Here Are The Best NJ Colleges, According To New Rankings

NEW JERSEY — Princeton University is the best college in New Jersey, according to rankings released Monday by Niche, a college ranking and review platform. In all, dozens of colleges and universities in the Garden State were ranked among the best places to get a degree.

Niche said its 2024 Best Colleges Rankings reflect the declining importance of SAT and ACT scores and the increasing importance prospective students and their families place on value and economic mobility — that is, the ability of students to improve their economic status after graduation.

The platform evaluated 4,048 public and private four-year colleges nationwide and developed separate lists for the best academics value, food, dorms and college life.

The top five colleges in New Jersey are:

1. Princeton University
Overall Niche grade: A+
Acceptance rate: 4 percent
Net price: $20,908
SAT range: 1460 to 1570

2. Rutgers University - New Brunswick
Overall Niche grade: A+
Acceptance rate: 68 percent
Net price: $11,803
SAT range: 1240 to 1470

3. Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken
Overall Niche grade: A+
Acceptance rate: 53 percent
Net price: $40,828
SAT range: 1370 to 1510

4. The College of New Jersey, Ewing
Overall Niche grade: A+
Acceptance rate: 62 percent
Net price: $13,269
SAT range: 1170 to 1350

5. Rutgers University - Newark
Overall Niche grade: A+
Acceptance rate: 77 percent
Net price: $11,364
SAT range: 1030 to 1270

Other New Jersey schools ranked by Niche are found on the website.

To rank the schools, Niche analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Education along with reviews and ratings from current students, alumni and parents. The new economic mobility index takes into account the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants, the net tuition price for students from low-income households and the median earnings of those students six years after they get their first post-graduation jobs.

The top schools nationwide are, respectively: Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; Stanford University, Stanford, California; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge; Harvard University, Cambridge; and Princeton University.

The best value colleges are, respectively, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California; Stanford University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; California Institute of Technology, Pasadena; and Clarmont-McKenna College.

Princeton was also ranked among the 25 best value colleges, at No. 9.