BY NATALIE KOUBA

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

During the nation’s difficult economic time, both students and parents alike are looking for the best bargain when it comes to picking a university. And it seems that an increasing number of students are enrolling at Rutgers University, according to admissions data.

This year the Rutgers New Brunswick campus saw a 7 percent increase in freshman applicants, compared to last year’s data, according to The Star-Ledger. About 300 more freshman than expected are planning to attend the New Brunswick campus in the fall.

Here’s why students seem to be flocking to Rutgers this year:

1) It’s affordable. Well relatively affordable compared to private or out of state schools. Tuition and fees averaged at $13,073 for in-state undergraduate students last year. New Jersey students looking to attend out of state schools, such as Penn State or the University of Delaware, would have paid about $28,000, reported the Star-Ledger.

2) The quality of Rutgers applicants has been increasing over the years. It might up the competition, but also the appeal to incoming freshman. The average SAT scores of applying freshman was up 12 points this year ranking at 1,769 out of 2,400