More selective than 29% 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 $28,305. College Scorecard.
Higher than 54% of New Jersey colleges we cover and 69% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 52% of New Jersey colleges we cover and 73% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Montclair State University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 23,599 applicants, Montclair State University admitted 20,629 and 4,039 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 910–1210 on the SAT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Montclair State 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 Montclair State University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Montclair State University took 4.3 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 | $10,880 | $47,219 | 1.9 years |
| $30–48k | $11,532 | $50,049 | 2.0 years |
| $48–75k | $16,388 | $71,124 | 2.9 years |
| $75–110k | $22,058 | $95,732 | 3.9 years |
| $110k+ | $25,573 | $110,987 | 4.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (46% 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 ($61,415) minus $36,661 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NJ (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $24,754 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.
Montclair State University majors, earnings & careers
Montclair State University offers 68 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 15
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 11
- Health & Medicine · 9
- Science & Math · 9
- Arts & Design · 7
- Communications & Media · 6
- Business & Finance · 4
- Technology & Computing · 4
- Education · 3
Highest-earning majors at Montclair State University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $109,167 | $27,031 |
| Accounting | $84,906 | $20,500 |
| Biochemistry | $81,519 | $27,000 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $79,692 | $23,501 |
| Chemistry | $74,401 | $23,600 |
| Mathematics | $68,371 | $22,125 |
| Business Administration | $68,235 | $22,457 |
| Biology | $67,541 | $26,000 |
Quick list of all 68 majors
- Accounting$84,906
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$52,435
- Anthropology$47,225
- Applied Mathematics—
- Audiovisual Communications Technologies / Technicians—
- Biochemistry$81,519
- Biology$67,541
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$62,999
- Business Administration$68,235
- Chemistry$74,401
- Classics—
- Communications$59,247
- Computational Science—
- Computer and Information Sciences$79,692
- Computer Science—
- Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications—
- Dance$39,064
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Economics$66,148
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Education (Subject Teaching)$65,007
- English$45,337
- Ethnic / Gender Studies$49,429
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences$52,511
- Film and Photography$50,790
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services$59,866
- Geography$53,285
- Geology / Earth Science$65,826
- German—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$56,176
- Graphic Communications—
- Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities—
- History$52,160
- Hospitality Management—
- Human Development and Family Studies$53,575
- Interdisciplinary Studies—
- Journalism$53,579
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$58,308
- Legal Professions and Studies, Other$61,036
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$51,469
- Linguistics$42,017
- Mathematics$68,371
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$58,236
- Music$50,418
- Nursing$109,167
- Nutrition Science—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$60,984
- Psychology$48,464
- Psychology (Research)—
- Public Health$55,681
- Public Policy Analysis—
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Religious Studies—
- Social Work$51,646
- Sociology$52,053
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$55,208
- Studio Art$43,564
- Sustainability Studies—
- Theatre$39,248
- Visual and Performing Arts$41,156
- Writing—
— 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
Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design → Graphic designer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 1.7% 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 $2,282. Housing costs 49% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 52 inches of rain a year, 28 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Passaic County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Passaic County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Montclair State 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montclair State University | 88% | $15,566 | 65% | $61,415 | This school |
| Rowan University | 78% | $22,408 | 67% | $59,988 | |
| Stockton University | 89% | $20,670 | 69% | $57,602 | |
| Rutgers University-Newark | 71% | $19,703 | 64% | $74,479 | |
| Kean University | 76% | $12,447 | 47% | $57,237 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Montclair State University would cost you $6,842 less per year than Rowan University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Montclair State University, mostly from more Montclair State University students living at home, which lowers its average (−$3,495).
- Rowan University gives aided families $695 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, New Jersey resident | Montclair State University | Rowan University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $15,912 | $16,574 | −$662 |
| Books & supplies | $1,240 | $1,665 | −$425 |
| Housing & meals | $16,822 | $16,553 | +$269 |
| Personal & travel | $2,200 | $5,424 | −$3,224 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$7,869 | −$4,374 | −$3,495 |
| Sticker price | $28,305 | $35,842 | −$7,537 |
| Average grants | −$12,739 | −$13,434 | +$695 |
| You pay | $15,566 | $22,408 | −$6,842 |
“+” means Montclair State 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 Montclair State University
What is the Montclair State University acceptance rate?
Montclair State University accepts 88% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 20,629 of 23,599 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 910–1210 on the SAT.
How much does Montclair State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $28,305 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $15,566 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $10,880 and families earning $110k+ pay $25,573.
How much do Montclair State University graduates earn?
Former Montclair State University students earn a median $61,415 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Montclair State University graduation rate?
65% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 78% return for their second year.
How long does a Montclair State University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Montclair State University costs about $71,124 after grants ($16,388 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $61,415 ten years after starting, $24,754 more than high school graduates in New Jersey ($36,661), so the cost is repaid in 2.9 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: “Montclair State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/montclair-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).