New Jersey
Student Access & Success
New Jersey’s four-year institutions receive a very good grade in this category, with a retention rate, completion rate, and credentials produced per 100 full- time equivalent undergraduates all in the top 10 states. New Jersey’s two-year institutions receive a below average grade, with relatively low scores on completion rates, credentials produced per 100 full-time equivalent undergraduates, and the percentage of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants.
Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness
New Jersey receives good grades in this area, with costs per completion ($59,649 for four-years and $47,612 for two- years) and state and local funding per completion ($33,956 for four-years and $24,032 for two-years) for both sectors all ranking in the top third of states nationally.
Meeting Labor Market Demand
The median wage of a New Jersey bachelor’s degree holder is $26,000 (or 68%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate for a bachelor’s degree holder is about 4 points lower. The median wage of an associate’s degree holder is $12,000 (or 32%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate is about 2.5 points lower.
Transparency & Accountability
Overall, New Jersey gets a low grade in this area. The state, per a statute explicitly geared to promoting consumer information, releases annual profiles of all New Jersey public colleges and universities, which include graduation rates. However, the state does not track student labor market outcomes, nor does it measure student learning.
Policy Environment
The state higher education plan has goals for student outcomes, with hard targets for certain goals. New Jersey utilizes a credit transfer portal, allowing students to search for individual course equivalencies. The state does not have an outcomes-based funding system.
Innovation
The New Jersey Virtual Community College Consortium aggregates information about online courses and degree programs at two-year institutions, and the New Jersey Department of Higher Education provides links to online opportunities across all public institutions. However, the state does not provide information on four-year individual online courses and lacks clarity about the transferability of online credits. Regarding new providers, New Jersey is among the more open states in the country, with low licensure fees and a moderately burdensome approval process.
Report Card
Compare with
Four-Year Institutions
NJ Nat'l| Student Access & Success | A |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 27.4 | 30.8 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 85.1 | 77.9 |
| Completion Rate | 64.4 | 54.5 |
| Completions per 100 FTE Students | 22.1 | 19.7 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 5 | |
| Complete College America |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | B |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $59,649 | $68,140 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $33,956 | $41,198 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $67,153 | $76,932 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined Measure (5-point scale) | 4 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | C |
|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $26,000 | $17,881 |
|---|---|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 168.4 | 156.0 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $20,863 | $12,703 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 170.1 | 149.9 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 4.1 | 4.0 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 7.7 | 7.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 2.5 | 2.9 |
| Transparency & Accountability | D |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 2 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | false | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | false | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 0 |
Two-Year Institutions
NJ Nat'l| Student Access & Success | D |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 40.1 | 46.9 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 63.3 | 58.6 |
| Completion Rate | 15.8 | 20.5 |
| Completions Per 100 FTE Undergraduates | 14.0 | 16.8 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 2 |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | B |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $47,612 | $57,210 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $24,032 | $35,476 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $44,546 | $52,512 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined MeasureCombined Measure (5-point Scale) | 4 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | C |
|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $12,000 | $8,545 |
|---|---|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 131.6 | 126.1 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $10,224 | $6,595 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 134.3 | 125.0 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 2.5 | 2.7 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 4.6 | 4.9 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 1.57 | 1.84 |
| Transparency & Accountability | D |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 2 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | false | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | false | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 0 |
State
NJ Nat'l| Policy Environment | C |
|---|
| State Goals (6-point Scale) | 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Does the State Have Outcomes-Based Funding? | false | |
| Four-Year Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Two-Years Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Have a Credit Transfer Policy? | true | |
| Credit Transfer Policy (5-point Scale) | 4 |
| Innovation: Openness to Providers | B |
|---|
| Numerical Openness to New Providers Grade | 87% | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory Jurisdiction | 100% | |
| Financial Burden | 100% | |
| Approval Process Burden | 60% |
| Innovation: Online Learning | D |
|---|
| Numerical Online Learning Grade | 28.6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Online Learning Score (7-point Scale) | 2 |
State Facts at a Glance
- Number of Public Four-Year Institutions 13
- Number of Public Two-Year Institutions 19
- Number of Students Served by Public Four-Year Institutions 117847
- Number of Students Served by Public Two-Year Institutions 131289