Rutgers University, New Brunswick
2026 Report Card
Rutgers University has a Hillel, Chabad, and Jewish Greek life organizations.
Litigation & Investigations
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation following antisemitic incidents reported on campus in October and November 2023.
In January 2025, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights entered into a resolution agreement with Rutgers, outlining a series of actions that the University must take to address antisemitism on campus.
In March 2025, Rutgers University was one of the 60 schools that received a letter from the Department of Education accusing them of violating Title VI.
What’s Happening on Campus?
In August 2024, several residential assistants (RAs) left a mandatory virtual “bystander intervention” session aimed at training them to identify antisemitism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia after a Jewish speaker discussed Hamas’ antisemitism.
In October 2024, at an anti-Israel SJP protest targeting an event hosted by Chabad, protesters chanted, “there is only one solution; Intifada, revolution,” a slogan commonly used as a call for violence against Israel and the Jewish community.
In October 2025, a sign at Rutgers was vandalized with: "We See U [sic]" and a crossed-out Star of David.
University Policies and Responsive Action
In late 2023, Rutgers suspended Students for Justice in Palestine. The group was reinstated and then suspended again in August 2024.
Following the establishment of an anti-Israel encampment in April 2024, University administrators agreed to several asks from the protestors, including to review the demand for the University to divest from companies associated with Israel. The University did note that, while jobs would not be terminated and pay would not be reduced, student protestors “were subject” to the University’s Code of Conduct.
The Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Antisemitism and Jewish Life was established in January 2024. The Council has made several recommendations that the campus has implemented, including improved safety protocols, better channels of communications between the senior administration and Jewish groups on campus, and more effective responses following bias incidents.
In advance of the 2024-25 academic year, the University developed a new set of Guidelines for Free Expression, prohibiting encampments and outlining permitted protest activities on campus. Additionally, the University has convened a task force to review the Student Code of Conduct and the Code of Ethics to determine if these policies need to be refined to ensure greater accountability.
The University has also launched a Dialogue Across Difference initiative meant to educate the campus and bridge divides across difference, with an initial focus on Jewish and Muslim communities. Moreover, the University Division of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement and Student Affairs have launched the Jewish Ally Zone, which includes workshops on the historical and current manifestations of antisemitism.
The University has also organized a series of discussions on understanding antisemitism and Islamophobia and has developed a mandatory training on antisemitism and Islamophobia for RAs working within Residence Life. For faculty members, the University has developed both a set of FAQs on Academic Freedom and Free Speech and a “Navigating Challenge: Teaching in the Present Moment” video.
Furthermore, all faculty, staff, and students were required to complete a Title VI discrimination and harassment prevention training during the 2025-26 academic year, which included specific references to antisemitism and definitions of Title VI.
Criteria
Publicly Disclosed Administrative Actions i
Jewish Life on Campus i
Campus Conduct and Climate Concerns i
*Incident levels reflect the number of incidents relative to the total student population on campus. 'Severe' and 'other' incidents were only counted if they were recorded between January and December 2025.
Rutgers University, New Brunswick contributed information to our assessment.
This page was last updated on Mar 10, 2026, 5:30 am