More selective than 76% 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 $38,860. College Scorecard.
Higher than 86% of New Jersey colleges we cover and 94% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 81% of New Jersey colleges we cover and 88% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
TCNJ acceptance rate & admissions
Of 11,668 applicants, The College of New Jersey admitted 7,251 and 1,547 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1140–1340 on the SAT or 26–31 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
TCNJ 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 TCNJ costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of The College of New Jersey took 4.1 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 | $7,908 | $32,660 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $14,028 | $57,936 | 1.6 years |
| $48–75k | $22,642 | $93,511 | 2.6 years |
| $75–110k | $30,942 | $127,790 | 3.5 years |
| $110k+ | $35,222 | $145,467 | 4.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (76% 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 ($73,323) minus $36,661 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NJ (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $36,662 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.
TCNJ majors, earnings & careers
The College of New Jersey offers 39 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 7
- Engineering · 6
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 6
- Education · 4
- Science & Math · 4
- Arts & Design · 3
- Business & Finance · 3
- Health & Medicine · 3
- Communications & Media · 2
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at TCNJ
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | $111,509 | $22,500 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $105,377 | $24,125 |
| Nursing | $104,369 | $26,204 |
| Civil Engineering | $93,977 | $26,500 |
| Economics | $92,325 | $23,500 |
| Mathematics | $91,736 | $26,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $91,052 | $22,875 |
| Chemistry | $90,396 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 39 majors
- Accounting$111,509
- Anthropology—
- Biology$75,531
- Biomedical Engineering—
- Business Administration$85,978
- Chemistry$90,396
- Civil Engineering$93,977
- Communications$68,654
- Computer and Information Sciences$105,377
- Computer Engineering—
- Criminal Justice$61,605
- Economics$92,325
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$59,328
- Education (Subject Teaching)$62,281
- Educational Administration and Supervision$64,465
- Electrical Engineering—
- Engineering Science—
- English$56,905
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- History—
- International Relations$67,001
- Journalism$67,038
- Linguistics—
- Mathematics$91,736
- Mechanical Engineering$91,052
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Nursing$104,369
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$69,317
- Psychology$62,397
- Public Health$66,722
- Sociology$68,260
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education$66,767
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders—
- Studio Art$51,033
— 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
Education (Subject Teaching) → High school teacher
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 0.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Trenton
Overall prices in the Trenton-Princeton, NJ area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,242. Housing costs 35% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 47 inches of rain a year, 27 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: hurricane (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Mercer County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Mercer County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare TCNJ 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The College of New Jersey | 62% | $27,646 | 86% | $73,323 | This school |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | 65% | $16,504 | 73% | $84,276 | |
| Rutgers University-Newark | 71% | $19,703 | 64% | $74,479 | |
| Ramapo College of New Jersey | 71% | $18,173 | 70% | $67,541 | |
| Rutgers University-Camden | 66% | $18,745 | 67% | $74,479 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
The College of New Jersey would cost you $11,142 more per year than New Jersey Institute of Technology, on average.
- Higher sticker price at The College of New Jersey, mostly from more New Jersey Institute of Technology students living at home, which lowers its average (+$7,326).
- New Jersey Institute of Technology gives aided families $5,141 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, New Jersey resident | TCNJ | NJIT | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $19,632 | $19,974 | −$342 |
| Books & supplies | $1,200 | $2,750 | −$1,550 |
| Housing & meals | $15,569 | $15,000 | +$569 |
| Personal & travel | $4,578 | $4,580 | −$2 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,119 | −$9,445 | +$7,326 |
| Sticker price | $38,860 | $32,859 | +$6,001 |
| Average grants | −$11,214 | −$16,355 | +$5,141 |
| You pay | $27,646 | $16,504 | +$11,142 |
“+” means TCNJ 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 TCNJ
What is the TCNJ acceptance rate?
The College of New Jersey accepts 62% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 7,251 of 11,668 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1140–1340 on the SAT or 26–31 on the ACT.
How much does The College of New Jersey cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $38,860 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $27,646 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $7,908 and families earning $110k+ pay $35,222.
How much do TCNJ graduates earn?
Former The College of New Jersey students earn a median $73,323 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the TCNJ graduation rate?
86% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 91% return for their second year.
How long does a TCNJ degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at The College of New Jersey costs about $93,511 after grants ($22,642 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $73,323 ten years after starting, $36,662 more than high school graduates in New Jersey ($36,661), so the cost is repaid in 2.6 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: “The College of New Jersey: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/the-college-of-new-jersey (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).