Rutgers offers a list of computer recommendations for students, as well as technical specifications and information on available software. Make sure your machine — or the one you’re about to purchase — measures up to the guidelines provided by Rutgers, so it can do everything you’ll need it to do. Systems meeting the recommendations can be purchased at the Rutgers Kite+Key Tech Store.
Students should check with their school or department for any discipline-specific technology requirements. In some cases, there is no need to purchase equipment because it is provided by the school.
Students, faculty, and staff can obtain free and discounted software through the Rutgers Software Portal. The products available include Adobe Creative Cloud (Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, and other apps), Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and other productivity apps), antivirus software, and many applications for research, reference, and more, such as Endnote, Qualtrics, and Refworks.
Rutgers students, faculty, and staff have unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning, a learning platform that features an online library of instructional videos from LinkedIn. LinkedIn Learning offers thousands of courses taught by industry experts on a wide range of business, technology, and creative skills. Log in to LinkedIn Learning.
Key features
- Unlimited access to all of LinkedIn Learning’s services with new content being added weekly
- Ability to connect your LinkedIn Learning account to your LinkedIn profile to get relevant and personalized course recommendations based on the skills listed on your profile, skills you’re interested in, or what’s popular for your current role
- Courses to help individuals prepare for professional certification exams and earn continuing education credits
- On-demand instruction anytime, anywhere with desktop and mobile apps
Support and additional resources
- Take the How to Use LinkedIn Learning course to learn about the updated platform and its new features.
- Learn how to add courses and new skills that you have learned from LinkedIn Learning by connecting your account to your LinkedIn profile.
- For help with LinkedIn Learning courses and resources, please visit the LinkedIn Learning help page.
- For assistance accessing LinkedIn Learning using a Rutgers NetID, please contact your local Help Desk.
Members of the Rutgers community can remotely access nearly all of the software they’d find on the general-use computer lab PCs in New Brunswick. Visit the Virtual Computer Labs site to learn more about the service and how to log in. You can also view a list of available software.
Note: Virtual Computer Labs are not compliant with the privacy regulations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and should not be used to conduct business related to Protected Health Information.
Adobe apps for everything from animation and illustration to web design and video editing are available for download at the University Software Portal. Rutgers provides students, faculty, and staff with access to Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Acrobat, and many more Adobe apps and tools. For training and support, visit the Rutgers Adobe website.
Security tips and advice
You are your own best defense against identity theft, compromise, and malware. The following are some suggestions for basic IT security:
- Follow password rules. Never share your password. Choose different passwords for different sites.
- Install antivirus/antispyware software and have it updated automatically.
- Use only secure Wi-Fi when transmitting confidential data (credit card numbers, banking, etc.).
- Don’t be a phishing scam victim. Rutgers will never ask you for your password or other confidential information in an email.
- Protect your social networking with privacy settings.
OIT recommends keeping computers up to date with the latest antivirus software. Learn more about Rutgers antivirus software.
Two-step login
Two-step login (powered by Duo Security) helps protect your Rutgers account by adding an extra layer of security beyond your password. With two-step login (also known as NetID+ at Rutgers), you can confirm your identity when gaining access to many online resources at the university. Once you are enrolled and after you enter your NetID and password to login to a web application, you will then be prompted to confirm on a device (e.g. your mobile phone) that you are the person attempting to log in with your NetID and password. Sign up for two-step login.
Box at Rutgers is a cloud-based file storage application where you can securely store, manage, and share digital files. Rutgers chose Box for its fast, simple functionality, serving as a collaboration space between faculty, staff, and students. Box features secure data transfer and unlimited storage capabilities. Once your information is uploaded, you can share files and folders using a direct link, invite users to collaborate, and continually revise and renew content. Additionally, you can access uploaded files anytime — all you need is an Internet connection.
Game consoles, smart TVs, and streaming devices can be connected to the Rutgers Residential Network (ResNet).
In order to connect a wired device to ResNet, you must have an ethernet cord connecting your device to the black or grey port in your room. If your device does not have an ethernet port, you may purchase an adapter to use for a wired connection.
To configure your wired device for ResNet, please follow these steps.
Rutgers provides wireless Internet for Rutgers students, faculty, staff, and guests.
RUWireless
This unencrypted wireless network is used by students, faculty, and staff with official Rutgers NetIDs to configure their devices for the encrypted wireless network, RUWireless Secure.
RUWireless also provides wireless Internet service to guests while at the University. Guest wireless access to the Internet requires acceptance of the Wireless Terms of Service per session.
RUWireless Secure
This encrypted wireless network provides secure access to Rutgers resources as well as Internet services. Access requires an initial one-time configuration per device and provides automatic future connectivity for those devices.
RUHealthSciences
This encrypted wireless network is for Rutgers Health students, faculty, and staff as it provides secure wireless access to Rutgers Health resources.
eduroam
eduroam® is the secure, world-wide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community. This service allows all Rutgers University students, faculty, and staff to take advantage of free and secure wireless service when visiting an eduroam member university. Visitors from member universities can also have wireless access when visiting Rutgers.
For more information on Rutgers wireless services, visit RUWireless.
kite+key, Rutgers Tech Store offers great products, services, and discounted pricing to students, faculty, staff, and alumni. kite+key sells major brands, such as Apple, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, and Microsoft and carries a host of cords, cables, cases, and accessories, including Beats, GoPro, and Razer. Other services include cell phone plans, employee payroll deduction, and in-store workshops.
You can also get certified in and out of warranty repairs through Tek Chek, an in-house repair center, with warranty and accidental damage plans, same-day smartphone repair, and loaner laptops.
kite+key has locations at:
- The Plaza at Livingston Campus, 55 Rockafeller Road, Unit 30, Piscataway, NJ
- Hahne & Co. building, 625 Broad Street, Suite 120, Newark, NJ
- The Campus Center, 326 Penn Street, Camden, NJ
Canvas is the official learning management system for teaching and learning at Rutgers. It is used by faculty, staff, and students to access and manage online course learning materials and communicate about skill development and learning achievement.
For additional information on Canvas including specific tools and features offered, please visit the Canvas help documentation webpage.
Additionally, dedicated faculty and student support is available for all campus. If you need help with your courses or Canvas tech support, please visit the Canvas help webpage.
Rutgers provides free access to various Microsoft Office products for all current students.
Every student can install Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Publisher, OneDrive, and Access on up to five computers, five tablets, and five phones. Please note that Publisher and Access are available only for Windows computers.
Learn more about free Microsoft Office for students.
The myRutgers mobile app provides iOS and Android users with timely information on buses, schedule of classes, dining, events, and personalized views based on your role at the university.
Get the free app from the App Store or the Google Play Store!
Rutgers Health students can utilize a variety of computer centers in New Brunswick and Newark which offer Macintosh and Windows systems equipped with a diverse selection of software, scanners, and high-speed printers. Staffed by trained consultants, many labs are open late into the evening and on weekends. Comfortable workspaces with power, wireless access, and nearby printing are available to laptop users.
Learn more about the computer labs, including locations, hours, and more:
Additionally, the following lab is especially geared toward the needs of Rutgers Health students:
- Newark – Medical Science Building C632 (This is a Rutgers Health lab, not OIT, so printing charges are different.)
Hours: Monday–Friday: 8 a.m.–6 p.m.
Saturday/Sunday: By request for exams
Rutgers Health students automatically get an annual print budget at the beginning of each year’s fall semester which may vary depending upon their program.
Rutgers Health students also receive Office of Information Technology (OIT) printing balances applied twice per year, usable at OIT computer labs at various Rutgers locations. Students may print to black-and-white or color printers from lab computers, wirelessly via personal devices on RUWireless Secure, or through Virtual Computer Labs.
Learn more about printing services for Rutgers Health students.
Many of the most valuable tools that the university offers—journal access, research computing, electronic health records—cannot be accessed via web browser if you’re off campus.
Community members can, however, access nearly all university resources from nearly anywhere in the world by downloading and using the university’s virtual private network (VPN) system.
To register for the VPN, Cisco AnyConnect VPN, please follow these steps:
- Visit https://netid.rutgers.edu/ and choose the link for Service Activation in the left-hand navigation.
- Choose Remote Access VPN, Cisco AnyConnect Access for Rutgers. If you are not already signed up for two-step login with Duo, instructions will be provided to sign up as part of this process.
- Download the Cisco AnyConnect software at https://vpn.rutgers.edu.
The university has assembled comprehensive, regularly updated lists of tech resources that are available for students, faculty and staff to learn, teach and work remotely:
The Office of Advanced Research Computing (OARC) at Rutgers connects the university’s research faculty to information technology professionals. Working together across all Rutgers locations, OARC aims to increase research capabilities and productivity via cross-team communication, deployments, training, and collaboration.
OARC launched Amarel, a high-performance computing cluster for researching computing, in 2017. Amarel is a shared, community-owned advanced computing environment available to any Rutgers investigator requiring research computing resources anywhere at Rutgers.
To learn more about research computing, visit the OARC website.
The OIT Help Desk offers support and assistance with a wide range of computer-related issues – via phone, web, email, or in person.
Also, if you need help with viruses, spyware, or malware removal, simple infections can be remedied at our Help Desk free of charge. Assistance is available by appointment only.
- Call (833) OIT-HELP (648-4357)
- Email facstaffhelp@oit.rutgers.edu
The Alerts page on the Rutgers IT website is where you can find information and updates on Rutgers IT service outages, check the operating status for sites like Zoom or Canvas, and learn the latest on scheduled IT maintenance. You can also follow @RutgersIT on Facebook and Twitter to see alerts as you’re scrolling through your social media feeds.
Access to nearly all Rutgers IT services requires the use of a unique network ID, known as your NetID. Students, faculty, and staff can manage their NetIDs, email addresses, passwords, and other Rutgers IT services at the NetID website.
The ScarletApps suite (Google Workspace for Education) provides enhanced communication and collaboration tools, such as Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Calendar, and Sites. Alumni can continue to use ScarletApps services forever, providing a lifelong link to the many resources available to the Rutgers community.
To activate ScarletApps, go to netid.rutgers.edu, and select Service Activation. To set up your ScarletApps Mobile/IMAP password, go to netid.rutgers.edu and select Manage Your ScarletApps Mobile/IMAP/POP Password.
As Rutgers Health students, you are required to use the email address assigned by your school as your official Rutgers email address. ScarletMail is available for your personal use.
myRutgers University Portal is your personalized gateway to online content and services at Rutgers University. myRutgers delivers personal alerts and provides access to academic, financial aid, and student self-service applications, and a variety of other student services including email. The My Apps feature helps you find services such as:
- Academic calendars
- Academic support
- Class schedules
- Course catalogs
- Course registration and records
- Computing resources
- Financial aid
- Financial information
- Scholarships and fellowships
- Health services
- Research resources
- Student activities
- Student legal services
- Buses and shuttle services
- Parking permits
- Personal contact information (used to update emergency contact, permanent address, and online directory display, and to sign-up to receive campus emergency text notifications)
Also see campus news headlines for Rutgers Today, Scarlet Knights, The Daily Targum, and much more. Log in to myRutgers and enter your NetID.
The Rutgers Voice Services website provides self-service instructions to assist users with the support of VoIP Telephones, voicemail, analog services, and audio conferencing
Users who can’t find an answer to their telephone questions/problems can also use the website to request support.
Cisco Webex is a real-time video, voice, and chat communications software platform available to Rutgers faculty, staff, and students. It enables users to host and participate in virtual meetings with two or more people securely from anywhere with a reliable internet connection. Webex offers high-definition video, screen sharing, in-meeting chat, voice calling, and document sharing. Webex can be used in conjunction with Cisco codecs (camera systems for meeting and classroom spaces) as well as through a web browser, desktop app, or mobile device app.
Zoom is a real-time video, voice, and chat communications software platform available to Rutgers faculty, staff, and students. It enables users to host and participate in virtual meetings with two or more people securely from anywhere with a reliable internet connection. Zoom offers high-definition video, screen sharing, in-meeting chat, voice calling, and document sharing.
Visit the Rutgers Zoom website to sign up.