Resources › For Students and Parents Top New Jersey Colleges 14 of the Best Colleges and Universities in New Jersey Share Flipboard Email Print For Students and Parents College Admissions College Rankings College Admissions Process College Profiles Choosing A College Application Tips Essay Samples & Tips Testing Graphs College Financial Aid Advanced Placement Homework Help Private School Test Prep College Life Graduate School Business School Law School Distance Learning View More By Allen Grove Allen Grove Facebook Twitter College Admissions Expert Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with over 20 years of experience helping students transition to college. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on October 31, 2019 New Jersey has wide ranging options for higher education. Princeton is the most prestigious of the group, but the list includes public, private, large, small, women's and Catholic institutions. The 14 top New Jersey colleges listed below vary so much in size and type of school that I have simply listed them alphabetically rather than force them into any sort of artificial ranking. The schools were chosen based on a variety of factors such as academic reputation, curricular innovations, first-year retention rates, graduation rates, selectivity, financial aid and student engagement. I always caution students to recognize the limitations of any college ranking system. The criteria I use to select the "top" schools may have very little to do with the criteria that would make a college a good match for you. Make sure you choose an institution that is a good match for your career goals, academic and extracurricular interests, and personality. Compare Top New Jersey Colleges: New Jersey SAT Comparison Table The College of New Jersey The College of New Jersey. Tcnjlion / Wikimedia Commons Location: Ewing, New Jersey Enrollment: 7,686 (7,048 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public liberal arts college Distinctions: one of the top public liberal arts colleges in the country; easy train access to Philadelphia and New York City; over 50 degree programs; high retention and graduation rates; excellent value; 13 to 1 student to faculty ratio For acceptance rate, SAT/ACT scores, costs and other information, visit The College of New Jersey profile Drew University Brothers College at Drew University. Jim.henderson / Wikimedia Commons / CC 1.0 Location: Madison, New Jersey Enrollment: 2,263 (1,668 undergraduates) Type of Institution: small private university with a liberal arts focus Distinctions: impressive 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio and an average class size of about 20; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; close proximity to New York City; high four-year graduation rate For acceptance rate, SAT/ACT scores, costs and other information, visit the Drew University profile Monmouth University Woodrow Wilson Hall at Monmouth University. Zeete / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Location: Long Branch, New Jersey Enrollment: 6,167 (4,630 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private comprehensive university Distinctions: six colleges and strong professional programs; 13 to 1 student / faculty ratio; located just one mile from the shore; Honors School for high-achieving students; member of the NCAA Division I Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference For acceptance rate, SAT/ACT scores, costs and other information, visit the Monmouth University profile New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) NJIT, New Jersey Institute of Technology. Romer Jed Medina / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0 Location: Newark, New Jersey Enrollment: 11,423 (8,532 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public university with a science and engineering focus Distinctions: 17 to 1 student / faculty ratio; 50 bachelor's degree programs; easy access to New York City; member of the NCAA Division I Atlantic Sun Conference For acceptance rate, SAT/ACT scores, costs and other information, visit the NJIT profile Princeton University Princeton University. Allen Grove Location: Princeton, New Jersey Enrollment: 8,374 (5,428 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private comprehensive university Distinctions: member of the Ivy League; one of the top universities in the country; 5 to 1 student / faculty ratio; attractive 500-acre campus; membership in the Association of American Universities for research strengths; chapter of of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; excellent retention and graduation rates Explore the Campus: Princeton University Photo Tour For acceptance rate, SAT/ACT scores, costs and other information, visit the Princeton University profile Ramapo College of New Jersey Ramapo College Arch. Daniellek0512 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 Location: Mahwah, New Jersey Enrollment: 6,174 (5,609 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public liberal arts college Distinctions: average class size of 23; 40 academic programs; interdisciplinary academic structure; highly rated among master's-level colleges in the North; many new facilities; easy access to New York City; good value For acceptance rate, SAT/ACT scores, costs and other information, visit the Ramapo College profile Rider University North Hall at Rider University. David Keddie / Flickr / CC BY-SA 4.0 Location: Lawrenceville, New Jersey Enrollment: 4,824 (3,920 undergraduates) Type of Institution: comprehensive private university Distinctions: 10 to 1 student / faculty ratio; 60 degree programs across four academic colleges; easy access to New York City and Philadelphia; strong business programs; member of the NCAA Division I Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference For acceptance rate, SAT/ACT scores, costs and other information, visit the Rider University profile Rowan University Rowan University College of Business. Scott Brody / Wikimedia COmmons / CC BY-SA 4.0 Location: Glassboro, New Jersey Enrollment: 19,465 (16,120 undergraduates) Type of Institution: comprehensive public university Distinctions: average class size of 20; 17 to 1 student / faculty ratio; 87 undergraduate majors across eight academic colleges; strong music education and business administration programs For acceptance rate, SAT/ACT scores, costs and other information, visit the Rowan University profile Rutgers University, Camden Cooper Library at Rutgers Camden. Peter Bond / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0 Location: Camden, New Jersey Enrollment: 7,171 (5,776 undergraduates) Type of Institution: comprehensive public university Distinctions: 15 to 1 student / faculty ratio; average class size of 22; located across the Delaware from Philadelphia; good grant aid and value; 35 undergraduate majors For acceptance rate, SAT/ACT scores, costs and other information, visit the Rutgers-Camden profile Rutgers University, New Brunswick Rutgers University Football. Ted Kerwin / Flickr Location: New Brunswick, New Jersey Enrollment: 50,254 (36,039 undergraduates) Type of Institution: comprehensive public university Distinctions: flagship campus of the Rutgers system; 16 to 1 student / faculty ratio; ranks highly among national public universities; many strong graduate programs; easy access to New York City and Philadelphia; Scarlet Knights compete in the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference For acceptance rate, SAT/ACT scores, costs and other information, visit the Rutgers-New Brunswick profile Rutgers University, Newark The Golden Dome Athletic Center at Rutgers Newark. Kai Schreiber / Flickr Location: Newark, New Jersey Enrollment: 13,451 (9,142 undergraduates) Type of Institution: comprehensive public university Distinctions: diverse student body from over 100 nations; 16 to 1 student / faculty ratio; close to New York City; 40 undergraduate majors; Honors College for high achieving students For acceptance rate, SAT/ACT scores, costs and other information, visit the Rutgers-Newark profile Seton Hall University Seton Hall University. Joe829er / Wikimedia Commons Location: South Orange, New Jersey Enrollment: 10,162 (6,136 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private Catholic university Distinctions: 13 to 1 student / faculty ratio; 60 undergraduate degree programs; all students receive a laptop computer; easy access to New York City; competes in the NCAA Division I Big East Conference For acceptance rate, SAT/ACT scores, costs and other information, visit the Seton Hall University profile Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology. Barry Winiker / Getty Images Location: Hoboken, New Jersey Enrollment: 6,929 (3,431 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private university with technological focus Distinctions: campus overlooks the Manhattan skyline; students come from 47 states and 60 countries; 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio; highly rated engineering programs; most students receive grant aid For acceptance rate, SAT/ACT scores, costs and other information, visit the Stevens Institute of Technology profile Stockton University Stockton University's Carnegie Library in Atlantic City. Jay Reed / Flickr Location: Galloway, New Jersey Enrollment: 9,621 (8,604 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public liberal arts university Distinctions: highly ranked among public master's universities in the North; strong environmental studies and marine science programs; 1,600-acre campus features an art gallery, observatory, a large outdoor research lab, and a laboratory, field station and marina for marine science; good value For acceptance rate, SAT/ACT scores, costs and other information, visit the Stockton University profile Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Grove, Allen. "Top New Jersey Colleges." ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/top-new-jersey-colleges-788322. Grove, Allen. (2020, August 28). Top New Jersey Colleges. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/top-new-jersey-colleges-788322 Grove, Allen. "Top New Jersey Colleges." 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