Everything you need to know about Rutgers premed, including premed requirements, the best extracurriculars, and the Rutgers premed acceptance rate

A successful Rutgers premed wearing blue scrubs after gaining admission to medical school — learn everything it takes to succeed as a rutgers premed

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Rutgers premed requirements

Part 3: Rutgers premed extracurriculars

Part 4: Getting into medical school as a Rutgers premed

----

Part 1: Introduction

With campuses positioned all throughout the state of New Jersey, Rutgers University is today known for being the only university in the nation that is colonial-chartered, a land-grant institution, and a state university. While most colleges do well to run and maintain just one campus, Rutgers University operates four campuses! Two of those campuses are considered the New Brunswick campuses, located in New Brunswick and Piscataway. The other two campuses are in Camden and Newark. The primary New Brunswick campus—which is located in New Brunswick (as opposed to the NB campus located in Piscataway)—is also the oldest Rutgers campus.

A prestigious school with the background and merit that Rutgers proudly boasts of is a dream for any premed student. Currently (2023), Rutgers is ranked #55 in National Universities and #19 in Top Public Schools according to US News. While the school itself is one that any undergrad would be proud to call their alma mater, no doubt you’re reading this guide because you’re interested in understanding how well the school prepares students for med school. Whether you’re considering attending Robert Wood Johnson Medical School—which is located in New Brunswick and is part of Rutgers University—or another medical school, you can feel confident that Rutgers will certainly prepare you well.

How can you be amongst those successful Rutgers premeds? In this guide, we’ll cover all the bases and walk you through what it takes to flourish as a Rutgers premed student. We’ll review the premed requirements (including a sample schedule), and some extracurriculars. Finally, we’ll discuss getting into med school as a Rutgers graduate.

----

Part 2: Rutgers premed requirements

Before we can dive too deeply into what it takes to successfully complete Rutgers as a premed student, you’ll need to know which courses you can expect to take. Rutgers provides a list of courses for students interested in attending medical school. (They actually state that the list is useful for those interested in medical, dental, optometry, physician assistant, or podiatry school, and we’ve included it here for premed students.)

With this in mind, we’ve also put together a useful table (below) that outlines the most common medical school requirements and how you can fulfill those requirements as a Rutgers premed.

Rutgers University Premed Requirements
Medical school requirement	Required courses	Optional courses
Biology: Two semesters (with lab)	01:119:115 General Biology I 01:119:116 General Biology II 01:119:117 Biological Research Laboratory
Chemistry: 1. General Chemistry: Two semesters (with lab) 2. Organic Chemistry: Two semesters (with lab) 3. Biochemistry: One semester	Choose from among the following: 01:160:161 General Chemistry 01:160:162 General Chemistry 01:160:171 Introduction to Experimentation 01:160:307 Organic Chemistry 01:160:308 Organic Chemistry 01:160:313-314 Organic Chem Lab 01:694:301 Introductory Biochemistry and Molecular Biology -OR- 01:694:407 Biochemistry
Calculus:One semester	Choose one of the following: 01:640:135 Calculus I for the Life and Social Sciences 01:640:151 Calculus I for the Mathematical and Physical Sciences 01:640:251 Multivariable Calculus
Statistics: One semester	Any statistics course will suffice. Some options include: 01:920:312 Introduction to Statistics in Sociology 01:960:211 Statistics I 01:960:212 Statistics II 01:960:285 Intro Stat for Business 01:960:379 Basic Prob and Stat
Physics: Two semesters (with lab)	01:750:203 General Physics 01:750:204 General Physics 01:750:205 General Physics Laboratory 01:750:206 General Physics Laboratory
College-level English/writing:Two semesters	You’ll need to take the following course along with one other course (see optional courses): 01:355:101 College Writing	01:355:103 Exposition and Argument 01:355:104 College Writing Extended 01:355:302 Scientific and Technical Writing 01:355:355 Writing in Professions
Psychology: One semester	01:830:101 General Psychology
Sociology: One semester	01:920:101 Intro to Sociology

AP credit for Rutgers premed students

What if you were able to obtain AP credit for some of the requirements listed above? Will those help you get into medical school faster? Chances are, you probably opted to take AP courses in high school to fast-track your college education by eliminating the number of courses you’d need to take. While this is true in most instances, when it comes to preparing for medical school, it doesn’t quite work like that. Medical schools typically want to see you demonstrate an ability to successfully complete college-level science courses with a high grade point average. Additionally, AP credit usually counts for introductory college courses.

So what does all of this mean for a premed student? Colleges apply AP credit in different ways, so you’ll want to speak with a Rutgers advisor to determine exactly how your AP credits will be applied. In any case, even if you scored a 4 or 5 on your AP exams, you’ll still need to take the requisite number of science courses listed in the first column above. Using AP Bio as an example, Rutgers says if you’re able to apply AP credit to the sequence of biology courses (e.g., 01:119:115, 01:119:116, and 01:119:117), it would still require you to take at least two upper-level biology courses.

Sample Rutgers premed three-year course plan

There are many options for how you complete the premed requirements above. As long as you complete the requirements, it won’t typically matter. In some instances, however, you’ll be required to take specific courses because of your major.

That said, we’ve developed a sample three-year course plan for a Rutgers premed student that shows one way you could squeeze in most of the med school requirements.

Sample Rutgers University Three-Year Course Plan
Semester	Courses
Freshman Fall	01:119:115 General Biology 01:160:161 General Chemistry (and 01:160:171 Introduction to Experimentation) 01:640:135 Calculus I
Freshman Spring	01:119:116 General Biology II (and 01:119:117 Biological Research Laboratory) 01:160:162 General Chemistry 01:960:211 Statistics I
Sophomore Fall	01:160:307 Organic Chemistry (and 01:160:313 Organic Chemistry Laboratory) 01:355:101 College Writing
Sophomore Spring	01:160:308 Organic Chemistry (and 01:160:314 Organic Chemistry Laboratory) 01:694:407 Biochemistry 01:355:103 Exposition and Argument
Junior Fall	01:830:101 General Psychology 01:750:203 General Physics (and 01:750:205 General Physics Laboratory)
Junior Spring	01:920:101 Intro to Sociology 01:750:204 General Physics (and 01:750:206 General Physics Laboratory)

How to maintain a high GPA as a Rutgers premed

It’s no secret or surprise that a Rutgers premed needs to maintain a high GPA throughout their entire undergraduate career. This is especially true with regard to science courses. That’s not to say that a low GPA (usually defined as one that is less than 3.5) means your dreams of becoming a physician are over, but it’ll undoubtedly be that much more difficult to pursue if you’re not starting out on the right foot. But, how do you successfully do that—especially if you’re also spending large amounts of time immersed in extracurricular activities that are necessary for premed students?

Study—hard! Any student who wishes to maintain a high GPA will need to study hard. For students who must enroll in demanding science courses (sometimes at the advanced level) and who can expect to juggle multiple college-level science courses in the same semester, this requirement suddenly becomes challenging!
Visit the Health Professions Office regularly. The Rutgers Health Professions Office (HPO) is a resource specifically for students who are majoring in degree programs with a future in one of several health professions. They provide students with assistance from registering for appropriate courses for their degree track to portfolio reviews. The HPO will also assist you in setting up a file where you’ll begin to collect your letters of recommendation, which you’ll need when it’s time to apply to med school.
Join supportive student groups. We’ll make a few recommendations for Rutgers premed students below (in Part 3), but if you can surround yourself with like-minded students with similar goals, your grades are sure to benefit! In doing so, you’ll make friends who will encourage you and might even have the opportunity to join or form a premed study group.
Balance your course load. You probably noticed in the sample three-year course plan above that several semesters involved juggling more than one science course. Depending on the credits you entered college with (i.e., AP credits), some of these could be advanced college-level courses, too. It’s critical that you plan ahead so as not to overextend yourself. Think about the subjects that you find the most difficult and be mindful not to take more than two tough classes in the same term.

(Suggested reading: How to Study as a Premed)

When should you take the MCAT?

There’s a lot of debate in premed circles concerning when you should take the MCAT. Ultimately, it comes down to how prepared you are and whether or not you plan to take a gap year.

Assuming you intend on entering med school immediately after undergrad, we recommend you take the MCAT for the first time in the fall of your junior year. This plan allows you to study the summer before your junior year while also having enough time for you to retake the MCAT if needed.

Looking for MCAT practice questions? Check out our proprietary MCAT Question Bank for 2000+ sample questions and eight practice tests covering every MCAT category.

----

Part 3: Rutgers premed extracurriculars

By now, you probably realize that it takes more than just good grades to get into medical school. You’ll also need extracurricular activities. Specifically, you’ll need to show that you’ve been involved in the extracurricular activities common for premed students. These activities generally include community service, patient care or clinical opportunities, physician shadowing, and research.

Rutgers premed clinical and community volunteering

Below, you’ll find a (non-exhaustive) list of volunteer opportunities for Rutgers students. While most of the locations listed have a medical focus, don’t disregard non-medical volunteer opportunities as well. In some instances, two separate departments handle the various types of volunteer options. If we’re aware of it, we’ve included a note to this effect.

Saint Peter's University Hospital - This link is for general opportunities, such as clerical, administrative, courier, and delivery services. There is a separate area for clinical opportunities (like shadowing and internships).
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey - Volunteers are able to provide clinical and non-clinical support.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital

If none of those interests you, consider checking with Student Affairs. Student Affairs is part of Rutgers which is dedicated to student volunteer opportunities. This means they help manage volunteer opportunities for Rutgers premed students as well as those who aren’t involved in health-related majors. As a result, they’re really an excellent go-to resource for all things related to volunteering in and around the New Brunswick area.

A few initiatives Student Affairs gets involved with include:

Additionally, VolunteerMatch has tens of thousands of volunteer opportunities in New Brunswick.

It’s a good idea to reach out to private practices for shadowing opportunities. It can also help to look into who you might already know within your network, such as on LinkedIn or through Handshake (specific to Rutgers). In addition to the hospitals we’ve listed above, here are a few area hospitals and clinics that may provide additional shadowing opportunities:

Rutgers premed student organizations

As a Rutgers premed, your interests are likely varied—just as they’d be regardless of your major. We’ve included some student organizations that are likely to appeal to students who have a future in medicine:

Global health impact for Rutgers premed students

Is global health something you’re interested in? As a Rutgers premed, there are numerous opportunities for you to make an impact. Some such opportunities include:

Alternative Breaks - This is an organization through which you’d learn about a community issue and then go on an excursion to perform volunteer services that revolve around that issue.
Amnesty International - Amnesty is a global organization through which students help provide equity for human rights matters, including healthcare-related issues.
Charity: Water Rutgers - Raise funds to provide clean and safe drinking water to those in developing countries.
Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children - This organization seeks to provide healthcare to underprivileged families worldwide.
Oxfam Rutgers - Working together, students create long-term solutions to issues that stem from poverty, including healthcare inequities.

Visit the Rutgers Global Health Institute for other ways you can get involved on a global scale.

----

Part 4: Getting into medical school as a Rutgers premed

Of course, everything we’ve mentioned in this guide is done with one main goal in mind: acceptance into medical school. Whether Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is part of your plan or you’re considering attending somewhere else, you can rest assured knowing Rutgers will have prepared you well.

For some perspective on the quality of that preparation, it helps to review the school’s med school acceptance rate amongst applicants. In 2022, 477 Rutgers (New Brunswick) graduates applied to med school, and 277 of those students matriculated. (In case you’re curious, 182 matriculants entered allopathic/MD programs and 95 matriculants entered osteopathic/DO programs.) That’s a 58% acceptance rate—and that’s just for the New Brunswick campus!

Getting into Robert Wood Johnson Medical School as a Rutgers premed

Naturally, you may wonder if attending Rutgers gives students a leg up when it comes to applying to Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS). While we don’t have specific numbers or stats on Rutgers premed students who later matriculated to RWJMS, we do know that there are several unique programs specifically for Rutgers students that may prove advantageous for applicants.

For example, the Early-Assurance Program is a distinct program for Rutgers students who may be educationally or economically disadvantaged. If you're still looking around at colleges but you're certain you want to go into medicine, then you might be interested in the Joint Bachelor/Medical Degree Program, which is a BS/MD program that enables students to earn an MD in as little as seven or eight years. Both of these programs allow Rutgers premed students an opportunity to matriculate into RWJMS that they may not have as a student at another institution.

Final thoughts

Working your way through a rigorous program as a premed is challenging regardless of the school. However, when the university is as reputable as Rutgers, you know you’re being well prepared for the next step: medical school! When a school prides itself on the training it provides students, you tend to see large numbers of graduates applying to medical school, as is the case for Rutgers. As a Rutgers premed, you’ll have the chance to align yourself with a distinguished community of students with similar interests, and you’ll benefit from the wealth of knowledge and assistance found in the health professions office.