U. raises tuition, fees by 4 percent amid potential statewide tuition cap

At the Rutgers Board of Governors' special virtual meeting on Monday, the Board voted unanimously in favor of the 2024-2025 academic year's budget that raises tuition and fees by 4 percent each.

In 2023, the Board raised these costs by 6 percent — the highest boost for in-state students since an 8 percent increase in 2008, as previously reported by The Daily Targum.

The 4 percent increase translates to an additional $274 in tuition and $63 in fees for the average in-state School of Arts and Sciences undergraduate student, J. Michael Gower, the University's chief financial officer and treasurer, said.

Room, board and residence education cost increases will fluctuate depending on the chosen residence hall and meal plan, according to Gower.

But 4 percent was not the only suggestion made in deliberations around the University's finances.

Tilak Lal, the Board's newly inducted vice chair, said some proposals called for dining rate increases of up to 8 percent.

On the state level, Assemblyman Cody Miller (D-4), a Rutgers—Camden alum, recently proposed a cap on tuition increases, according to an article by NJ Advance Media. Bill A4538, which currently does not have an equivalent in the Senate, states that public universities cannot raise tuition by more than 2 percent annually.

While the proposed bill does not address fees and other costs of attending college besides tuition, it may change in the review process, Miller said to NJ Advance Media.

"The cost of higher education continues to rise for families in the state of New Jersey," Miller said. "It's not just low- and moderate-income people, everyone's hurting."

Rutgers did not respond to NJ Advance Media's request for comment on the bill.

Matthew Brodsky, a Rutgers—Camden alum, extended his gratitude to Miller for the bill and wrote against the 4 percent bump on social media platform X.

"Rutgers—Camden serves many (first-generation) students and is an access institution for thousands," Brodsky wrote. "These large increases risk pricing out students from receiving a (higher) education."