Off-Campus Programs FAQs

Many services resemble what is offered to on-campus students, adapted to each location and for distance. Students have access to most of the resources an on-campus student would have on the Rutgers–Camden campus, as well as the bookstore, library, and other facilities at their local off-campus site.

Offices on the Rutgers–Camden campus provide tutoring, career services, library services, and other supportive services remotely by phone, email, online systems, and video conferencing. They may participate in student organizations, though most meetings and other programming occurs in Camden. Students may access the gym and recreational options in Camden, and are allowed to use similar available facilities at most partner locations. Health and counseling services are not available, and off-campus students are not required to pay the fee for those services. 

The academic program manager for each site arranges for ID cards each term during the orientation process.

The same tuition is charged for off-campus students as an on-campus student. Fees are slightly less. For example, there is no health services fee. (Students in the Puerto Rico program pay a lower tuition rate.) 

Students follow the Rutgers–Camden academic calendar. 

Our programs follow the closings of our community college and military partners, as we are guests in their facilities. 

Rutgers–Camden off-campus students receive advising from their academic program manager, or another advising staff member at the off-campus program site.

Yes. They can take classes at most Rutgers locations or online.

Yes. If it is convenient for them, on-campus students are welcome to take courses off campus.

At most sites, students must have completed an associate’s degree before beginning one of our undergraduate programs. In some cases, they must have a significant number of credits before applying. A 2.5 or higher GPA is generally required, and they must provide the same application and materials that on-campus students provide, and meet any requirements specific to the school to which they are applying. Learn more about how to apply to Rutgers–Camden.

For items such as obtaining a special permission number, taking transient credit or pursuing exchange registration, total withdrawals from the University, or changing their major, students work with their academic program manager, and the necessary paperwork is emailed or faxed to campus.

Yes, they are welcome to attend! The academic program manager at each site works with the student to prepare for their graduation, and provides information on attending commencement. The University District bookstore in Camden waives the shipping charge for regalia if the student mentions she/he is an off-campus student.

Books are purchased at the bookstore on our community college partners’ campuses. At JBMDL, students order books from online retailers.

Erin G. Leuthold, the director for the Office of Disability Services, visits each site regularly to provide information on disability services and assists with disability testing/assessment. Erin works with students who need accommodation to ensure that they receive them at the off-campus location.

Yes, the EOF and TRiO programs accept off-campus students and advise them by phone, email, and online means as much as possible.  Some trips to the main campus would be necessary for items such as orientation.

On the whole, the degree requirements for an off-campus student are the same as for an on-campus student. However, distance from campus, course availability, status as a transfer student, and the presence of courses from Newark and New Brunswick at Division of Continuing Studies sites may make their actual path to completion different from that of an on-campus student. Off-campus students at Division of Continuing Studies sites frequently take some of their courses from Newark and New Brunswick, take transient credits or pursue exchange registration at the local partner site to fulfill general education requirements, and supplement offerings with online courses to complete their programs. Additionally, the undergraduate liberal studies degree program is slightly different for off-campus students, with the largest change being that the natural science concentration is not available due to the limitations of lab and research space at off-campus sites.

The Veterans Services office provides step-by-step walk-throughs on their website for all veteran and military students, and all steps can be completed through an online portal, or by phone and email. Dora Perez in the Rutgers–Camden Office of the Registrar is the campus certifying official and works with veteran students through the certification process. For active duty military, tuition assistance is processed through the Cashier’s Office. 

As with on-campus students, off-campus students submit the FAFSA online, and can correspond with the Office of Financial Aid through phone and email. 

Off-campus students are bound by the same policies and rules as on-campus students. In either instance, the same basic procedures are followed as would be with an on-campus student, with allowances for issues that arise from their distance from campus. (For example, a phone meeting might be used instead of an in-person meeting.)

Unfortunately, no, transportation to the Rutgers–Camden campus would be the student’s responsibility, but several transit options bring students to the area, including PATCO, the NJ TRANSIT River Line, and bus services. 

If awarded work-study, students are eligible to participate in the program, but availability of positions is limited at off-campus locations. 

The same parking rules apply for on- and off-campus students. A student visiting campus from an off-campus site would need to purchase an annual permit, or a day pass for $5. See more about visitor parking at Rutgers–Camden.

All off-campus sites offer free parking for students.

Yes, and they should! Web Registration is the fastest and most convenient form of registration for students at all locations. (The only students who have some difficulty are JBMDL students registering for courses at the same day/time in each 7-week session. These students need to work with their academic program manager to complete the registration process.)