It is that time year where publications rank the best colleges in the country using a variety of metrics. Forbes recently compiled a list of its Top 500 universities in the country for the 2024-2025 school year.
The rankings include numerous New Jersey schools, including the number one college in nation, Princeton University. Many other public and private institutions from the Garden State made the Forbes list, for a total of 16 New Jersey schools.
The Forbes list uses a various amount of different metrics that are weighed at different rates including alumni salary, student debt and academic success.
Here are all the New Jersey universities that made this year's list of Forbes top 500 colleges in the country.
What New Jersey schools made the list?
- 1 Princeton Universit y
- 79 Rutgers University- New Brunswick
- 123 The College of New Jerse y
- 150 Stevens Institute of Technology
- 193 New Jersey Institute of Technology
- 221 Seton Hall University
- 268 Rutgers University- Newark
- 282 Saint Peter's University
- 299 Ramapo College of New Jersey
- 354 Rutgers University- Camden
- 370 Drew University
- 386 Montclair State University
- 409 William Paterson University
- 424 Kean University
- 426 Rowan University
- 448 Fairleigh Dickenson University
Princeton was ranked the best college in the country by Forbes for the second year in a row. Forbes points out Princeton has a 97% six-year graduation rate for low-income students.
Rutgers University in New Brunswick, which is ranked as the second best New Jersey college, also ranked as the 28th best public college in the country.
The College of New Jersey and New Jersey Institute of Technology both finished within the Top 100 public universities in the country.
Metrics used by Forbes
Forbes took many factors into consideration when ranking its list of schools. The publication said it started out the process listing over a thousand of colleges from the Carnegie Classification which is a framework that categories universities based on their degrees offered, specialty focus and research output.
The list then got trimmed as Forbes gives scores to the schools based on several measures. The factors that are taken into consideration are: Alumni Salary: 20%, Debt 15%, Graduation Rate 15%, Forbes American Leaders List 15%, Return on Investment, 15%, Retention Rate: 10%, Academic Success: 10%.
All these calculations are made using sources such as two federal education databases being, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and College Scorecard, the Seattle-based software and data company Payscale, the Washington, D.C.-based public policy think tank Third Way, the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, and some of Forbes ’ own lists.
Alumni salary uses graduates’ median earnings six years and 10 years after graduation and median earnings data for graduates six years and 10 years after they first enrolled at an institution.
For the student debt measure, the median federal loan debt per borrower is multiplied by the percentage of students who take out federal student loans at the college. The college's five-year repayment rate is also taken into consideration.
A six-year graduation rate is taken into consideration for "transfer students, part-time students, and other students who take time off for financial, health-related or other reasons."
A school can see a boost in their rankings if it has alma mater in the recent Forbes 30 Under 30, Forbes 400, Richest Self-Made Women and Most Powerful Women lists or if the school has alumni in high political positions or have received prestigious leadership awards such as a Noble Prize.
A price to earnings premium, a three-year average retention rate (2019, 2021 and 2022 taken into consideration), scholarship winners and alumni who have received a Ph. D are all factored into the grading process.
Forbes said it does not take a school's acceptance rate into consideration.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: See which New Jersey universities made Forbes' Top 500 colleges in country
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