New Jersey Students’ Favorite Colleges

New Jersey has long been known for its “brain drain,” as more than half of its college-bound students typically head out-of-state for their higher education.  But just where do they go?

 

Long standing favorites include New York University (NYU), Syracuse University, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in New York.

 

The University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Drexel University, Lehigh University, and Penn State University draw students to neighboring Pennsylvania.

 

University of Delaware and University of Maryland are also top choice options, as are favorites in Washington D.C.: American University, George Washington University, and Georgetown University.

Popular schools in Virginia include Virginia Tech, James Madison University, and College of William and Mary, while those in Massachusetts include University of Massachusetts – Amherst, Northeastern University, and Boston University. 

 

Those who spread their wings a bit further in recent years often favored Indiana University – Bloomington and Purdue University in Indiana, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Ohio State University, and University of Michigan.

 

Data of recent graduates from Montgomery, Princeton, Hillsborough, and Bridgewater-Raritan high schools also indicate an interest in such Ivy League schools as Princeton University, Cornell University, and the University of Pennsylvania, as well as in various colleges of the University of California. 

 

Some Central New Jersey students who remained in the Garden State chose to attend private universities such as Seton Hall, Stevens Institute of Technology, and Monmouth University.  

 

Others selected a public four-year college/university, benefitting from the reduced in-state tuition. Most popular was Rutgers University in New Brunswick, followed by The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), and New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). Also selected by some local students were Rowan University, Ramapo College of New Jersey, Montclair State University, and Kean University.

With more than 2,800 four-year colleges in the U.S. alone, students have almost limitless options. Those who choose to travel abroad, whether for their entire college experience or just a semester or two, have even more opportunities. Rutgers University alone offers global study programs in more than 50 countries across Europe, Africa, and Asia as well as in Australia. 

 

The options for New Jersey college-bound students are truly boundless.   

Susan Alaimo is the founder & director of Collegebound Review, offering PSAT/SAT^® preparation & private college advising by Ivy League educated instructors. Visit CollegeboundReview.com or call 908-369-5362