More selective than 47% of New Jersey colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $26,949. College Scorecard.
Higher than 26% of New Jersey colleges we cover and 35% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 26% of New Jersey colleges we cover and 63% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Kean University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 12,142 applicants, Kean University admitted 9,335 and 1,968 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 930–1150 on the SAT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Kean University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for New Jersey residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Kean University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Kean University took 4.6 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in New Jersey. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $7,374 | $33,625 | 1.6 years |
| $30–48k | $7,859 | $35,837 | 1.7 years |
| $48–75k | $12,136 | $55,340 | 2.7 years |
| $75–110k | $20,146 | $91,866 | 4.5 years |
| $110k+ | $20,110 | $91,702 | 4.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.6 years, the average time graduates took (24% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($57,237) minus $36,661 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NJ (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $20,576 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Kean University majors, earnings & careers
Kean University offers 49 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Health & Medicine · 8
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 8
- Humanities & Languages · 7
- Science & Math · 7
- Business & Finance · 6
- Arts & Design · 4
- Education · 3
- Communications & Media · 2
- Engineering · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
Highest-earning majors at Kean University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $96,821 | $20,750 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $91,546 | $26,243 |
| Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications | $72,483 | $26,570 |
| Accounting | $72,446 | $26,999 |
| Science Technologies / Technicians, Other | $72,277 | $22,636 |
| Economics | $66,368 | — |
| Finance | $65,415 | $24,688 |
| Business Administration | $65,332 | $27,018 |
Quick list of all 49 majors
- Accounting$72,446
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$59,531
- Architecture—
- Area Studies—
- Biology$61,291
- Business Administration$65,332
- Chemistry—
- Communications$54,277
- Computer and Information Sciences$91,546
- Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications$72,483
- Criminal Justice$58,644
- Economics$66,368
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$58,885
- Education (Subject Teaching)$63,156
- Electrical / Electronic Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- English$54,749
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Finance$65,415
- Geology / Earth Science—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$56,666
- Health Administration—
- History$60,236
- International / Global Studies—
- International Business$64,878
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Marketing$61,602
- Mathematics$59,082
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Music—
- Nursing$96,821
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management$54,232
- Philosophy and Religious Studies—
- Political Science$40,805
- Psychology$51,052
- Psychology, Other$47,179
- Public Administration$58,100
- Public Health—
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Science Technologies / Technicians, Other$72,277
- Social Work—
- Sociology$51,122
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$50,854
- Special Education$61,158
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders—
- Studio Art$40,213
- Sustainability Studies—
- Theatre$32,107
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Criminal Justice → Police officer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in New York
Overall prices in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,233. Housing costs 49% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 47 inches of rain a year, 32 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Union County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Union County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Kean University with similar schools
Similar public colleges in New Jersey by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kean University | 76% | $12,447 | 47% | $57,237 | This school |
| Rutgers University-Newark | 71% | $19,703 | 64% | $74,479 | |
| Rowan University | 78% | $22,408 | 67% | $59,988 | |
| William Paterson University of New Jersey | 90% | $18,745 | 44% | $57,780 | |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | 65% | $16,504 | 73% | $84,276 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Kean University would cost you $7,256 less per year than Rutgers University-Newark, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Kean University, mostly from more Kean University students living at home, which lowers its average (−$5,935).
- Rutgers University-Newark gives aided families $1,449 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, New Jersey resident | Kean University | Rutgers University-Newark | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $14,299 | $17,250 | −$2,951 |
| Books & supplies | $1,200 | $1,391 | −$191 |
| Housing & meals | $16,592 | $15,060 | +$1,532 |
| Personal & travel | $3,212 | $4,372 | −$1,160 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$8,354 | −$2,419 | −$5,935 |
| Sticker price | $26,949 | $35,654 | −$8,705 |
| Average grants | −$14,502 | −$15,951 | +$1,449 |
| You pay | $12,447 | $19,703 | −$7,256 |
“+” means Kean University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Kean University
What is the Kean University acceptance rate?
Kean University accepts 76% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 9,335 of 12,142 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 930–1150 on the SAT.
How much does Kean University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $26,949 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $12,447 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $7,374 and families earning $110k+ pay $20,110.
How much do Kean University graduates earn?
Former Kean University students earn a median $57,237 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Kean University graduation rate?
47% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 76% return for their second year.
How long does a Kean University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Kean University costs about $55,340 after grants ($12,136 a year for 4.6 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $57,237 ten years after starting, $20,576 more than high school graduates in New Jersey ($36,661), so the cost is repaid in 2.7 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Kean University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/kean-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).