THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY, EWING, NJ
Located in suburban Ewing Township, just outside of Trenton, The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a highly regarded public liberal arts college known for its strong academics, tight-knit community, and picturesque campus. This mid-sized regional powerhouse blends the rigor of a small private college with the accessibility of a public university. Its campus features Georgian colonial architecture and offers students a classic collegiate environment with easy access to Philadelphia (30m by car) and New York City (1h by train) .
QUICK STATS
• Public
• Undergraduate enrollment: ~7,000
• Admit rate: ~60%
• Financial Aid forms required: FAFSA only
• Retention rate: 91%
• Average class size: 23
• Student to faculty ratio: 13:1
CURRICULUM
• 160+ program in seven different academic schools
Arts & Communication
Business
Education
Engineering
Humanities & Social Sciences
Nursing & Health Sciences
Science
• Strongest/Popular majors: Education, Business, Engineering, Nursing, Psychology, Biology
• Specialty Programs include accelerated programs in medicine (New Jersey Medical School), optometry (SUNY Optometry), physical therapy (Thomas Jefferson University), pharmacy (early assurance), teaching, business and law (Villanova University)
• TCNJ promotes 6 pillars of educations
Research & Collaboration
Conferences and Competition
Internships (over 40% of internships turn into employment)
Leadership
Community Engaged Learning (often built into first year seminar)
Study Abroad (open to all majors; popular destinations include London for Business Majors)
• Offers an Honors Program and the culture generally is driven
Cross-over schools include University of Delaware, Villanova, SUNY Geneseo
STUDENT BODY
• Best for students seeking a rigorous, intellectual and creative challenge within a tight-knit community
• 83% reside on campus – first years required to live on campus starting in Fall 2025
• Only NJ residents are guaranteed 2 years of on-campus housing
• Lots of off-campus options that are on or close to campus
• 230+ organizations
• 18 D3 Varsity teams, plus club and intramural opportunities – Go Lions!
• No classes on Wednesdays between 10am – 5pm to allow students to more fully engage with outside activities
• No restrictions to admit out of state students, but over 90% are from NJ
• Offers accommodations through Accessibility Resource Center, but no separate LD program
• Greek life is present but not dominant; about 15% of students participate
ADMISSIONS PROCESS
• Accept CommonApp and Coalition App
• No early action
• Some accelerated programs have earlier deadlines in Nov 1 and Dec 1 deadlines but not binding
• Holistic review focusing on
• Transcript rigor – strong B+ student with rigor through senior year
• Demonstrated interest
• Essays
• Activities
• Letters of Recommendation – no more than 3
• Primary/secondary major choices – undecided within a school or in general is allowed
• Special applications for Arts, Music, Dual Degree, EOF programs
• Fit to major considered, especially for competitive programs like Nursing and Engineering
• 7-year med program and Nursing applicants must submit test scores
• 7-year med – 1400 in one test sitting
• Nursing – 1100 or higher
• Interviews are not offered
FINANCIALS
• Offers both need and merit based aid
photo courtesy College of New Jersey
