Thirteen New Jersey colleges and universities earned spots on Money magazine’s Best Colleges in America list by garnering at least four stars.

Money’s 2026-2027 list features 42 five-star schools. The group includes many of the names families expect to see: all eight Ivy League schools, prestigious private research universities, elite liberal arts colleges and some of the country’s best-known public flagships.

Money’s latest Best Colleges list evaluates four-year colleges on 25 metrics — including graduation rates, costs, financial aid, student debt and alumni salaries — to help families find schools that deliver strong value.

Among those top-tiered schools was Princeton University, the only New Jersey institution of higher learning to post a five-star rating.

New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) earned the highest rating awarded to a public university in New Jersey in Money’s 2026 Best Colleges guide. The Newark school earned 4.5 out of five stars, the highest rating awarded to a New Jersey public university.

Speaking of technology schools, Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken has been named to Money’s best college list by earning 4.5 out of five stars for the third consecutive year.

Rutgers University in New Brunswick also earned 4.5 out of five stars as did The College of New Jersey in Ewing.

Schools with four-star ratings were Caldwell University, Drew University, Kean University, Montclair State University, Ramapo College of New Jersey, Rowan University, Saint Peter’s University and Stockton University.

Here is the full list of New Jersey schools, with data on acceptance rates, estimated full price, estimated price with aid and graduation rates.

College / Acceptance Rate / Est. Full Price 2026-27 / Est. Price With Aid / Graduation Rate

Caldwell / 71% / $62,840 / $23,060 / 68%

College of N.J. / 62% / $42,380 / $26,970 / 85%

Drew / 68% / $74,130 / 29,970 / 74%

Kean / 76% / $39,140 / $13,400 / 60%

Montclair St. / 88% / $39,530 / $18,630 / 69%

NJIT / 65% / $47,330 / $18,250 / 75%

Princeton / 5% / $93,690 / $16,150 / 98%

Ramapo / 71% / $38,890 / $18,520 / 71%

Rowan/ 78% / $42,700 / $25,050 / 72%

Rutgers / 58% / $41,710 / $21,640 / 82%

Saint Peter’s / 90% / $66,180 / $14,520 / 59%

Stevens / 48% / $89,540 / $48,670 / 87%

Stockton / 89% / $42,460 / $21,890 / 76%

Source: https://www.roi-nj.com/2026/07/27/education/12-n-j-colleges-earn-four-stars-or-higher-on-moneys-best-colleges-in-america-list/