Rutgers University-New Brunswick is partnering with Cooperman College Scholars, a scholarship program supporting academically talented, highly motivated students from Essex County to achieve a four-year college degree.
The Rutgers-New Brunswick Cooperman partnership is a collaboration between the Rutgers Office of the Chancellor, the Division of Enrollment Management and the Division of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement.
The incoming group of the Class of 2024 Cooperman Scholars includes nine students – six attending the School of Arts and Sciences, two from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and one from the School of Business. Rutgers-New Brunswick has ten pre-existing Cooperman Scholars from the Class of 2020 through 2023 who enrolled prior to Rutgers-New Brunswick becoming a Cooperman Scholars partner institution. Thirteen of the Cooperman Scholars attending Rutgers New Brunswick are EOF eligible.
The Cooperman College Scholars program identifies students who attended a public school in Essex County, and provides them with the resources for success by placing them in challenging, well-matched environments with solid support systems to promote college completion. “Partnerships like the Cooperman College Scholars Program not only highlight our university commitment to educational access and equity, but also serve as an example of the ways that we can partner with various entities to achieve this end,” said Anna Branch, vice chancellor of the Division of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement at Rutgers-New Brunswick.
The Cooperman College Scholars program eliminates the pressures of insufficient financial aid that can negatively affect student retention and graduation. Cooperman Scholars will receive last-dollar scholarships of up to $9,000 a year for up to four years depending on their unmet financial need. The University will provide every student with a combination of merit and institutional need-based aid (including state and federal grants) with the goal of minimizing loans. In addition to receiving scholarships and enhanced financial aid, Cooperman Scholars will attend a campus summer bridge program through EOF that aligns with their academic school, and participate in a cohort-based faculty mentorship in their freshman and sophomore year.
“This wonderful collaboration is the latest example of our commitment to serving students from all backgrounds and to building a diverse and inclusive campus community,” said Rutgers-New Brunswick Chancellor Christopher Molloy.
Rutgers has a number of programs that help underrepresented and first-generation students prepare for and thrive in college, such as Upward Bound, Rutgers Future Scholars, Equal Opportunity Fund Programs, and Student Support Services. As a result, Rutgers-New Brunswick has a 79 percent graduation rate for first-generation and low-income students, which is far above the national average of 26 percent.
"We are excited to build partnerships that support even more Essex County Scholars to achieve four-year degrees as a launchpad to future successes. This collaboration with Rutgers New Brunswick opens the door for more students to attend and thrive, " said Twinkle Morgan, Executive Director of Cooperman College Scholars.
