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Overall Score: 77.44

The College of New Jersey

The College of New Jersey is a public school that could easily be confused for a private one, due to its small size, residential model, and liberal arts curriculum. That may be by design, as the college aims to keep talented New Jersey students in their home state in a region dense with higher ed options. The college's outcomes are top-notch, especially for a public school: Nearly 85% of students graduate within six years, which places it among the top public colleges in the country. TCNJ has nearly 6,600 full-time undergrads, and the average class size is 21 students. Popular degree programs include business, education, psychology, biology and nursing. As for campus life, about a third of students are fraternity and sorority members who center their social lives around the Greek system. Nearly all freshmen live in residence halls. Since the school is located in a suburb of Trenton, in the south-central part of the state, students also tend to visit Philadelphia or Manhattan for big-city fun. Traveling to either takes roughly an hour.

Costs

Est. full price 2022-2023
$36,500
% of students who get any grants
43%
Est. price for students who receive aid
$26,000
Average price for low-income students
$14,270

Admissions

Acceptance rate
49%
Median SAT/ACT score
1260/28
SAT/ACT required?
No
Undergraduate enrollment
6,750

Financial Aid

% of students with need who get grants
48%
% of need met
44%
% of students who get merit grants
10%
Average merit grant
$5,340

Student Success

Graduation rate
86%
Average time to a degree
4.2 years
Median student debt
$23,250
Early career earnings
$65,480
% earning more than a high school grad
86%

Notes: Students who get merit grants are full-time undergraduates who had no financial need and were awarded grants. Graduation rate measures degree completion within six years for both transfer students and first-time students. Early career earnings are the median earnings for both graduates and non-completers, 10 years after they first enrolled.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Peterson’s, Money/Witlytic calculations.

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