New Jersey
N.J.’s hardest (and easiest) colleges to get accepted to, ranked
The odds of getting into your favorite New Jersey college range from almost certain to nearly impossible, depending on your school of choice.
But there’s good news for most high school students. Applicants at the vast majority of the Garden State’s four-year universities have at least a 50% shot.
Check out the list below to see the 2023 acceptance rate for each of the state’s four-year institutions with at least 1,000 applications, not including for-profit colleges.
The rates were calculated by NJ Advance Media using data from the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.
27. Centenary University
Hackettstown
Acceptance rate: 96.7%
Applications: 1,304
Offers: 1,261
26. Felician University
Lodi and Rutherford
Acceptance rate: 94.0%
Applications: 2,254
Offers: 2,119
Machuga Student Center on the University Commons at William Paterson University in Wayne. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)
25. William Paterson University
Wayne
Acceptance rate: 92.5%
Applications: 7,754
Offers: 7,174
24. Saint Peter’s University
Jersey City
Acceptance rate: 90.5%
Applications: 4,381
Offers: 3,966
23. Monmouth University
West Long Branch
Acceptance rate: 89.5%
Applications: 8,410
Offers: 7,530
22. New Jersey City University
Jersey City
Acceptance rate: 89.2%
Applications: 5,758
Offers: 5,134
21. Stockton University
Galloway
Acceptance rate: 88.2%
Applications: 9,338
Offers: 8,233
Rocky the Red Hawk greets students as they move onto Montclair State University’s campus. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media
20. Montclair State University
Montclair
Acceptance rate: 87.4%
Applications: 23,599
Offers: 20,629
19. Fairleigh Dickinson University – Florham Campus
Madison
Acceptance rate: 86.5%
Applications: 5,325
Offers: 4,606
18. Fairleigh Dickinson University – Metropolitan Campus
Teaneck
Acceptance rate: 84.3%
Applications: 4,862
Offers: 4,097
17. Rider University
Lawrence
Acceptance rate: 79.4%
Applications: 9,069
Offers: 7,201
16. Seton Hall University
South Orange
Acceptance rate: 78.9%
Applications: 23,748
Offers: 18,738
Rutgers-Newark received 17,779 applications last year.Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance
15. Rutgers University – Newark
Newark
Acceptance rate: 78.7%
Applications: 17,779
Offers: 13,997
14. Rowan University
Glassboro
Acceptance rate: 77.82%
Applications: 17,923
Offers: 13,948
13. Rutgers University – Camden
Camden
Acceptance rate: 77.8%
Applications: 11,951
Offers: 9,293
12. Saint Elizabeth University
Morristown
Acceptance rate: 77.3%
Applications: 1,781
Offers: 1,377
11. Bloomfield College
Bloomfield
Acceptance rate: 77%
Applications: 3,048
Offers: 2,347
Kean Hall at Kean University.NJ Sport Pics
10. Kean University
Union
Acceptance rate: 76.9%
Applications: 12,142
Offers: 9,335
9. Ramapo College
Mahwah
Acceptance rate: 73.2%
Applications: 7,553
Offers: 5,530
8. Georgian Court University
Lakewood
Acceptance rate: 70.5%
Applications: 2,317
Offers: 1,634
7. Drew University
Madison
Acceptance rate: 69.4%
Applications: 4,604
Offers: 3,197
6. Caldwell University
Caldwell
Acceptance rate: 67.04%
Applications: 7,769
Offers: 5,208
New Jersey Institute of Technology made offers last year to 9,367 students. Julian Leshay | For NJ Advance Media
5. New Jersey Institute of Technology
Newark
Acceptance rate: 66.9%
Applications: 14,010
Offers: 9,367
4. Rutgers University – New Brunswick
New Brunswick
Acceptance rate: 65.4%
Applications: 43,347
Offers: 28,326
3. The College of New Jersey
Ewing
Acceptance rate: 62.1%
Applications: 11,668
Offers: 7,251
2. Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken
Acceptance rate: 44.1%
Applications: 14,170
Offers: 6,244
1. Princeton University
Princeton
Acceptance rate: 4.5%
Applications: 39,644
Offers: 1,782
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Adam Clark may be reached at aclark@njadvancemedia.com.
New Jersey
Husband of slain New Jersey mom begs for help in newly released 911 call | Fox News Video
Former homicide detective Brian Foley joins ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ to provide analysis on Conor Hanlon’s 911 call after finding his wife, Brooke, stabbed to death.
Former homicide detective Brian Foley provides expert insights into the newly released 911 call from Conor Hanlon, whose wife, New Jersey therapist Brooke Hanlon, was found stabbed to death. Foley analyzes the husband’s emotional state and the police’s approach, noting the case’s ‘suspicious’ designation 13 minutes into the call.
New Jersey
NJ firefighter dies after crash responding to fire call
A young firefighter died two weeks after being badly hurt in a crash while responding to a fire call, according to the Malaga Fire Company.
Robert (Bobby) Reider, 23, was driving north along Delsea Drive while trying to get to the scene of fire on Saturday, June 27 when his car went off the road, officials said.
When first responders got to the scene of the crash, they found Reider trapped in his car and worked to remove him.
Reider was then taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital where he was treated for severe and traumatic injuries.
Weeks later, on July 10 around 4:30 a.m., Reider died from his injuries while still in the hospital.
The Malaga Fire Company says that Reider joined their team in 2018 when he was just 16 as a junior firefighter.
He then went on to earn a certificate at Fire 1 at the Salem County Fire Academy in 2022.
New Jersey
NJ Legislators Are Considering a Bill That Could Ban Tesla Robotaxis Due to Their Tech Choice
New Jersey lawmakers are deliberating on a law that would create a three-year autonomous vehicle pilot program in the state, but Tesla might be banned from participating altogether over a technical choice made by the Texas-based carmaker for its self-driving vehicles.
The bill, officially known as S1677, would establish autonomous vehicle testing requirements with the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. One of these proposed requirements is that autonomous vehicle operators use camera-based technology and two additional forms of sensor tech, such as lidar or radar. Of course, Tesla’s autonomous vehicle technology is purely camera-based, meaning the brand could be banned from testing in New Jersey.
The text of the bill is fairly straightforward, requiring prospective autonomous operators to submit a “law enforcement interaction plan” and detail redundant safety systems, crash-avoidance technology, and data recording capabilities. The specific language that would ban Tesla’s system requires autonomous operators to “be equipped with crash-avoidance systems, including a camera system and two distinct sensing modalities that are capable of detecting and tracking obstacles in the event of failure of the camera system.” The bill also favors keeping traditional steering wheel and pedal controls available. While initial testing would be completed with human safety operators, the bill would allow fully autonomous operation once certain metrics, such as 50,000 crash-free miles, are met.
The decision to require both camera- and sensor-based technology is not a coincidence, according to The Verge. “This is not anti-Tesla. I’m pro-New Jersey safety,” Democratic state senator Andrew Zwicker, the bill’s primary sponsor and a physicist by trade, said to The Verge. “At this point, I don’t think the evidence is sufficient that a single sensor with software can handle situations that humans can.”
Tesla is, unsurprisingly, upset about this development, and the company is fighting back. The automaker’s public policy platform, Engage Tesla, features a call to action for Tesla owners to contact members of the New Jersey Legislature to oppose the bill, with the plea claiming the autonomous vehicle testing program is the opposite of progress, and saying that Tesla would be legally barred from testing in the Garden State. Statistics about roadway death rates in New Jersey and denying freedom of movement for elderly populations are also included.
“Rather than prioritizing real safety outcomes and performance, the bill specifically bans Tesla from the New Jersey market,” the site reads. “Every arbitrary roadblock is a delay for the people who need this life-changing technology most. Legislation that bans Tesla’s proven AV technology from the market is not caution — it’s anti-competitive favoritism that will cause New Jersey to fall behind while other states move forward.”
The bill, introduced on January 16, is currently under consideration by the New Jersey Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. The bill’s language closely mirrors talking points from the nonprofit SAVE-US, which is lobbying for stronger oversight of autonomous vehicle testing. New Jersey is not the only state pondering additional autonomous testing regulation; New York legislators are working on similar legislation. Just yesterday, federal safety regulators called out autonomous vehicle operators like Waymo for interfering with first responders.
A New York transplant hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Emmet White has a passion for anything that goes: cars, bicycles, planes, and motorcycles. After learning to ride at 17, Emmet worked in the motorcycle industry before joining Autoweek in 2022 and Road & Track in 2024. The woes of alternate side parking have kept his fleet moderate, with a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta GLI and a BMW 318i E30 street parked in his Queens community.
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