2011 Rutgers Tuition Protests

The 2011 Rutgers Tuition Protests were a series of primarily student-led public education reform initiatives at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Faced with rising education costs, diminished state subsidies and the possibility of a non-existent tuition cap, campus groups (including the Rutgers Student Union, the Rutgers One Coalition and the Rutgers University Student Assembly (RUSA), supported by New Jersey United Students (NJUS), mobilized to keep the increase in annual student financial obligation to a minimum through marches, sit-ins, letters to administration officials and forums.

The Pell Grant, a federal annuity of $5,500 available to low-income students, faced a relatively steep cut in 2011 as Republicans in the US House of Representatives pushed for further limits on discretionary spending. Particularly for economically disadvantaged students, the Pell Grant is an indispensable part of the federal financial aid program. In 2008, this program provided in excess of $31 million to over 10,000 Rutgers University students.

Rich Williams, an advocate of the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group, stated that grants are the principal method in which the federal government can assist students in battling rising college tuition costs. He further explains that if changes are made to the current program, 1.5 million students are at risk of losing their funding, while the remaining 7.7 million students could see a 15 percent drop in the amount of attainable awards. During the 2010-2011 academic year, 68 percent of Rutgers students have reportedly borrowed through a federal loan program at some point in their collegiate career.

Governor Chris Christie’s proposed budget showed a $25 million increase in tuition aid for college students. On the other hand, there are combined decreases of $7.7 million in state funding for the New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship program and other student aid programs. David Redlawsk, poll director, states that the governor understands the state’s responsibility to do more for higher education and is protecting the University.

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