The staff in the Office of Financial Aid at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is concerned with students' educational expenses. The impact of educational expenses on the student and his or her family is sizable, in spite of the fact that tuition at Rutgers covers only a small portion of the actual cost of instruction for each student. In order to allow students with limited financial resources to attend, every effort is made to assist these students in finding the funds to finance their education.

A majority of full-time graduate students at the university receives some financial aid. The amount of support each student receives depends, in part, upon the availability of funds. The level of support often is dependent upon the specific graduate program and the student's degree status. Aid ranges from loans to grants covering tuition charges to awards sufficient to pay all educational and most living expenses. The sources of support include university funds, federal and state government funds, corporate and individual bequests to the university, and grants from educational and scientific foundations.