When Rutgers students imagine life after graduation, they might picture graduate school, a new job, or maybe even a gap year abroad. But for some, the path leads to something bigger: two years of service overseas with the Peace Corps. We sat down with Connor Cullinane, a Rutgers alumnus from the class of 2023, who served in Morocco from 2023 to 2025, to hear what the experience was really like.
Rutgers students had the opportunity to explore the world this fall as Rutgers Global hosted its annual Study Abroad Fall Fair on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, at the Livingston Student Center. The event, ran from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and showcased the wide range of international programs available to both undergraduate and graduate students. There seems to be a strong renewed interest in global education following the pandemic-era slowdown. In 2024–25, more than 1,000 Rutgers students studied abroad, the highest participation in recent years, reflecting a growing enthusiasm for international experiences. This year's fair drew in more than 900 students. Here are photos from the event.
Rutgers University proudly welcomed over 1,500 new international students this fall during its three-day International Student Orientation (ISO), held August 25–27, 2025, at Jersey Mike’s Arena and across campus. Nearly 150 parents and family members also attended, many of whom first connected with Rutgers through admitted student events and pre-departure programs hosted this summer in India and China.
Rutgers University was honored to welcome a distinguished delegation of senior leaders from O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), one of India's top private universities, to the Rutgers-New Brunswick campus on July 22. Led by Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, President & Vice Chancellor, and founder of JGU, the group discussed potential collaborations including student and faculty exchanges and dual degree programs. A diverse group of faculty and staff from across Rutgers joined the meeting, including deans and senior faculty from the Rutgers Law School, Rutgers Business School, the School of Engineering, the School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, the School of Social Work, and the Bloustein School, as well as key members of enrollment management, and Rutgers Global.
This September, Freie Universität Berlin will mark a major milestone: the 20th anniversary of its renowned FU-BEST (Freie Universität Berlin European Studies) program. Over the past two decades, FU-BEST has grown into one of Europe’s most respected English-language study abroad programs, offering students from across the globe—including many from Rutgers University—a life-changing academic and cultural experience in the heart of Berlin. Rutgers Global Study Abroad has proudly partnered with FU-BEST for over a decade, sending students to Berlin in the fall and spring since at least 2008. The program remains a student favorite, drawing those interested in European studies, language immersion, and cultural exploration.
Rahul Mittal, assistant professor in the Department of Health Informatics at Rutgers School of Health Professions, is harnessing the power of international collaboration to support health and social care in underserved communities abroad. Awarded a 2024 Rutgers Global Grant for International Collaborative Research, Dr. Mittal is leading a project in Cornwall, United Kingdom, titled “Taxonomy of the Voluntary Sector in Cornwall.”
Rutgers University was proud to participate in the Climate Corps Summer School 2025 program hosted by Korea University (KU) this summer, bringing together students and scholars from around the world to address the global climate crisis through innovation, education, and partnership. Three students from Rutgers attended the program: Audree Gousse, Eva Brozovsky, and Alex Varela Reyes. In addition, two Rutgers faculty members attended, Ahmed Aziz Ezzat, Assistant Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering, and Victoria Ramenzoni, Associate Professor in Marine Policy and Social Sciences.
Thierno Moustapha Diallo, a Fulbright Rutgers Health student originally from Guinea, received his Master of Public Health (MPH) in Global Public Health from the Rutgers School of Public Health in the spring and was granted the 2025 Stanley S. Bergen Medal of Excellence Award, the school’s highest student honor. As the Bergen awardee, he also delivered the graduate keynote address at the school’s 2025 Convocation ceremony. Additionally, Diallo was also the recipient of the 2025 Bernard D. Goldstein Award for Global Public Health, which recognizes exceptional academic achievement among masters-level Rutgers School of Public Health students in their concentration.
Students, faculty, and staff from the Rutgers School of Public Health recently returned from a deeply enriching study abroad experience in Manizales, Colombia. The experience provided students with an immersive opportunity to directly engage with community-based organizations, public health agencies, researchers, educators, and community leaders dedicated to addressing health inequities in Latin American communities. Led by Rafael E. Pérez-Figueroa, Associate Dean for Community Engagement, Population Health, and Public Health Service and associate professor in Rutgers School of Public Health’s Department of Urban-Global Public Health, the study abroad course was hosted in collaboration with the Universidad Autónoma de Manizales (UAM).
As part of Rutgers University’s growing Korea–US engagement strategy in the biomedical and health sciences, Rutgers Global and Rutgers Health co-hosted a Symposium on Korea–US R&D Collaborations and Funding Opportunities on Thursday, June 19, at Richard Weeks Hall on the Rutgers–New Brunswick campus. The symposium was the culmination of several collaborative events between Rutgers and K-BioX, a global bio-health innovation platform that connects Korean and international institutions to advance research partnerships.
The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced that Karen Wei-Ru Lin, M.D., of the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has received a Fulbright Specialist Program award. Dr. Lin will complete a project at Kobe University in Japan that aims to exchange knowledge and establish partnerships benefiting participants, institutions, and communities both in the U.S. and overseas through a variety of educational and training activities within Public/Global Health.
A record 20 students across Rutgers University have been awarded the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, which empowers students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, fostering mutual understanding between the United States and other countries.
This milestone highlights Rutgers’ growing commitment to global education and access for all students, especially those traditionally underrepresented in study abroad programs.