Kean University and New Jersey City University officially completed their historic merger on Wednesday, establishing Kean Jersey City as the newest campus within Kean’s system. It brings to a close NJCU’s 99-year run as an independent institution.
The merger, which NJ Digest first reported on last year, is one of the largest combinations of two public colleges in New Jersey history. All students enrolled at NJCU automatically became Kean students as of July 1, gaining access to additional academic programs, research opportunities, and support services, according to NJ.com.
Andrés Acebo, who served as NJCU’s final president, will lead the new campus as chancellor of Kean Jersey City. Kean University President Lamont O. Repollet called it “a defining moment” for both the university and Jersey City.
The first steps for the merger were made in 2023, when the state assigned NJCU a monitor and directed the university to find a partner after years of financial difficulties. School officials explored a possible merger with Montclair State University before announcing plans in March 2025 to proceed with Kean. Former Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation in January of this year, advancing the merger and allocating $25 million in transition support. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education gave its final regulatory approval in April.
The academic expansion is significant. Through the merger, Kean adds 25 undergraduate degree programs and 20 graduate options, including three doctoral programs. This fall, Kean expects to enroll nearly 25,000 students across its Union flagship, Kean Jersey City, Kean Ocean in Toms River, Wenzhou-Kean University in China, and Kean Global online—marking substantial growth for the university.
The merger was not without cost. Approximately 50 NJCU employees lost their jobs, with another 150 departing through voluntary separation agreements. Kean said it has since hired more than 400 former NJCU employees and reported no layoffs on its end.
For Hudson County, the stakes were clear. Hudson County Executive Craig Guy said the merger’s completion protects “access to a high-quality, affordable four-year public university in Jersey City”—something the county, he said, cannot afford to lose.
NJCU was founded in 1927 as the New Jersey State Normal School at Jersey City. It held its final commencement on May 19, honoring 1,551 graduates of the Class of 2026. The campus will mark its 100th year under a new identity.
It’s the end of an era for the Hudson County university, but the beginning of a new—hopefully prosperous—chapter.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.