Transferring to Rutgers: requirements, credits and deadlines
Transfer acceptance rate: 55.1%
Transfer acceptance rate
Source: Official school data report, section D, 2025-2026
For fall 2025, Rutgers admitted 5,218 of 9,473 transfer applicants (55.1%).
Checked November 10, 2026. Takes a lot of transfers
- Fall 2027 deadline
- Feb 1, 2027Source, 2026-2027
- SAT or ACT
- Not requiredSource, 2026-2027
- Credits to apply
- At least 12 creditsSource, 2026-2027
- Recommendation letters
- Not requiredSource, 2026-2027
Transfer requirements
Rutgers requires a minimum number of college credits. It does not require an essay, recommendation letters or SAT or ACT scores.
EssayOptional
Recommended, not required. Up to 3,800 characters in the online form.
Source, undated pageRecommendation lettersNot required
Rutgers does not use letters of recommendation for admissions.
Source, 2026-2027SAT or ACT scoresNot required
Transfer applicants are not required to submit SAT or ACT scores.
Source, 2026-2027Minimum credits before you applyRequired
Applicants need at least 12 college credits after leaving high school.
Source, 2026-2027
You need at least 12 college credits earned after high school. With fewer than 24 you must also send a high school transcript. The application fee is $70, with waivers for hardship and for current military members, veterans and military dependents planning to use GI Bill benefits.
Source: Rutgers New Brunswick transfer applicants, undated page
The essay is recommended, not required, and is limited to 3,800 characters including spaces. It goes in the online form.
Source: Rutgers New Brunswick transfer applicants, undated page
Transfer applicants do not have to send SAT or ACT scores through 2026. New Brunswick and Camden are test-optional and Newark is test-blind. Mason Gross requires a portfolio, audition or interview.
Source: Rutgers New Brunswick transfer applicants, undated page
At Newark, transfers should have two college English courses and one college math course. New Brunswick says requirements vary by school.
Source: How Rutgers makes decisions, undated page
What GPA do you need?
Our read: This guide covers Rutgers New Brunswick. Newark and Camden are separate campuses with their own decision processes and their own GPA ranges. A school-wide count does not tell you how hard your school within New Brunswick is.
Rutgers says its main factors are the strength of your academic program, grade trends, cumulative GPA, number of credits completed, and English proficiency results when required. The essay, community and volunteer work, military service, work history and special talents are secondary.
Source: How Rutgers makes decisions, undated page
Rutgers publishes a middle half admissions profile for students regularly admitted for fall 2026, with a cumulative college GPA column by school at New Brunswick. The page does not say the column is transfer only. Arts and Sciences: 3.4 to 3.9. Business: 3.5 to 3.9. Engineering: 3.5 to 3.9. Environmental and Biological Sciences: 3.3 to 3.9. Nursing: 3.2 to 3.6. Pharmacy: 3.7 to 3.9. Mason Gross: 3.5 to 3.9. Bloustein: 3.3 to 3.9. Management and Labor Relations: 3.3 to 3.8.
Source: How Rutgers makes decisions, undated page
Our read: Those are ranges of the students in the profiles, not cutoffs. They tell you where the middle sits. The page we read lists no minimum GPA for New Brunswick.
Our read: Use your three picks on purpose. Pharmacy, Engineering and Business sit at the top of the published GPA ranges. A realistic Arts and Sciences or Environmental and Biological Sciences pick next to a reach is the sensible pairing.
Will your credits transfer?
Rutgers gives credit for equivalent courses with a C or better from regionally accredited schools. Two-year transfers can receive up to 60 credits. Four-year transfers can receive up to 90.
Source: Rutgers transfer students, undated page
Rutgers says it has articulation agreements with every county and community college in New Jersey. A.A. and A.S. graduates of those schools enter with up to 60 credits, but final requirements depend on the school and program.
Source: Rutgers transfer students, undated page
Students from New Jersey community colleges can request an unofficial estimate through NJTransfer.org. Rutgers says you meet with an adviser for a full evaluation at course registration, which sets your specific graduation requirements.
Source: Rutgers transfer students, undated page
Our read: If you are at a New Jersey community college, run the NJTransfer evaluation before you apply and compare it to your major's requirements. The 90 credit cap and your school's requirements set how long you stay, so ask an adviser which of your courses count toward your major.
Transfer deadlines for fall 2027
For fall 2027 entry, the application deadline is February 1, 2027.
Source: Rutgers University, New Brunswick transfer information, 2026-2027
- You send or do something
- The school answers
- August
- February
Fall 2027 is due February 1, 2027, with online decisions April 15 and a reply date of May 1. Spring 2027 was due October 1, 2026, with decisions December 1 and a reply date of December 7.
Source: Rutgers New Brunswick dates and deadlines, 2026-2027
Rutgers needs your college transcript through the end of December for fall applicants and the end of August for spring applicants. Wait listed transfer applicants send final spring grades by June 1 and hear a final decision by August 1.
Source: Rutgers New Brunswick transfer applicants, undated page; How Rutgers makes decisions, undated page
Other terms and dates
- Wait list, final spring grades transcript dueJune 1 (the page prints no year)Source, undated page
What Rutgers looks for
Letters of recommendation are not used for admissions consideration.
Source: Rutgers New Brunswick transfer applicants, undated page
You can apply to up to three Rutgers schools on one application, with an independent decision for each. The application cannot be changed after you submit it.
Source: Rutgers New Brunswick transfer applicants, undated page
Rutgers transfer acceptance rate
Rutgers's transfer acceptance rate for fall 2025 was 55.1%. 2,581 transfer students enrolled. The first-year rate the same year was 58.6%.
Source: Official school data report, section D, 2025-2026
The Common Data Set is the official data report colleges publish each year.
Transfer and first-year applicants are different groups. Use the first-year rate as context only.
A high rate does not open every major. Some programs set their own courses and grades.
Rutgers says the number admitted depends on available space and the quality of that year's applicant pool.
Source: How Rutgers makes decisions, undated page
2025-2026: 5,218 of 9,473. 2024-2025: 4,741 of 8,263.
Two years is not a trend.
Check my chancesTransfer essays and supplements
The essay is recommended and secondary in review. Rutgers prints no transfer prompt on the page we opened.
Source: Rutgers New Brunswick transfer applicants, undated page; How Rutgers makes decisions, undated page
Our read: At 3,800 characters it is short. Use it if your record needs context: a bad term, a change of major, a gap. Say what happened and what changed. If your record is clean, use it to name your Rutgers school and what you will study there.
Most of your odds here are grades and courses. If you are writing an essay anyway, get a free review first.
Review my essay freeAI models process your essay. See how we handle it.
Questions students ask
How many credits do I need to apply?
At least 12 college credits earned after high school. If you are still in high school, apply as a first-year.
Source: Rutgers New Brunswick transfer applicants, undated page
Do I need recommendation letters?
No. Rutgers does not use them for admissions.
Source: Rutgers New Brunswick transfer applicants, undated page
Can I apply to more than one Rutgers school?
Yes, up to three on one application. Decisions are independent.
Source: Rutgers New Brunswick transfer applicants, undated page
Are there transfer agreements with community colleges?
Rutgers says it has agreements with every New Jersey county and community college.
Source: Rutgers transfer students, undated page
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Sources
- Official school data report, 2025-2026
- Rutgers New Brunswick dates and deadlines, 2026-2027
- Rutgers New Brunswick transfer applicants, undated page
- Rutgers transfer students, undated page
- How Rutgers makes decisions, undated page
Numbers come from official reports, read by our tools and checked. Notes were drafted with AI tools from the official pages linked beside them. A person has not reviewed this guide yet. Admission decisions belong to each college, and no one can promise one.