Rider University in New Jersey is increasing their Phi Theta Kappa transfer scholarship from $2,000 to $5,000.
Rider University is a private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. Rider ranks on U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges list and The Princeton Review’s Best Colleges list.
Learn more about this transfer option in the Q&A below.
Tell us about your college’s new transfer scholarship for members of Phi Theta Kappa.
Our support for Phi Theta Kappa members at Rider is not new as we have been providing dedicate PTK scholarships and full-tuition pathways for members for many years. But, we are excited to be able to increase our already generous offerings to further support PTK members in their academic journey. The general PTK scholarship was originally $2,000 per year, but effective immediately it will be increasing to $5,000 per year. This increase reflects an acknowledgement of the increasing costs of higher education, the barriers many community college students have had to overcome to succeed in transferring, and Rider’s commitment to keeping education affordable for community college students.
Why does your college feel that it is important to offer a scholarship opportunity for members?
As a former PTK advisor, I have personally seen how PTK inspires students, challenges them, and encourages them to be leaders and engaged scholars. I’ve seen that passion first-hand and seen how hard some of these students work, so, for me, PTK membership represents more than academic achievement. It signals a commitment to excellence, leadership, and community, which aligns perfectly with Rider’s institutional values. Rider believe in the mission of PTK and is proud to be recognized by PTK as one of the nation’s top universities for our commitment and investment of resources to support transfer students and offering dedicated scholarship opportunities for PTK members is a direct expression of that commitment. We want high-achieving community college students to know that Rider is not just a place where they are welcome, but it is a place where they are celebrated & supported from day one and encouraged to continue to shine as leaders.
Are there other transfer scholarships that could be stacked with your Phi Theta Kappa award?
Yes! This is one of the most exciting aspects of Rider’s financial aid model. Rider’s scholarships are designed to stack, so students can maximize their award package. And, this applies to all students, including international students! In general, students will start off with a merit scholarship based on their GPA, ranging from $14,000 to $22,000 per year. The $5,000 for PTK membership is then stacked on top of the general merit aid. From there, students can stack additional awards such as a $2,000 Honors Program award, a $2,000 Legacy or Sibling award, or possibly a special award that may be related to their academic program, such as Accounting, Teacher Education, or Foreign Languages. And all of this is before financial aid applies. It should be noted that we also have a Full-Tuition Transfer Trustee Scholarship that PTK members can apply for. Scholarships are not stackable with the Transfer Trustee Scholarship and if a student receives the Transfer Trustee it supersedes all other offers.
What other opportunities are available for transfer students at your institution to assist them in successfully transitioning from community college?
Rider is very “transfer friendly”, incorporating transfer student supports throughout all of our major programming and events, starting with the admissions and credit evaluation process. Rider is proud to offer PTK Direct Admission to help streamline the application process for members, including waiving our essay. We also offer unofficial credit evaluation requests at any time for students and they can easily access that through a form on our website. After the student is admitted, we invite all transfer students to start building community right away through our Transfer Student Group Me, which is moderate by current transfer students at the university. At our events, we host Transfer “Next Steps” breakfasts, designed to engage transfer students, help them connect in-person to other transfers, and ensure they are set up for success for their first semester. We also encourage students from day one to engage with our Transfer Student Association, which plans National Transfer Student Week celebrations every October and also hosts fun and engaging events throughout the year. In addition to all this, we also have a Student Navigation Office to help support transfer students with one-on-one coaching, transfer breakout sessions during orientation, and a pro-active approach to career services, which invites transfer students to join in career workshops and activities prior to enrolling their first semester.
In your opinion, what is one of the most impressive things about your college?
I think one of the most impressive things about my college are the people and the community. Not only am I impressed by our students and all that they accomplish in their short time at Rider, but I am impressed by how they lift and raise eachother up, celebrate eachothers’ successes, and seek out opportunities to always make it better for the next students who follow behind them. The sense of community at Rider also extends to the faculty, staff, and administrators and I am consistently impressed with our campus leaders who take the time to understand our transfer students challenges, make policy changes that directly improve the transfer student experience, work with us to created seamless transfer pathways to help students achieve their goals without barriers, work to ensure language is inclusive and, of course, make financial support for these students a priority. It’s this sense of community and connection and ability to really get to know our students that helps our students ultimately succeed to graduation and in finding opportunities in the workplace.
Are there any special events or deadlines on your recruitment calendar that you would like to share?
April 1 = Preferred Fall 2026 Application Deadline – Rolling admissions after 4/1
December 1= Preferred Spring 2027 Application Deadline – Rolling admissions after 12/1
February 1 = Deadlines for Fall 2027 Transfer Trustee Full-tuition Scholarship Applicants
Students applying now for Fall 2026 should apply as Direct Admit students. Click the Direct Admit Icon on PTK Connect to access the streamlined application form with no essay required.
Schedule a transfer appointment: https://admissions.rider.edu/portal/transfer_appointment
Find more colleges and transfer scholarships like this one through PTK Connect.
