Here are the best colleges and universities in New Jersey. Our list will help you find the right kind of school for you.
Nearly half of the colleges and universities in this state are private, and tuition rates range from $6,000 to $52,000. With a graduation rate of 97% and a student population of just over 7,000, Princeton University is the state’s most esteemed institution. Narrowing in on the sciences and arts, this Ivy League school offers unique areas of study, including robotics, intelligent systems, and public life. The remaining 31 public colleges and universities range in tuition from $4,000 to $17,000.
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The state’s largest and top-ranked public research institution is Rutgers University. With campuses in New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden as well as smaller locations across the state, Rutgers awards degrees in physics, economics, criminal justice, and psychology. New Jersey also has 11 religiously affiliated colleges and universities, including the oldest diocesan university in the United States, Seton Hall University. This Roman Catholic university has a tuition rate of $42,000 and a student population of over 8,000.
New Jersey, known for its sandy shores and busy expressways, also has more diners than any other state in the U.S., as well as the world’s longest boardwalk, located in Atlantic City. Many influential people, including Buzz Aldrin, Frank Sinatra, and Thomas Edison, have called The Garden State home. Visitors can even peek at some of Edison’s early light bulbs at the Menlo Park Museum. And with 50 higher learning institutions to choose from, students can find a school that suits their career path and budget.
Learn more about earning your degree from one of New Jersey’s highly regarded colleges and universities.
Related: Differences between research universities and teaching colleges
We’ve identified 28 colleges and universities in New Jersey that meet our criteria. The ranking features fully accredited public and private colleges and universities in New Jersey that offer a wide range of bachelor’s degrees.
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
98%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1515/34
Princeton University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$47K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
72%
Student body
9K
Median SAT/ACT
1240/26
Seton Hall University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
53%
Graduation
88%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1420/32
Stevens Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
89%
Graduation
53%
Student body
4K
Fairleigh Dickinson University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
76%
Graduation
65%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1075/20
Rutgers University–Camden’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$18K
Acceptance
66%
Graduation
70%
Student body
10K
Median SAT/ACT
1290/27
New Jersey Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
68%
Student body
17K
Median SAT/ACT
1155/24
Rowan University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
68%
Student body
19K
Montclair State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$43K
Acceptance
73%
Graduation
69%
Student body
2K
Drew University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$16K
Acceptance
51%
Graduation
86%
Student body
9K
Median SAT/ACT
1260/27
The College of New Jersey’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$42K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
74%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1145/24
Monmouth University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$36K
Acceptance
76%
Graduation
65%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1115/22
Rider University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
50%
Student body
12K
Median SAT/ACT
1010/20
Kean University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$14K
Acceptance
77%
Graduation
74%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1115/23
Stockton University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$14K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
56%
Student body
9K
William Paterson University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
67%
Graduation
84%
Student body
47K
Median SAT/ACT
1320/28
Rutgers University–New Brunswick’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
96%
Graduation
36%
Student body
6K
New Jersey City University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
67%
Graduation
72%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1130/23
Ramapo College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$28K
Graduation
48%
Student body
3K
Berkeley College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
55%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1015/20
Saint Peter's University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Student body
4K
Thomas Edison State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
57%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1059/22
Georgian Court University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
74%
Graduation
65%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1110/22
Rutgers University–Newark’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$36K
Acceptance
94%
Graduation
54%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
990/17
Felician University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$31K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
33%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
965/17
Bloomfield College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
64%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1045/20
Caldwell University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
62%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1043/20
Centenary University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
51%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
993/17
Saint Elizabeth University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utiulized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.
