These 5 New Jersey Colleges Give You The 'Best Bang For Your Buck,' Analysis Says

You may be surprised - even shocked - to see the five New Jersey colleges that give you the best bang for your buck. And they may not be cheap.

Princeton University leads the New Jersey list, as a matter of fact, and is rated No. 3 nationally on Kiplinger's annual list of 300 schools that provide the best value. The schools were were selected from a pool of 1,200 colleges, and the list is based on quality and affordability.

Kiplinger, a personal finance magazine, looked at admission and graduation rates as well as the total cost per year. Princeton has among the highest costs in the country, topping more than $61,000 a year. But the list also looks at need-based aid, debt at graduation and salary yardstick.

Read the methodology and entire list here.

Here is the list of New Jersey schools and what makes them affordable, with their national ranking in parentheses:

• (3) Princeton University, Princeton; annual cost: $61,140; need-based aid: $44,890; grad debt: $8,577; salary yardstick: $77,900
• (148) Rutgers University — New Brunswick, Piscataway; annual cost: $43,633; need-based aid: $10,698; grad debt: $25,334; salary yardstick: $54,500
• (113) College of New Jersey, Ewing; annual cost: $41,052; need-based aid: $11,636; grad debt: $36,994; salary yard stick: $56,000
• (184) Ramapo College of New Jersey, Mahwah; annual cost: $36,469; need-based aid: $10,072; grad debt: $10,715; salary yardstick: $46,000
• (194) Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken; annual cost: $63,538 need-based aid: $13,299; grad debt: $26,722; salary yardstick: $83,700

Patch file photo