Good Computer Science (CS) colleges in New Jersey (NJ)

I’m in need of some safety schools that also have good computer science programs.

What do you all think of the following schools?

Seton Hall U
TCNJ
Rugters- Newark
NJIT

Getting accepted into these schools isn’t a concern for me; I’m very confident that I’ll get into all of them if I applied.
And the cost isn’t a concern either (for these schools).

I might also double major in business or Finance. So how good are the business/finance programs at these schools?

If there are any other schools I should consider, please let me know! Thanks for all your feedback.

I don’t know much about NJIT, but I would say Rutgers and TCNJ are both stronger than Set9n Hall. Completely different campuses though- TCNJ much more a traditional campus while Rutgers is huge with the bus system.

tcnj is very similar to the NESCAC schools in both appearance and academic rigor. It in fact has the lowest acceptance rate in NJ other than the obvious Princeton.

TCNJ isn’t a safety unless you are 1600/4.0. Also at TCNJ you have to declare your major when you apply…I am not sure how competitive CS is.

Acceptance rate at TCNJ is about 49%.

An SAT above 1300 should greatly enhance one’s chances for admission & would be a safety if you are also in the top 25% of your class. Of course, direct admission to CS may be more competitive.

If TCNJ is not a safety with less than perfect grades and perfect test scores, then who the h-ll is getting into Yale and Princeton? This is just a flat out ridiculous statement. Even the TCNJ website does not make such nonsensical claims:

“While there are no minimum transcript requirements for admission, recently admitted students averaged an A/A- GPA and a rank in the top 15% of their graduating class. These students also averaged a 1265 on the Math and Reading sections of the SAT and a 28 on the ACT… though again, there are no minimum test scores required for admission.”

So college-reported average SAT is 1265 (quite a bit less than a perfect 1600), and average ACT is 28 (quite a bit less than a perfect 36). GPA is 3.7 - 4.0, although top 15% of the class is hardly ever a perfect GPA, particularly at more competitive high schools.

More objective admissions statistics reporting put the average SAT at closer to 1200. ACT from 27-28. Per @Publisher, acceptance rate is about 49%.

Considering that TCNJ is accepting 1 out of every 2 applicants, am quite confident that 1300 and top 25% of one’s class renders the school a safety in just about anyone’s analysis.

47%
top 34 ranked business school in all of the United States of America. Doesn’t sound like a safety school.

I would say TCNJ is a match, not a safety.

You guys are usually in better synch.

@stones = So, according to you (no source cite provided), 47 of every 100 applicants are accepted rather than 49 out of every 100. Stanford better look to its laurels when it comes to competitive admissions. Will once again (without much hope of a cogent response), request a link to your claimed ranking. Just please don’t make it Bloomberg. Been there with you. Done that.

@bopper = we will have to agree to disagree, although I strongly disagree with your characterization. the fact that you moved from not safe absent absolutely perfect scores (both factually incorrect and utterly ridiculous), to a “match” is pretty close to equally absurd. TCNJ is a NJ State college. It is not even ranked nationally. While it has a reputation for business and accounting, this is still all very relative, as well as almost entirely regional. I would love to know how many applicants to TCNJ with SAT scores north of 1200 (or the ACT equivalent), and a GPA of 3.7 or better were denied admission. My guess – NONE.

Depends on your ranking: https://news.tcnj.edu/2018/08/15/money-ranks-tcnj-number-one-in-the-nation-among-similarly-sized-public-colleges/

All I am saying is don’t underestimate TCNJ…has the 3rd highest SAT scores in NJ.

I think this gives a general feel:

New Jersey Colleges SAT Scores (mid 50%)

Reading Math Writing
25% 75% 25% 75% 25% 75%
Princeton University 700 790 710 800 710 800
Stevens Institute of Tech… 570 670 640 720 - -
College of New Jersey 550 650 580 680 560 670
Rutgers University, NB 520 630 560 680 540 650
NJIT 470 600 550 660 470 590
Ramapo College 490 600 510 620 500 600
Rowan University 480 590 510 630 480 580
Seton Hall University 490 590 510 610 490 600
Richard Stockton College 470 570 500 600 470 570
Monmouth University 470 560 490 580 490 580
Rutgers University, Newark 460 550 490 590 470 560
Drew University 490 620 480 600 490 610
Rutgers University, Camden 460 560 470 570 460 560
William Paterson University 450 550 470 550 - -
Fairleigh Dickinson - Florham 450 560 460 570 450 560
Fairleigh Dickinson - Metro 440 530 460 560 440 640
Montclair State University 440 530 460 540 450 540
Kean University 410 500 430 520 - -
Caldwell College 410 500 410 520 410 510
Saint Peter’s College 410 510 410 520 410 510
Centenary College 400 500 400 490 - -
Rider University 420 500 400 520 420 510

or

Top Tier:
Princeton

High Tier:
Rutgers
TCNJ
Stevens

Middle Tier:
Drew
Rider
Seton Hall
NJIT
Monmouth
Rowan
Ramapo
Rutgers Newark
Rutgers Camden

Low Tier:
Montclair
Stockton
FDU Metropolitan
FDU Florham
Saint Peter’s
Caldwell
Saint Elizabeth
Georgian Court
Thomas Edison

Bottom Tier:
Kean
William Patterson
Bloomfield
Centenary
Felician
NJCU

@bopper - Thank you for the link and for the stats.

I think the stats confirm my point - The median SAT for 75% of TCNJ admits is 1130. So 3 out of every 4 admits coalesce around a score of 1130, with 50% below that score, and 50% above that score, but not so much above so as to cross into the 25th percentile.

As you know, there are many ranking systems. While USNWR remains the standard, Forbes has taken root with a focus on the return on investment or “value” of particular schools. It would seem that the MONEY survey is in the same vein. I am not a numbers person per se, but find the metrics of the MONEY survey very suspect. They are very much based on assumptions (e.g., grant money received), hearsay (e.g., how much grads are making), and dubious connections (e.g., the smaller the class the better the teacher).

In any case, as I have stated previously, I am not underestimating TCNJ. I am trying to make the point, in the face of gross inaccuracies and over-hype (not by you, sir), that TCNJ has a place of value that is not necessarily national and is not necessarily across the board in all subjects. If I lived in NJ or if I lived in the NY Tristate area and dreamed of working for a top accounting firm in Manhattan, TCNJ would certainly be on my list.

don’t assume sirs

Clearly the OP was looking for NJ schools as safeties.

Would look at Stevens too - isnt that great but it has decent industry connections - why Rutgers Newark?

Yeah, definitely look at Stevens in Hoboken – good family friend went there. Guy is doing well these days.

Note that TCNJ does consider “level of applicant’s interest”, so “overqualified” applicants should be careful to show additional interest beyond applying: https://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=148 .

At TCNJ, https://computerscience.tcnj.edu/cs-programs-research/transfer-into-add-computer-science/ indicates that the CS major is competitive, although the base eligibility requirements are only C grades in one CS and one math course.

But guessing and assuming is part of the CC thrill…lol

Difficult to assess as CS programs tend to be more competitive than typical admissions.

I would really recommend looking at the TCNJ thread where the last round of admission results were discussed.

It’s impossible difficult to make general statements about TCNJ’s selectivity because it is so highly major dependent.

During the last admission cycle, kids with very high stats (1500+ SATs) were denied admission into TCNJ for computer science. Biology has also been notoriously difficult. In the past the acceptance rate was <10% and I have known a very high achiever who was not accepted.

I’ve heard applying ED can help.

Meanwhile, I have known average students getting into TCNJ by transferring from community college.

Rowan is another uni that hard to make generalizations about. The engineering programs–especially mechanical–are much more competitive than any other majors.

Regarding NJIT, this year they gave some computer science applicants the option of entering in January. NJIT gives those students a list of recommended cc classes to take for the semester prior to entering.

I’m a former Rutgers Newark student, who just transferred to Rutgers New Brunswick this year. I’m also a CS Major. Rutgers Newark’s CS program is a joint program with NJIT, your higher level CS courses at RU-N will be taken at NJIT.

Rutgers(New Brunswick/Piscataway) is a good CS program, did you apply there? I’d recommend it over Rutgers Newark and NJIT.

TCNJ is a good school. You should also check out Stevens.

Seton Hall is decent, but personally I don’t think it’s worth the price over RU-N or NJIT in-state.

Here’s how I’d rank them:
Rutgers/TCNJ/Stevens
NJIT/Rutgers Newark
Seton Hall

I’d say to choose the school that has the best feel to you.

If you want a good CS school with the big campus atmosphere, sports, greek life, diversity, & college town-like feel, Rutgers is closest

If you want a good CS school with a small, techy atmosphere in an urban city, Stevens is closest

If you want a good CS school with a medium-small sized, liberal arts atmosphere. TCNJ is closest