Colleges in New Jersey: acceptance rates and cost
Looking at the 6 New Jersey colleges we cover, Princeton admitted the smallest share of applicants for fall 2023, 4.5%.
Over the decade, no college in the table shifted more than Rutgers Newark, which went from admitting 54.0% of applicants in fall 2013 to 78.7% in fall 2023.
If you live outside New Jersey, Montclair State has the lowest out-of-state tuition and fees on this page, $27,570 for 2025-26; residents of New Jersey pay $16,854.
Rutgers Newark comes out cheapest for families with incomes of $0 to $30,000, at an average of $8,829 in 2024-25 for students paying the in-state rate.
In raw numbers, Rutgers drew the most applications for fall 2023, 43,347, up 42% from fall 2013.
As a yardstick, a typical New Jersey bachelor's college admitted 79.7% of applicants for fall 2023, the median of 44 reporting colleges, and the median out-of-state tuition at the state's 14 public bachelor's colleges is $27,570 for 2025-26.
New Jersey colleges on AdmitFacts
| College | Admit rate, fall 2023 |
|---|---|
| Rutgers | 65.3% |
| Princeton | 4.5% |
| Seton Hall | 78.9% |
| Rowan | 77.8% |
| Montclair State | 87.4% |
| Rutgers Newark | 78.7% |
Admit rates: IPEDS fall 2023. Tuition and fees: College Scorecard 2025-26; private colleges charge every student the same. Graduation within 6 years: College Scorecard, students who started in 2019. Net price for families earning $0 to $30,000: College Scorecard 2024-25, students with federal aid. State medians cover every operating bachelor's-degree college in the Scorecard file.
Every state median in the summary, with its source field
| Figure | Value | File, field, year |
|---|---|---|
| Median admit rate, New Jersey (N = 44) | 79.7% | IPEDS ADM2023, median ADMSSN/APPLCN, bachelor's institutions, fall 2023 |
| Median out-of-state tuition and fees, public colleges, New Jersey (N = 14) | $27,570 | College Scorecard, median TUITIONFEE_OUT, public bachelor's institutions, 2025-26 |