It’s that time of year again where U.S. News & World Report names their top 100 colleges across the nation. The publication’s ranking, known simply as Best Colleges, is highly respected and often considered by many to be the most accurate ranking of higher education in the country.
New Jersey—with its several highly-rated universities—usually has no issue snagging a few spots on the list, but this year, the Garden State has a record six colleges ranked among the top 100 in the US. One NJ university was even named as the top school in the nation at the number one spot. Additionally, four more NJ schools were ranked within the top 170.
The Best Colleges in the US
According to a press release from U.S. News and World Report, 1,500 colleges were assessed through a comprehensive evaluation, considering as many as 19 different indicators of academic excellence. Notably, this year, the company announced significant changes to its college ranking methodology, with a heightened focus on assessing social mobility and post-graduation success of its students.
The news organization places a heavy emphasis on enrollment equity and graduation rates, as well as the financial burden that students assume post graduation. A school that leaves a higher percentage of students in significant debt now loses points in the ranking, while a school where students assume less debt gains points.
Here are the six NJ schools named within the top 100 in the nation:
#98 Rutgers University – Camden, NJ Campus
Rutgers Camden found a spot within the top 100 this year, improving its rank by 29 points from last year when the school missed the Best Colleges list at rank 127.
#86 New Jersey Institute of Technology – Newark, NJ
NJIT just squeezed into the list last year when they ranked 97, but this year, they improved their ranking by over 10 points.
#82 Rutgers University – Newark, NJ Campus
Get used to seeing Rutgers’ name, as all of the campuses seem to improve their academic standards by the year. Rutgers Newark missed the mark last year at 115—giving the school a staggering improvement of 33 points.
#76 Stevens Institute of Technology – Hoboken, NJ
Stevens Institute improved their rank from 83 last year to 76 this year. The school also carried the most expensive tuition amongst NJ schools that made the list at over $60,000.
#40 Rutgers University – New Brunswick, NJ Campus
Up 15 points from last year, Rutgers’ flagship campus came in tied at number 40 with Tufts University and the University of Washington.
#1 Princeton University – Princeton, NJ
Is anyone surprised? Princeton University comes in at first yet again. The Ivy League school has ranked first for 13 consecutive years.
The Best Colleges in NJ
U.S. News & World Report has been releasing their Best Colleges list for 40 years now and it has long been considered one of the best rankings for higher education. With their new ranking criteria, many schools saw an increase in positioning, while others dropped points. New Jersey’s overall score seemed to improve with this new system.
In the national Top 100 ranking, only four states surpassed the number of schools represented by NJ: California led with 16, followed by New York with 11, Massachusetts with 9, and Pennsylvania with 8.
In any event, one thing is abundantly clear with this year’s rankings: New Jersey is one of the greatest states for higher education in the nation.
About the Author/s
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.
