While New Jersey is home to several of the most prestigious (and highly competitive) colleges and universities in the country, students in the Garden State also have a wide range of solid options for higher education at the many public and private two- and four-year colleges throughout the state.
There are nine state colleges in New Jersey, including the College of New Jersey, William Patterson University and Rowan University. The New Jersey Council of County Colleges has 19 community colleges serving all 21 counties in the state. And there also are 14 independent colleges and universities in New Jersey, as well as nearly 70 career and technical colleges. The State of New Jersey's Office of the Secretary of Higher Education licenses all postsecondary institutions in the state.
In 2008, New Jersey established a statewide transfer agreement that guarantees students who complete an associate degree at any community college in the state acceptance as a junior into one of the state's public colleges.
New Jersey is a member of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement through the New England Board of Higher Education. The agreement makes it easier for students in New Jersey to take distance education classes at colleges in other states. And the state's Troops to College program helps veterans transition from the military to colleges or universities in New Jersey.
Princeton University, chartered in 1746, is the premier postsecondary institution in the state of New Jersey. Princeton is the fourth-oldest colleges in the U.S. and boasts 26 Nobel Prize winners among its faculty and staff. Other premier schools in the state include Rutgers University and Seton Hall University. Rutgers is New Jersey's premier public research university.
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