Here Are The 5 Best Colleges In New Jersey, According To Niche

NEW JERSEY — Princeton University is the best college in New Jersey, according to rankings released Monday by Niche, a college ranking and review platform. In all, 61 colleges in New Jersey were ranked among the best.

More than 4,000 U.S. colleges and universities were ranked in the 2026 Best Colleges in America

The top five colleges in New Jersey are:

1. PRINCETON UNIVERSITY (Princeton, NJ)

Overall Niche grade: _A+_
Acceptance rate: _4 percent_
Net price: _$19,811_
SAT range: _1500 to 1580

2. RUTGERS UNIVERSITY — NEW BRUNSWICK (Piscataway, NJ)
Overall Niche grade: _A_
Acceptance rate: _65 percent_
Net price: _$19,052_
SAT range: _1270 to 1480_

3. STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (Hoboken, NJ)
Overall Niche grade: _A_
Acceptance rate: _43 percent_
Net price: _$43,665_
SAT range: _1370 to 1500_

4. NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (Newark, NJ)
Overall Niche grade: _A-_
Acceptance rate: _67 percent_
Net price: _$16,736_
SAT range: _1210 to 1470_

5. THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY (Ewing, NJ)
Overall Niche grade: _B+_
Acceptance rate: _62 percent_
Net price: _$22,379_
SAT range: _1140 to 1340_

Other New Jersey schools and their rankings are found on the Niche website.

Niche also ranked the best colleges for athletics, student life, dorm life, and other aspects of college life that are important to students.

2026 Best Colleges in America

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
2. Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
3. Stanford University, Stanford, California
4. Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
5. Dartmouth University, Hanover, New Hampshire

2026 Colleges with the Best Student Life in America

1. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
2. University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
3. University of California, Los Angeles
4. 4. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
5. Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee

2026 Best College Athletics in America

1. University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
2. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
3. The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
4. University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
5. 5. Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina

“We built Niche to help students and families cut through the noise and make informed choices,” Niche founder and CEO Luke Skurman said in a news release. “Our rankings are designed to reflect not just data, but the real voices and lived experiences of students across the country. That blend of insight is what makes Niche unique. We’re giving students the clarity to identify the colleges where they see themselves belonging and succeeding.”

Niche’s rankings are based on data from the U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation; enrollment, graduation, and alumni earnings statistics; and more than 1 million college reviews from students and alumni. More about the methodology is found on the website.

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