@LBad96 Stockton: 3 stars. The graduation rates are what bring Stockton from 2.5 to 3 stars; they’re not too shabby. It is a little disconcerting that the institution doesn’t provide the GPA average of its students, but at least it’s on the cheaper side of the New Jersey schools and it’s a better alternative to the low ranking publics.
@ExpertOnMistakes I agree with you on everything except Stevens - I give them 4 stars because they’re ranked in the top three nationally for ROI by Payscale and because their retention rates are high - and Rutgers Camden would be 2 stars in my book because they’re just not good, as you said. Otherwise, spot on for everything else.
I think this rating is perfect except Stevens deserves a 4
@LBad96 Stevens is undeniably in the top range of New Jersey schools, but I don’t feel it’s on the same level as Princeton, Rutgers, and TCNJ, which have equal or better retention rates. Its four year graduation rate is only 38% and that’s more problematic considering it’s a private college and like I said, it has tuition that’s the highest in the state. Although Stevens does have pretty solid five and six year graduation rates which are better than Rutgers’, they’re below TCNJ’s (let alone Princeton’s), all while Stevens charges at least twice as much as them.
The PayScale ranking I saw had Stevens at #16 and the second best in the state for ROI, although this might be due to it having a focus STEM; NJIT has the third best ROI in New Jersey.
Academic wise, I don’t believe Rutgers Camden is that bad. A big problem the school faces is it’s located in the city with the highest crime rate in the country, which scares off applicants and affects the quality of the students coming on.
Stevens is probably better for STEM students, but for students in general, it’s not quite as good as New Jersey’s top three institutions. Nevertheless, we can all agree it’s one the state’s best. I might bump it up to a 3.75.
@ExpertOnMistakes that’s fair. In that case, I guess it is a 3.5-3.75. So then in that case, I guess we agree that the top 5 in NJ is Princeton, TCNJ, Rutgers, Stevens, Rowan in that order? Which schools would be the second half of the top 10?
I’d place NJIT at 3.25 stars
I don’t think it’s fair to knock down Tech schools only for their low 4-Year graduation rates.
Engineering students are more likely to have to remain in school five years to obtain their bachelors degree, due to their rigourous coursework.
Also STEM students are more likely to switch majors in college & drop out, meaning that some STEM students may transfer out of a Tech school if they decide not to continue in STEM.
STEM schools also have significantly higher post grad salaries & better return on investments. Plus Tech schools are generally significantly better than equally ranked non-tech schools in STEM majors.
Nor do I think it’s fair to knock down private schools necessarily due to their sticker price. They’re not always overpriced. Even though private schools still have a higher net price, they generally have higher 4 year grad rates, higher post grade salaries, higher % of dormers, more funding/endowments. Although public schools are cheaper, usually a better value for in state, & generally have a larger enrollment size.
@LBad96 For me, the schools in the second half of the top ten are Drew, Monmouth, Rider, Ramapo, and Rutgers Newark. NJIT is hurt by its all-around low graduation rates, Seton Hall doesn’t seem to offer much else besides its law school, Stockton doesn’t have the greatest academic reputation, and Montclair’s statistics aren’t up to par with the middle tier schools. However, this ranking is subject to change. It’s hard to say which middle tier schools are the best when compared to their peers because they usually don’t have clear advantages over each other; they’re strong in certain areas and weaker in others.
I agree that low / below average graduation rates aren’t necessarily reflective of an institution’s quality, especially with tech schools for the reason you mentioned. However, other high ranking tech schools maintain solid four year graduation rates - the percentage of students graduating in four years at California, Worcester Polytech, and (naturally) MIT are at least twice as high as Stevens’ rates and Rensselaer Polytech is still able to maintain a rate that’s above 60%. A mark of a truly great institution is a large number of its students graduating within four years, despite rigorous coursework.
Stevens excels in other areas, which is why I consider it a high tier school and give it 3.5-3.75 stars. Like I said earlier, it’s probably the best option for STEM students in New Jersey who want to remain in the state. However, it’s not the best-rounded and my ratings are reflective of the general quality of the colleges, not how they perform in one field. For students in general, Stevens doesn’t quite match up to New Jersey’s top three and it’s not quite as good as the top tech schools. Still, it’s a good school in its own right and at least comparable to institutions that are superior to most in general.
And I’m not saying Stevens should be knocked down just because of its price. The problem with Stevens isn’t just that it’s pricey; it’s that the school is the priciest in New Jersey. Compared to the majority of the schools in the state, the cost is worth it. When compared to the state’s top schools, the cost hurts it, especially when two of those schools are public. I don’t think I would call Stevens overpriced per se, but the price is a factor when it’s more expensive than schools that are of equal or superior quality.
As for NJIT, it doesn’t just have low four year graduation rates; the five and six year graduation rates are also low, as well as lower than pretty much all of the middle ranking schools in the state. For me, that’s why it’s not higher than 3 stars. NJIT is by no means a bad school, it’s just one that belongs in the middle.
Ok. Fair enough
Wow what a thread. As a New Yorker, we visited exactly two colleges in NJ.
Princeton and Stevens, that’s it. Kids in good suburban schools here in NY have barely heard of any of these schools beyond Princeton, and very few apply or visit. If these schools are not well know a few miles away, they certainly have little national recognition.
My point is that debating this seems a bit pointless as to what is best.
For someone who wants to stay close to home, there are certainly some choices better for
them than others, but that is highly personal. Stevens would have been a great choice for my son,
maybe a terrible choice for others. Why even compare it to these other schools, few of these choices
are comparable.
@ExpertOnMistakes before I update my own rankings, what are your thoughts on Ramapo? I believe that’s the one school that we haven’t mentioned.
It has higher statistics that Rowan, but Rowan is cheaper and a better value.
Here’s My Updated Ranking Using Overall Statistics
Top Tier- Princeton
Tier 1- TCNJ/Rutgers New Brunswick
Stevens
Tier 2.35- NJIT/Drew
Tier 2.5- Rutgers Newark
Rowan
Ramapo
Stockton
Tier 2.8- Seton Hall
Tier 3- Montclair
Monmouth
Rutgers Camden
Tier 4- Rider
Tier 5- William Paterson/Kean
Fairleigh Dickinson Florham
Fairleigh Dickinson Metropolitan
Colleges in the same tier are overall very similar, however some are listed higher than others if they had better statistics overall.
Top Tier- Best School Hands Down, no explanation needed
Tier 1- No where near as good as the top tier, but still better than the other tiers at pretty much everything
Tier 2.35- Overall has many positives that would rank it similar to a tier 1.3 school, but lower grad rates, unnecessarily high selectivity & slightly higher price compared to the Tier 1 & Tier 2.5 schools brings it down.
Tier 2.5- Good Tier Overall, has very good value, consistency, and academics.
Tier 2.8- Academically a 2.4 school, but is lowered due to its bad value
Tier 3- Has similar things to Tier 2.5 schools, but worse overall
Tier 4- Is a Tier 2.8 academically, but everything else is simply “meh”
Tier 5- “Meh”. Only consider these as safeties. A student at this academic level would be better off going to a Tier 3 school.
How I ranked them
Academic Ranking Guidelines
-Graduation Rate(4 & 6 Years)
-Retention Rate
-Average Post-Grad Salary
-Student GPA/ Test Scores(SAT/ACT)
-Acceptance Rate
-Value(Graduation Rate/Net Price)
-% of Students Receiving Financial Aid
-Sticker Price
-Net Price(Sticker Price-Financial Aid)
-Funding/Endowment
Selectivity(Student GPA/ Test Scores(SAT/ACT),Acceptance Rate)
Academics(Graduation Rate(Overall),Retention Rate,Average Post-Grad Salary)
Cost(Price,% of Students Receiving Financial Aid,Funding/Endowment)
Value(Academics/Cost)
Sites Used
Cappex
College Board
CollegeData
CollegeFactual
Naviance
Niche
Payscale
Startclass Colleges
USNews Colleges
@ExpertOnMistakes also Centenary and St. Peter’s.
St. Peter’s has a very high post grad salary, but average-low grad & retention rates. It’s not very selective & the net pricing is decent for a private school. It’s value is average overall. I’d say it’s Tier 4.
It’s salary & pricing are good, but everything else is meh
IVY Princeton
Tier 1- TCNJ
Tier 2- Rutgers, Stevens
Tier 3 NJIT, Seton Hall etc etc.
Ranking is only one factor when it comes to selecting a college. It’s not the be all, end all factor; success during and after college is primarily dependent on the student. However, ranking still is a factor and can help students narrow down which school is right for them, which is why it’s being discussed. Stevens is best for STEM students who want to remain in-state, Princeton is the best all-around school and provides students with the best opportunity of obtaining a first-rate education, Rutgers is the best for the average, hard-working student trying to find the right major, and TCNJ is the best for students who want a reputable education at an affordable price and on a campus that’s not too large. Price, location, environment, and degrees offered are all important factors when it comes to selecting a school.
@LBad96 Ramapo: 3 stars. Standard middle tier school, the stats are good, but not the greatest.
St. Peter’s: 2 stars. The main thing that saves St. Peter’s from being lower is a competent retention rate. Other than that, it doesn’t have a lot going for it.
Centenary: 1.5 stars. The low ranking private schools aren’t worth much discussion for the reasons I mentioned with Bloomfield: poor stats and they lack the financial benefits of the low ranking public schools. The most positive thing I can say about Centenary is the graduation rates are above 50% and not as pitiful as those of its peers.