Merit Scholarships
To be considered for an honors-based merit scholarship you must apply to Rutgers–New Brunswick by December 1. and indicate on your application that you wish to apply for the Honors College. This will result in a prompt for second essay, specific to Honors College, which will also serve as your essay for merit scholarship consideration. There is no separate application for merit scholarships for prospective students.
Competitive Merit Honors Scholarships
All entering Honors College students receive a competitive merit scholarship: Presidential, Dean’s, or Dean’s Promise awards. Award amounts vary based on in-state, out-of-state, international, and need-based status. Scholarships are renewed for up to four years in total for students who maintain good academic standing according to their scholarship requirements (3.5 for Presidential Scholars, 3.25 for Dean's and Dean's Promise awards). These scholarships, and admission to the Honors College are awarded only to students based on the School of first-choice on the application (you may apply to three, in ranked-order).
Merit awards are competitive in alignment with admission to the Honors College, and our decisions are based on the academic strength of individual applicants, the overall strength of our applicant pool, and available funding. Students should review their scholarship eligibility and renewal criteria via ScarletHub.
Harvey Schwartz Scholarship
This is an endowed scholarship established by Rutgers alumnus Harvey Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer of Carlyle. Each year, full-tuition scholarships are awarded to incoming students who have demonstrated academic merit and financial need, though not necessarily by federal guidelines. The scholarship is renewable for up to four years in total. Selected students will be notified by Rutgers UES and the Honors College.
NOTE: Considerations for additional scholarships or school-to-school transfers can only take place after you enroll.
Need-based Scholarships
All prospective students seeking need-based scholarships must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). To receive maximum consideration for need-based scholarships, you should file the FAFSA by December 1. The online form can be accessed at studentaid.gov. Submit your FAFSA online or by mail. The earlier the U.S. Department of Education's Central Processing System receives the application, the sooner the financial aid process can begin. The FAFSA becomes available October 1 of each calendar year. If you submit the FAFSA by December 1, you should receive your online planning letter in mid-January. We strongly encourage you to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to submit the correct tax information on the FAFSA.
One-Stop
Prospective students and families are encouraged to use our One-Stop Student Services Center for all questions and concerns regarding scholarships, financial aid, need, merit, and other matters. They will be able to see your entire application, FAFSA documents, and potential aid awards.
One Stop Student Services Center
Division of Enrollment Management
Rutgers University–New Brunswick