14 NJ Colleges Among Best Regional Schools: New U.S. News Rankings

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey is home to some of the best regional universities in the country, according to the most recent U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges rankings.

Patch already shared the top overall colleges in New Jersey, but the rankings break down into several other categories. One of these is top regional colleges, where the Garden State had 14 entrants in its region.

The U.S. News and World Report rankings evaluated 1,500 colleges and universities using up to 19 measures of academic quality, the digital media company said in a news release. This year, the company said it significantly altered the way it ranks colleges, placing a greater emphasis on social mobility and outcomes for graduates.

These regional colleges focus on undergraduate education, but grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines, said U.S. News. The rankings are split into four regions: North, South, Midwest, and West. New Jersey is included in the North region, where 178 schools were ranked.

Here are the top regional colleges in New Jersey in the U.S. News rankings for 2023/24:

• The College of New Jersey, Ewing
  • Rank in Regional Universities North: 4
• Monmouth University, West Long Branch
  • Rank in Regional Universities North: 17 (tie)
• Ramapo College of New Jersey, Mahwah
  • Rank in Regional Universities North: 27 (tie)
• Rider University, Lawrenceville
  • Rank in Regional Universities North: 33 (tie)
• Farleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
  • Rank in Regional Universities North: 45 (tie)
• Saint Peter's University, Jersey City
  • Rank in Regional Universities North: 45 (tie)
• William Paterson University of New Jersey, Wayne
  • Rank in Regional Universities North: 69 (tie)
• Caldwell University, Caldwell
  • Rank in Regional Universities North: 80 (tie)
• Saint Elizabeth University, Morristown
  • Rank in Regional Universities North: 96 (tie)
• Centenary University, Hackettstown
  • Rank in Regional Universities North: 104 (tie)
• Georgian Court University, Lakewood
  • Rank in Regional Universities North: 111 (tie)
• Felician University, Lodi
  • Rank in Regional Universities North: 123 (tie)
• New Jersey City University, Jersey City
  • Rank in Regional Universities North: 143 (tie)
• Berkeley College (NJ), Woodland Park
  • Rank in Regional Universities North: 152-167

As for the top overall colleges in the nation, not much has changed since the 2022–23 rankings — Princeton University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology kept their titles as the No. 1 and 2 schools in the country, with Harvard University and Stanford University tying for third, according to the rankings.

Yale University fell two spots from tying for third in 2022-23 to No. 5 in the updated rankings.

Related article:

• 6 NJ Colleges Among Top 100 In Nation: US News Rankings