Business Schools in New Jersey

    New Jersey offers a valuable combination of features for the prospective business student: proximity to one of the world’s most important business and financial centers (New York City) and many worthwhile options for obtaining a business degree.

    As a relatively small state, there are not many public and non-profit business schools in New Jersey: 28 according to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) statistics.1 However, the state does feature one of the highest percentages of business schools with business accreditation: 22 of 28 for undergraduate study and 17 of 28 for graduate-level work. Accreditation is important because it assures that the program you start has clear objectives. The school has proven that it produces quality outcomes while adhering to national and international standards. Accredited business schools are also known to offer ways to get real-world experience through interaction with actual businesses.

    All of the schools in this article have been accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), and/or International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE). They are all public or non-profit and regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).

    In this article, you will find essential data to help you choose the New Jersey business school that best suits your unique needs based on various key factors: tuition, financial aid, entrance exam scores, acceptance rates, and more. The three sections that follow describe undergraduate programs, graduate schools, and the job prospects for business school graduates in New Jersey.

    Best Business Schools in New Jersey

    Best business schools in New Jersey according to US News data.

    • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-Newark and New Brunswick – #44 in Best Business Schools, #115 in Top National Universities, #76 in Best Colleges in Veters, #52 Top Public Schools, #108 in Best Undergraduate Business School Programs, #104 in Best Value Schools
    • Stevens Institute of Technology – #193 in Best Part-time MBA Programs, #70 in Top National Universities, #107 in Best Value Schools, #172 in Best Undergraduate Business Schools, #28 in Best Online Graduate Business Programs, #47 in Best Online MBA Programs
    • New Jersey Institute of Technology – #46 in Top Public Schools, #199 in Best Undergraduate Business School Programs, #68 in Best Colleges for Veterans, #94 in Best Value Schools, #90 in Best Online Graduate Business Programs, #93 in Best Online MBA Programs
    • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-Camden – #44 in Part-time MBA Programs, #28 in Regional Universities North, #13 in Best Colleges for Veterans, #7 in Top Public Schools, #147 in Best Undergraduate Business School Programs, #61 in Best Online MBA Programs
    • Fairleigh Dickinson University – #33 in Best Value Schools, #36 in Best Colleges for Veterans, #235 in Best Undergraduate Business School Programs, #62 in Regional Universities North

    Undergraduate Business Schools in New Jersey

    While a smaller state, New Jersey is still part of a major population center, and for this reason, most of its colleges are more expensive than ones you would find in a less populous region. The average tuition for undergraduate degrees is $23,600, while the average maximum financial aid is $13,900. The most expensive school is the highly-regarded (top 100 in the US) Stevens Institute of Technology, with tuition of around $48,800 and financial aid offered just below half this figure. The two most affordable schools are Essex County College ($8,000 tuition and $4,900 financial aid) and County College of Morris ($8,400 tuition and $4,200 financial aid). This state’s schools show an interesting bimodal distribution: nearly all are either below $17,000 (12 of 22) or over $31,000 (10 of 22).

    We were able to obtain acceptance rate data for 20 of our 22 schools. New Jersey undergraduate business schools tend to have very high acceptance rates; the overall average of the 22 was 69.5%, and 12 of the 20 are at 70% or higher. The highest acceptance rate was 88% at Centenary University, while the lowest was 39% at the Stevens Institute of Technology.

    Graduation rates for undergraduate business degrees in New Jersey are mostly moderate, but with a wide range: as high as 87% at the College of New Jersey, but as low as 31% at New Jersey City University. Fourteen of the 20 schools for which we have data graduated 51% to 73% of their students, and the overall average for all schools was 60.6%. Stockton University and Monmouth University tied exactly for first place when looking at the best combination of acceptance rate and graduation rate. Both have a 77% acceptance rate and a 70% graduation rate.

    The table that follows shows you all the important data you need about undergraduate business schools in New Jersey, including annual in-state tuition costs, average aid per student, acceptance rates, SAT and ACT score ranges of accepted students, and graduation rates. You can click any column header to sort the table based on its contents.

    SchoolCityTuitionAidMedian SATMedian ACTAccept. RateGrad. Rate
    Caldwell UniversityCaldwell$32,650$20,504850-107018-2385%58%
    Centenary UniversityHackettstown$32,098$18,663830-105015-2188%58%
    College of New JerseyEwing$15,794$8,9481100-130025-3049%87%
    County College of MorrisRandolph$8,380$4,236
    Essex County CollegeNewark$8,011$4,872
    Fairleigh Dickinson UniversityTeaneck$37,988$22,609870-107017-2277%42%
    Felician UniversityRutherford$32,990$21,930790-101016-2179%41%
    Georgian Court UniversityLakewood$31,618$19,239850-104017-2374%42%
    Monmouth UniversityWest Long Branch$35,364$16,371930-112021-2577%70%
    Montclair State UniversityMontclair$12,116$6,96566%65%
    New Jersey City UniversityJersey City$11,430$7,947760-99085%31%
    New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNewark$16,430$12,4871110-131023-2959%61%
    Ramapo College of New JerseyMahwah$13,870$9,774970-119021-2653%73%
    Rider UniversityLawrenceville$39,820$22,020916-111019-2472%66%
    Rowan UniversityGlassboro$13,108$6,8611020-123022-2771%71%
    Rutgers University – CamdenCamden$14,238$8,617890-112057%59%
    Rutgers University – NewarkNewark$13,829$10,434910-110065%66%
    Saint Peter’s UniversityJersey City$35,192$26,351830-103016-2374%54%
    Seton Hall UniversitySouth Orange$39,258$22,0541070-125023-2767%64%
    Stevens Institute of TechnologyHoboken$48,838$23,3451260-144029-3339%83%
    Stockton UniversityGalloway$13,077$8,579960-116077%70%
    William Paterson UniversityWayne$12,574$6,304890-108076%51%

    Graduate Business Schools in New Jersey

    We have data on 17 accredited schools for graduate business studies in New Jersey. Tuition for MBAs in New Jersey tends to be on the moderate side, with the overall average tuition of around $41,000. Unlike in some other states, there are no programs in the six figures here to distort the average, and 10 of the 17 are roughly in the $30,000 to $50,000 range. At about $73,000, the most expensive school can be found at the Stevens Institute of Technology, while the least expensive, William Paterson University, comes in at just above $24,000.

    We have average admission GMAT scores for 10 of the 17 schools, which fall in a fairly narrow range of 454 (Stockton University) to 606 (Rutgers-State University of New Jersey-Newark). We have data on the percentage of full-time faculty with doctorate degrees for 13 schools, all of which are over 75%. Of these, nine are over 85% and six over 95%, higher figures than those found in most states.

    If you want to keep growing in your career while enhancing your education, you may want to consider one of the online MBA programs in New Jersey. The New Jersey Institute of Technology offers a program specifically designed to be considered equal to its in-person MBA, with specializations in Marketing, Finance, and Management Information Systems. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-Camden offers a highly regarded 100% online MBA program. Rowan University, ranked #3 among public schools in the north by US News & World Report, offers an online MBA with great flexibility: it can be started any time of the year. Rutgers at Newark / New Brunswick offers online “mini MBA” programs that take only 12 weeks to complete. The Stevens Institute of Technology also offers a technology-oriented online MBA. Most online programs offer the same basic curriculum and courses as their offline equivalents.

    Popular graduate programs in New Jersey: Online MBA in Information Technology | Online MBA in Logistics Management | Online MBA in Data Analytics

    The table below shows graduate business school tuition costs, average accepted applicant GMAT scores, the percentage of faculty with a doctorate, and student-to-faculty ratios. Click any column header to sort the table based on its contents.

    SchoolCityTuitionAvg. GMATFaculty
    with Doct.
    Degree
    Student/
    Faculty
    Caldwell UniversityCaldwell$32,835
    College of New JerseyEwing$32,638100%
    Fairleigh Dickinson UniversityTeaneck$54,810
    Georgian Court UniversityLakewood$32,400
    Monmouth UniversityWest Long Branch$50,55249182.5%1.49
    Montclair State UniversityMontclair$35,90077.8%
    New Jersey City UniversityJersey City$24,984
    New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNewark$41,832567100%2.57
    Ramapo College of New JerseyMahwah$45,56685.4%
    Rider UniversityLawrenceville$33,81051098.4%0.97
    Rowan UniversityGlassboro$31,02846285%0.54
    Rutgers University – CamdenCamden$43,36553897.8%2.1
    Rutgers University – NewarkNewark$56,04360676.9%2.1
    Seton Hall UniversitySouth Orange$54,05555995.2%1.73
    Stevens Institute of TechnologyHoboken$73,14856995.7%6.86
    Stockton UniversityGalloway$27,53245478.6%0.39
    William Paterson UniversityWayne$24,22850486.8%1.98

    Job Outlook for Business School Graduates in New Jersey

    Between 2016 and 2026, total growth of at least 5% is predicted in 32 out of 37 business and management occupations across the US, according to recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data.5 The highest growth will be for market analysts and marketing specialists, at 22.8% over 10 years, with financial managers coming in second at 18.7%.5

    New Jersey’s economy has roughly tracked the national economy over the last 20 years. The overall state unemployment rate currently sits at 4.6%, slightly above the national average but still very low.7 About 327,000 people were employed in the business and management sector in New Jersey in 2016.6 The two largest subgroups were business and operations specialists (43,460) and general and operations managers (42,930), followed by accountants and auditors at 37,110 employed.6 All other categories were near or below 20,000.6

    According to BLS data, the overall average annual wage in 2016 across all occupations in New Jersey was $76,126, ranking the state third out of 51 (including the District of Columbia).6 Maryland and Alaska were the only states with higher figures.5 Business and management occupations in New Jersey had a weighted average annual salary of around $117,000 in the same year, which is higher than the figure for many states, but only about 54% above the overall state average, where some states have their figure for business and management more than double the state average.6 The reason for the smaller differential is likely due to there just being a larger number of professionals in New Jersey as a percentage of the population compared to other states. As is the case with most states, chief executives were the highest-paid subgroup at just over $230,000, well ahead of 14 management categories ranging from $130,000 to $180,000.6 Tax preparers were the lowest-paid group at $52,650.6

    Occupation TitleBLS.gov
    Code
    2016
    Total
    Employment
    New Jersey
    Mean
    Hourly
    Wage
    New Jersey
    Mean
    Annual
    Wage
    New Jersey
    National
    Growth
    2016-26
    Accountants and Auditors13-201137,110$43.94$91,40010.0%
    Administrative Services Managers11-30119,610$63.19$131,43010.1%
    Advertising and Promotions Managers11-201156071.42$14,85405.8%
    Agents and Managers of Artists and Athletes13-1011160$33.83$70,3704.9%
    Architectural and Engineering Managers11-90414,000$78.14$162,5305.5%
    Budget Analysts13-20312,190$40.32$83,8606.5%
    Business Operations Specialists13-119943,460$37.11$77,1808.8%
    Chief Executives11-1011640$111$230,8708.0%
    Compensation and Benefits Managers11-3111400$78.65$163,6005.0%
    Compensation and Job Analysis Specialists13-11412,060$37.53$78,0608.5%
    Compliance Officers13-104110,800$39.16$81,4408.2%
    Information Systems Managers11-302113,900$84.54$175,83011.9%
    Construction Managers11-90215,720$66.82$138,98011.4%
    Cost Estimators13-10515,170$35.16$73,13010.6%
    Credit Analysts13-20412,390$40.11$83,4208.4%
    Credit Counselors13-2071630$30.07$62,55013.9%
    Financial Analysts13-20519,110$50.54$105,11010.8%
    Financial Examiners13-20612,110$51.12$106,3409.8%
    Financial Managers11-303120,590$84.27$175,2900.187%
    General and Operations Managers11-102142,930$80.67$167,7909.1%
    Human Resources Managers11-31213,740$78.15$162,5408.9%
    Human Resources Specialists13-107116,460$35.76$74,3907.1%
    Insurance Underwriters13-20533,230$46.69$97,110-5.2%
    Labor Relations Specialists13-10753,520$45.69$95,020-7.8%
    Loan Officers13-20726,750$40.8$84,86011.5%
    Logisticians13-10817,000$40.65$84,5506.9%
    Management Analysts13-111114,240$50.17$104,35012.0%
    Market Analysts and Marketing Specialists13-116118,330$40.85$84,97022.8%
    Marketing Managers11-202110,960$85.13$177,07010.0%
    Meeting and Event Planners13-11213,050$30.29$63,00010.2%
    Public Relations11-20311,830$77.82$161,86010.4%
    Purchasing Managers11-30611,850$77.47$161,1305.6%
    Sales Managers11-202213,150$79.7$165,7807.4%
    Tax Examiners and Revenue Agents13-20811,460$37.16$77,290-0.6%
    Tax Preparers13-2082980$25.3$52,62010.8%
    Training and Development Managers11-31311,110$71.14$147,97010.3%
    Training and Development Specialists13-11516,250$36.13$75,15011.5%

    Other Popular State Pages


    References:
    1. National Center for Education Statistics:https://nces.ed.gov/
    2. AACSB, Best Business Schools: https://bestbizschools.aacsb.edu/aacsb-accredited
    3. ACBSP, Business Schools: https://acbsp.org/page/accreditation-overview
    4. IACBE, Business Schools: https://iacbe.org/accreditation/
    5. US Bureau of Labor Statistics – Occupational Outlook Handbook, Business and Financial Occupations: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/home.htm
    6. US Bureau of Labor Statistics – Employment and Wage Estimates New Jersey: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nj.htm
    7. New Jersey State Board of Education: https://www.state.nj.us/education/sboe/
    8. US News & World Report, 2018 Best Business Schools: https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools