The Best Colleges in New Jersey
New Jersey has an Ivy League university, three separately ranked Rutgers campuses, and two nationally known technology schools — but it does not have 50 colleges. We scored New Jersey's four-year colleges on published U.S. News and QS/THE lists, College Scorecard outcomes (median earnings, graduation rate, net price), and accreditor standing — then ran every name through an existence gate against federal, state, and accreditor records. Only 27 institutions passed. All 27 are ranked here. Nothing was padded to reach 50.
The gate did real work. Two names that still headline New Jersey college lists no longer exist as independent institutions: New Jersey City University merged into Kean University on July 1, 2026 and now operates as Kean Jersey City, and Bloomfield College was absorbed into Montclair State University in 2023, its own accreditation ceasing June 30, 2024. Older ghosts were cut too — Upsala College (closed 1995) and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (dissolved 2013). Every survivor below is operating, accredited, and in the town printed next to its name.
How this ranking was built — and what got cut
For a state ranking, the existence gate asks whether the institution on the draft is the institution that exists today, under that name, in that town. Every entry was checked against IPEDS/College Scorecard presence, the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education directory, and Middle States accreditation status, and the location printed is the institution's home campus. Rutgers appears three times because the federal government counts three Rutgers institutions — New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden are separate IPEDS institutions with separate outcomes — and Fairleigh Dickinson appears twice for the same reason: its Florham and Metropolitan campuses are separate IPEDS institutions under one university and one accreditation.
The verdict: 25 of 27 clean, 2 flags, 0 failures. Rider University (#17) is on Middle States probation — the Commission acted October 30, 2025 over financial-planning compliance (Standard VI) and continued the probation on March 12, 2026, noting the institution remains accredited while on probation. It is operating, enrolling, and accredited, so it passes the gate; the probation is disclosed here and in our verification report rather than hidden. Thomas Edison State University (#26) is flagged for model, not standing: a public, accredited university built for adult learners, 98% online at the undergraduate level, whose conventional graduation-rate metrics are not comparable to residential campuses — it is scored on earnings and completion outcomes instead.
The kills are the point. A New Jersey list assembled from stale sources would still offer you New Jersey City University as a standalone school (merged into Kean University effective July 1, 2026; the surviving institution, Kean, is ranked here at #18, and Jersey City is its campus now, not a separate entry), Bloomfield College as an independent college (merged into Montclair State University effective June 30, 2023; its accreditation ceased June 30, 2024), the College of Saint Elizabeth (renamed Saint Elizabeth University on July 1, 2020 — the successor is ranked at #22), Westminster Choir College as a Princeton institution (part of Rider since 1992; its programs moved to Rider's Lawrenceville campus in 2020 and Princeton took over the campus in April 2025), Upsala College (closed May 31, 1995), Don Bosco College (closed 1989), and UMDNJ (dissolved July 1, 2013, its schools split between Rutgers and Rowan — both ranked here on their own records). Each of those names was in our candidate pool, and each was removed with dated evidence before a single score was assigned.
The full Top 27
Princeton, NJ
New Brunswick, NJ
Hoboken, NJ
Newark, NJ
Newark, NJ
Camden, NJ
Ewing, NJ
South Orange, NJ
Montclair, NJ
Glassboro, NJ
Madison, NJ
Galloway, NJ
Mahwah, NJ
West Long Branch, NJ
Jersey City, NJ
Madison, NJ
Lawrenceville, NJ
Union, NJ
Teaneck, NJ
Caldwell, NJ
Wayne, NJ
Morristown, NJ
Lakewood, NJ
Hackettstown, NJ
Lodi, NJ
Trenton, NJ
Newark, NJ
How we rank
Ranked on U.S. News and QS/THE published lists, College Scorecard outcomes, and accreditor standing — 2026 composite.
Before any scoring, every candidate passes our existence gate: confirmed open, operating at the location listed, and showing recent activity. Anything closed, moved, or mislabeled is removed — no exceptions, no grandfathering. Weights and sources are published on our methodology page.
Notes & corrections
Colleges close, merge, and rename themselves — New Jersey has seen all three, including a merger that took effect on July 1, 2026, months before this list was published. This list is re-verified against federal and accreditor registries before it is posted anywhere, and spot-checked on a rolling basis. Rider University's Middle States probation (continued March 12, 2026; the university remains accredited) is re-checked before any future edition. If you spot a change we haven't caught, email [email protected] and we will correct the record publicly. If it's listed, it exists.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best college in New Jersey?
Princeton University, in Princeton, ranks #1. It tops the composite of published U.S. News and QS/THE lists and College Scorecard outcomes, and it passed the same existence gate as all 27: an operating, accredited institution at the location listed.
Why does this list have 27 colleges instead of 50?
Because New Jersey only has 27 colleges that meet the rules: four-year, degree-granting, public or private nonprofit institutions with a home campus in the state, verified against IPEDS/College Scorecard and Middle States records. Community colleges, for-profit institutions, seminary-only and Talmudic institutions, and graduate-only schools are excluded by rule — and two formerly eligible names, New Jersey City University and Bloomfield College, no longer exist as independent institutions. Rather than pad the list with excluded categories or branch campuses, we ranked every eligible college in the state: all 27 of them.
Why isn't New Jersey City University on the list?
Because New Jersey City University no longer exists as a separate institution. After a fiscal crisis and 17 months of planning, NJCU merged into Kean University effective July 1, 2026; the Jersey City campus now operates as Kean Jersey City, and NJCU students became Kean students. Kean University is ranked here at #18, at its home campus in Union. Listing NJCU separately would be ranking a name that stopped existing in July 2026.
Why isn't Bloomfield College on the list?
Because Bloomfield College is no longer an independent college. It merged into Montclair State University effective June 30, 2023, becoming Bloomfield College of Montclair State University — an additional location of Montclair under Montclair's single accreditation. Bloomfield College's own accreditation ceased on June 30, 2024. Montclair State University is ranked here at #9, at its home campus in Montclair.
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