Cheapest Colleges in New Jersey
Sticker prices at the 24 four-year colleges we rank in New Jersey run from $14,299 to $63,462 a year in tuition and fees, a gap of $49,163 between the cheapest school and the most expensive one.
The 10 public colleges here charge a median of $16,420 a year, $6,480 (65%) above the national public median of $9,940. The 13 private nonprofit colleges on the list charge a median of $41,120, above the $39,582 national private median. Sticker price alone rarely settles the cheapest private option, so check the net price column.
Kean University ranks first at $14,299, ahead of New Jersey City University ($14,460) and William Paterson University of New Jersey ($15,704).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
- Ranked by in-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in New Jersey
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported in-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; New Jersey has 24
- Data period
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 24 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Kean University Union, NJ Public · 4-year | $14,299 | $22,446 | $12,447 | 45% | 11,433 |
| 2 | New Jersey City University Jersey City, NJ Public · 4-year | $14,460 | $14,460 | $16,053 | 36% | 3,681 |
| 3 | William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ Public · 4-year | $15,704 | $25,344 | $18,745 | 46% | 6,614 |
| 4 | Montclair State University Montclair, NJ Public · 4-year | $15,912 | $26,022 | $15,566 | 64% | 18,376 |
| 5 | Stockton University Galloway, NJ Public · 4-year | $16,266 | $24,524 | $20,670 | 70% | 7,537 |
| 6 | Rowan University Glassboro, NJ Public · 4-year | $16,574 | $26,932 | $22,408 | 68% | 15,841 |
| 7 | Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ Public · 4-year | $16,777 | $27,708 | $18,173 | 71% | 4,898 |
| 8 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 4-year | $17,929 | $37,441 | $24,406 | 84% | 37,751 |
| 9 | The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ Public · 4-year | $19,632 | $25,752 | $27,646 | 86% | 7,105 |
| 10 | New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ Public · 4-year | $19,974 | $37,664 | $16,504 | 73% | 9,019 |
| 11 | Berkeley College-Woodland Park Woodland Park, NJ For-profit · 4-year | $29,800 | — | $27,100 | 44% | 1,778 |
| 12 | Saint Elizabeth University Morristown, NJ Private nonprofit · 4-year | $36,741 | — | $23,125 | 46% | 557 |
| 13 | Georgian Court University Lakewood, NJ Private nonprofit · 4-year | $37,260 | — | $19,285 | 54% | 1,195 |
| 14 | Centenary University Hackettstown, NJ Private nonprofit · 4-year | $37,732 | — | $20,503 | 56% | 910 |
| 15 | Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus Teaneck, NJ Private nonprofit · 4-year | $38,004 | — | $15,404 | 58% | 2,627 |
| 16 | Felician University Lodi, NJ Private nonprofit · 4-year | $39,300 | — | $40,045 | 48% | 1,774 |
| 17 | Caldwell University Caldwell, NJ Private nonprofit · 4-year | $40,848 | — | $24,691 | 58% | 1,575 |
| 18 | Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ Private nonprofit · 4-year | $41,120 | — | $24,792 | 62% | 3,106 |
| 19 | Saint Peter's University Jersey City, NJ Private nonprofit · 4-year | $42,552 | — | $12,199 | 61% | 2,135 |
| 20 | Monmouth University West Long Branch, NJ Private nonprofit · 4-year | $46,552 | — | $30,988 | 71% | 3,684 |
| 21 | Drew University Madison, NJ Private nonprofit · 4-year | $47,100 | — | $24,280 | 71% | 1,533 |
| 22 | Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ Private nonprofit · 4-year | $53,170 | — | $31,446 | 70% | 6,036 |
| 23 | Princeton University Princeton, NJ Private nonprofit · 4-year | $62,688 | — | $6,128 | 97% | 5,709 |
| 24 | Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ Private nonprofit · 4-year | $63,462 | — | $41,346 | 88% | 4,222 |
How to compare these colleges
Start with the net price column rather than the sticker price. Net price is the average a student who receives aid pays after grants and scholarships, so a school that ranks lower here can still be the cheaper choice for your family. The out-of-state column applies only if you are not a legal resident of New Jersey, and only public colleges charge a separate rate.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for New Jersey
Cheap colleges in New Jersey for out-of-state students
28 schools
Community colleges in New Jersey
18 schools
Best value colleges in New Jersey
22 schools
Highest graduate earnings in New Jersey
26 schools
Same list in nearby states
Cheapest colleges in New York
112 schools
Cheapest colleges in Pennsylvania
83 schools
Cheapest colleges in California
83 schools
All 69 colleges in New Jersey See the national version of this ranking