Access Week and a Free Tuition Program for Qualified Students

February 21, 2022

Dear Rutgers University­–New Brunswick Community,

Rutgers–New Brunswick is a national leader in ensuring that all qualified students, including those from under-represented, first-generation, and limited-income backgrounds, have the support they need to thrive and succeed.

Access Week: I am pleased today to announce the start of Access Week 2022. This annual commemoration, led by the Division of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement, will champion educational equity and pathways to student success through a range of public lectures, as well as programming and workshops for students, faculty, and staff.

Scarlet Guarantee—A New Financial Assistance Initiative: In the below video message, I discuss a revolutionary new financial assistance initiative—the Scarlet Guarantee—which builds on our commitment to ensure that excellence in higher education is accessible to all qualified New Jersey students and which, in combination with state programs, can provide four years of free tuition and fees for certain qualified students:

Beginning this fall, the Scarlet Guarantee will provide significant financial support for first- and second-year undergraduate students who are New Jersey residents and whose families’ adjusted gross income is $100,000 or less. In fact, for first- and second-year students in families with incomes of $65,000 or less, the Scarlet Guarantee will mean attending Rutgers–New Brunswick tuition-free.

The Scarlet Guarantee, when combined with the State of New Jersey’s new Garden State Guarantee program, can significantly reduce all four years of tuition and mandatory fees for full-time New Jersey students who qualify.

This initiative joins the many ways we support the success of underserved students, along with programs including Rutgers Future Scholars, Rutgers Upward Bound, Scarlet Promise Grants, the New Jersey Equal Opportunity Fund, Student Support Services, and more.

I know how important it is to support our students through the many potential obstacles to their success. As I have shared with many members of our community, I myself was the first in my family to attend college. I believe strongly that, as we pursue excellence in our institutions, we must make sure that we are inclusive of groups who have been excluded, such as limited-income students, first-generation students, students with disabilities, students of color, women in STEM fields, and working adults, to name a few.

During Access Week we celebrate all our dedicated students, and renew our commitment to helping them excel, graduate, and begin rewarding lives and careers.

I hope you will participate in the many Access Week activities, and use them as an opportunity for reflection.

Sincerely,

Francine Conway, Ph.D.
Chancellor-Provost, Rutgers University–New Brunswick