“Public research university in Glassboro, New Jersey with 14 colleges and schools.”
Rowan University is a public research university based in Glassboro, New Jersey, founded in 1923 and transformed by a historic $100 million gift from industrialist Henry Rowan in 1992 — at the time the largest gift ever made to a public university. That investment seeded what is now the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering and set Rowan on a trajectory of explosive growth: it has become one of the fastest-growing universities in the United States, climbing from a regional teachers' college into a Carnegie R2 doctoral research institution with more than 23,000 students. Rowan is one of only two universities in the country to operate both an MD-granting medical school (Cooper Medical School of Rowan University in Camden) and a DO-granting osteopathic medical school (Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford), now organized under the Virtua Health College of Medicine & Life Sciences. Beyond medicine, the university spans 14 colleges and schools, with particular strength in engineering, biomedical sciences, business, communication, and the performing and visual arts. The main 415-acre Glassboro campus is a walkable, residential, college-town environment in South Jersey, just 20 miles from Philadelphia. For international students, Rowan offers an unusually affordable point of entry to U.S. higher education for a comprehensive research university — with international tuition under $30,000/year, a flat-rate cost-of-attendance below most private peers, and a dedicated International Center supporting more than 1,900 international students and scholars from 70+ countries. Test-optional admissions, multiple English-proficiency pathways, and direct access to the Philadelphia metro job market round out a strong international value proposition.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
National Universities
US News 2026
Top Public Schools
US News 2026
International Student Enrollment (F-1)
DHS SEVIS by the Numbers (2024)
Research Activity
Carnegie Classifications (2021)
Research Classification
Carnegie
Top Public Schools 2025
U.S. News & World Report
Fastest-Growing Public Doctoral Research University
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Research classification
Carnegie Classification
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceEarly Action
Non-binding; priority for scholarship and honors review
Scholarship Priority
Required for full scholarship consideration for Fall 2026
Regular Decision
General Fall 2026 application deadline
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
$16,574
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$26,932
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
4 years
STEM-designated, ABET-accredited program with selective accelerated BS-BME/MD and BS-BME/DO combined-degree pathways into Rowan's two medical schools.
4 years
STEM-designated CS major in the College of Science and Mathematics with optional concentrations in cybersecurity, data science, and software engineering.
4 years
Project-based, ABET-accredited engineering core with the signature 'Engineering Clinic' sequence — 8 semesters of design and research projects integrated across all four years.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $26,932
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
