New Jersey has 11 national universities included in the U.S. News & World Report 2026 Best Colleges rankings. The 2026 edition evaluates more than 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities, using up to 17 factors to measure academic quality and graduate success.
N.J.’s 2026 Best Colleges include:
- Princeton University (#1 in national universities)
- Rutgers University — New Brunswick (#42 in national universities)
- Rutgers University — Newark (#75 in national universities)
- New Jersey Institute of Technology (#80 in national universities, tie)
- Stevens Institute of Technology (#80 in national universities, tie)
- Rutgers University — Camden (#97 in national universities)
- Montclair State University (#158 in national universities, tie)
- Seton Hall University (#158 in national universities, tie)
- Stockton University (#158 in national universities, tie)
- Rowan University (#169 in national universities)
- Kean University (#318 in national universities)
To be included in the Best Colleges directory, U.S. institutions must:
- Grant bachelor’s degrees
- Hold regional accreditation
- Offer traditional campus-based education
- Actively accept new applicants for first-year, full-time students
To receive an overall ranking, schools must also:
- Offer a broad curriculum under the 2021 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s Basic Classification system (a system categorizing colleges by mission and degree offerings)
- Enroll at least 100 undergraduates
- Report a six-year bachelor’s graduation rate for an entering cohort of at least 25 first-time, full-time bachelor’s degree-seeking students
