Best-Value Colleges in New Jersey
15 New Jersey 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment — 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price — among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
The best-value college in New Jersey is Princeton University, Princeton — a net price of $6,128 against $110,066 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 18.0×, with a 97% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Princeton University Princeton, NJ | $6,128 | $110,066 | 18.0× | 97% | $62,688 |
| 2 | New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ | $16,504 | $84,276 | 5.1× | 73% | $19,974 |
| 3 | Saint Peter's University Jersey City, NJ | $12,199 | $57,815 | 4.7× | 63% | $42,552 |
| 4 | Rutgers University-Camden Camden, NJ | $18,745 | $74,479 | 4.0× | 66% | $17,764 |
| 5 | Montclair State University Montclair, NJ | $15,566 | $61,415 | 3.9× | 64% | $15,912 |
| 6 | Rutgers University-Newark Newark, NJ | $19,703 | $74,479 | 3.8× | 68% | $17,250 |
| 7 | Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ | $18,173 | $67,541 | 3.7× | 72% | $16,777 |
| 8 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ | $24,406 | $74,479 | 3.1× | 85% | $17,929 |
| 9 | Rowan University Glassboro, NJ | $22,408 | $59,988 | 2.7× | 68% | $16,574 |
| 10 | The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ | $27,646 | $73,323 | 2.7× | 85% | $19,632 |
| 11 | Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ | $41,346 | $108,772 | 2.6× | 90% | $63,462 |
| 12 | Drew University Madison, NJ | $24,280 | $63,646 | 2.6× | 72% | $47,100 |
| 13 | Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ | $24,792 | $62,208 | 2.5× | 63% | $41,120 |
| 14 | Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ | $31,446 | $70,196 | 2.2× | 71% | $53,170 |
| 15 | Monmouth University West Long Branch, NJ | $30,988 | $67,991 | 2.2× | 70% | $46,552 |
How we ranked this
From every New Jersey four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price — the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys — highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in New Jersey?+
Princeton University in Princeton has the highest return on investment among New Jersey 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $6,128 against $110,066 in 10-year median earnings — an ROI of 18.0× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) — with a 97% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance — a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among New Jersey four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
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Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.