History

We are one of three campuses of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, which is the eighth oldest college in the United States and a member of the Association of American Universities.  But don’t look for us on the banks of the Raritan; our home is in northern New Jersey along the banks of the Passaic River, convenient and accessible to a large fraction of residents of New Jersey.

Our roots date back to 1908, when the New Jersey Law School first opened its doors. That law school, along with four other educational institutions in Newark: Dana College, the Newark Institute of Arts & Sciences, the Seth Boyden School of Business, and the Mercer Beasley School of Law - formed a series of alliances over the years. A final merger in 1936 resulted in the establishment of the University of Newark. A decade later, Rutgers University in Newark was founded when the New Jersey State Legislature voted to make the University of Newark part of Rutgers University.  That conglomeration of small institutions is now a world-class urban research and teaching institution, with more than 11,000 students and more than 500 faculty. 

For 15 years we have been rated as the most diverse national campus by US News & World Report.  Documents show that stretching back to at least 1935, our campus has traditionally served as the place of educational opportunity for first generation college students, for students whose home languages were not English, for students who commuted to campus to save money, for students who work to stay in college and/or support their families, and to students of diverse racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.  Whether in 1935, in 1955, in 1985 or in 2012, we have been dedicated to excellence in education and to educational opportunity.

To learn more about the history of Rutgers University in Newark:

• A Century of Reaching Higher (PDF)  A centennial history of Rutgers in Newark
• The Once and Future Newark A film tour with Professor Clement Price
• RBS at Seventy-Five (PDF) A history of Rutgers Business School
• History of the Rutgers School of Law-Newark
• Brewing Bachelors: The History of the University of Newark (PDF)
• Historical Photos
• Progressive Thinking, Rutgers Magazine, Spring 2008
• Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s Address at the Rutgers-Newark Centennial Gala
• History Timeline