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National Acclaim

TCNJ named top-ranked college in region by U.S. News

U.S. News & World Report released its 2025 Best Colleges rankings today, and The College of New Jersey was ranked as the top institution in the “Best Regional Universities—North” category.

TCNJ has held the top spot in its region among public colleges every year since 1991, but this year, it vaulted to the top overall spot among all institutions, public and private.

TCNJ was ranked as the best college in the region for veterans and moved up four spots to rank fourth in undergraduate teaching programs.

 


The Wall Street Journal’s Best Colleges in the U.S. for 2025

The Wall Street Journal recently released its 2025 Best Colleges in the U.S. list, and TCNJ ranked among the top 20 percent of all institutions in the country.

TCNJ also ranked as the top public college in New Jersey and was second only to Princeton for all institutions in the state.

The WSJ/College Pulse rankings assess 500 colleges and universities from across the country. The methodology stresses student outcomes, including salaries, and the learning environment. Their assessment of the latter incorporates student survey feedback.

 


9th highest 4-year graduation rate among the nation’s public colleges

TCNJ has the ninth highest four-year graduation rate in the nation (and the highest in New Jersey) among the nation’s traditional, four-year public universities, per the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). TCNJ’s success at helping students graduate on time puts us in the elite company of Berkeley, Amherst, and UVA.

In 2024, TCNJ was ranked the top institution in New Jersey — and among the best in the nation — for its graduation rate for students transferring from community colleges. For the cohort of transfers who arrived at TCNJ in 2019, 86 percent graduated within four years, the highest percentage in the state and tied for the fifth highest percentage in the country, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Raise the Bar: Attaining College Excellence and Equity Initiative.

 


Forbes’ America’s Top Colleges for 2025

TCNJ again appeared on Forbes’ list of America’s Top Colleges, this time for 2025, and also received the distinction of being ranked the #2 public college in New Jersey. Forbes also recognized TCNJ athletics, calling it “one of the best NCAA Division III programs in the country.”

 


Money’s Best Colleges 2024

TCNJ earned a strong 4.5-star rating (out of five) on Money’s 2024 list of the Best Colleges in America. Money describes TCNJ as “a public school that could easily be confused for a private one” and calls its outcomes “top-notch.”

 


The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review recognized TCNJ as one of the most academically outstanding colleges in the Northeast for 2025 — a designation we share with Princeton, Yale, and Dartmouth. It also named TCNJ one of the best 390 colleges in the nation for 2025, based on student evaluations. The college remains a top contender in the search for affordable education, again ranking among Princeton Review’s 209 “Best Value Colleges” for 2024.

 


Poets&Quants’ Top Undergraduate Business Schools

The publication has consistently included TCNJ among the top 100 business schools in the nation in its annual undergraduate B-school rankings.