Cage-free eggs are going to cost area college students if they eat them or not.
New Jersey's flagship university has joined other schools in serving cage-free eggs in its dining halls.
Rutgers University students will pay $10 to $15 more for their meal plans, whether or not they eat eggs.
The Rutgers United for the Welfare of Animals group has been pressing the issue for three years, saying purchasing costlier eggs from hens that roam free is more humane than using eggs from chickens in cages.
Officials tell The Star-Ledger of Newark Rutgers buys more than 1 million eggs and 150,000 pounds of liquid eggs each year.
Students living on campus will pay between $3,686 and $4,976 for their meal plans this year, which includes the egg increase.
Approximately 17,800 of Rutgers' 65,000 students live on campus. However, not all have meal plans.
