
• Nursing Science, Education, and Practice 9 Students
• Computational Biology 4 Students
• Liberal Arts and Humanities 4 Students
• Public Policy Analysis 2 Students

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Graduate students.

• White 57.8%
• African American 13%
• Hispanic 10.4%
• International (Non-Citizen) 4.3%
• Multiracial 2.8%
• Unknown 2.7%
• Native American 0.2%
• Pacific Islander 0.2%

Student Life

• Down-to-earth 11%
• Friendly 28%
• Intellectual 17%
• Just trying to get through 11%
• Prepared me for the real world 17%
• Supportive/helped me grow 61%
• Competitive and manageable 22%

Scholarship

Return on investment.

• Less than $25,000 39%
• $25,000 - $50,000 39%
• $50,000 - $75,000 17%
• More than $100,000 6%
• Less than $50,000 6%
• $50,000 - $75,000 6%
• $75,000 - $100,000 17%
• Did not graduate yet 72%

Living in the Area

• Cost of Living grade  C+
• Crime & Safety grade  unavailable
• Nightlife grade  A+

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• GLASSBORO, NJ
• Rating 4.38 out of 5   29 reviews
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Rutgers University–Camden Reviews

• Rating 5 out of 5   Excellent 20   reviews ( 67 %)
• Rating 4 out of 5   Very Good 10   reviews ( 33 %)
• Rating 3 out of 5   Average 0   reviews ( 0 %)
• Rating 2 out of 5   Poor 0   reviews ( 0 %)
• Rating 1 out of 5   Terrible 0   reviews ( 0 %)
• Master's Student
• Doctoral Student
• 4 months ago
• a month ago

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