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2023 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey

26 Ranked Colleges
9,638 Degrees Awarded
$12,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 556,813 liberal arts general studies students received their degree, making the major the 1st most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $28,337 and had an average of $17,430 in loans still to pay off.

Across New Jersey, there were 9,638 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,695 and $16,311 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey” ranking, we looked at 26 colleges that offer a degree in liberal arts general studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts general studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the liberal arts general studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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The liberal arts school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in New Jersey

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Thomas Edison State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey. Located in Trenton, New Jersey, this medium-sized public school awarded 660 diplomas to qualified ’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.

TESU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” list.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Thomas Edison State University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

2
Bergen Community College crest
Bergen Community College
Paramus, New Jersey

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bergen Community College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey. This fairly large school is located in Paramus, New Jersey, and it awarded 1,876 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Bergen Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bergen Community College is $9,881 for new jersey liberal arts students.

Full Bergen Community College Liberal Arts General Studies Report

3
RCBC crest
Rowan College at Burlington County
Mount Laurel, New Jersey

Out of the 26 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey that were part of this year’s ranking, Rowan College at Burlington County landed the #3 spot on the list. Rowan College at Burlington County is a medium-sized school located in Mount Laurel, New Jersey that handed out 970 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

RCBC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” list. The estimated yearly cost for Rowan College at Burlington County is $7,365 for new jersey liberal arts students.

Full Rowan College at Burlington County Liberal Arts General Studies Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Sussex County Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey list. This small school is located in Newton, New Jersey, and it awarded 185 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our new jersey liberal arts students list, Sussex County Community College has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sussex County Community College is $11,710 for New Jersey Liberal Arts students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Sussex County Community College

5
Rowan crest
Rowan University
Glassboro, New Jersey

Out of the 26 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey that were part of this year’s ranking, Rowan University landed the #5 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Glassboro, New Jersey, and it awarded 154 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Rowan also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $27,158 for New Jersey Liberal Arts students per year to attend Rowan.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Rowan University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

6
RVCC crest
Raritan Valley Community College
Branchburg, New Jersey

Raritan Valley Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey ranking. Located in Branchburg, New Jersey, this medium-sized public school awarded 214 degrees to qualified ’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.

RVCC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” list. The yearly cost to attend Raritan Valley Community College is $6,127 for new jersey liberal arts students.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Raritan Valley Community College

7
Camden County College crest
Camden County College
Blackwood, New Jersey

With a ranking of #7, Camden County College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey list. Camden County College is a medium-sized public school situated in Blackwood, New Jersey. It awarded 483 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Camden County College, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Camden County College is $6,083 for new jersey liberal arts students.

Full Camden County College Liberal Arts General Studies Report

8
Rutgers Camden crest
Rutgers University - Camden
Camden, New Jersey

With a ranking of #8, Rutgers University - Camden did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey list. Rutgers Camden is a medium-sized public school situated in Camden, New Jersey. It awarded 47 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Rutgers Camden also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $16,369 for new jersey liberal arts students per year to attend Rutgers University - Camden.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Rutgers Camden

9
Montclair State crest
Montclair State University
Montclair, New Jersey

Montclair State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey ranking. Montclair State University is located in Montclair, New Jersey and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 72 ’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

Montclair State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” list. The yearly cost to attend Montclair State is $17,381 for new jersey liberal arts students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Montclair State

10

With a ranking of #10, Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey list. RCSJ is a medium-sized public school situated in Sewell, New Jersey. It awarded 300 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at RCSJ, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” ranking. It costs about $7,987 for New Jersey Liberal Arts students per year to attend RCSJ.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester Campus

11
Union County College crest
Union County College
Cranford, New Jersey

Union County College landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey ranking. Union County College is a medium-sized school located in Cranford, New Jersey that handed out 500 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

Union County College also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $5,727 for New Jersey Liberal Arts students per year to attend Union County College.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Union County College

12
Stockton State crest
Stockton University
Galloway, New Jersey

Stockton University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Galloway, New Jersey, this medium-sized public school handed out 110 diplomas to qualified ’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.

Stockton State also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Stockton State is $21,404 for new jersey liberal arts students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Stockton State

13

William Paterson University of New Jersey ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey list. William Paterson University of New Jersey is a medium-sized public school situated in Wayne, New Jersey. It awarded 68 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at William Paterson University, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for William Paterson University of New Jersey is $18,498 for New Jersey Liberal Arts students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at William Paterson University

14
OCC crest
Ocean County College
Toms River, New Jersey

Ocean County College landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey ranking. OCC is a public institution located in Toms River, New Jersey. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 960 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

OCC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” list. It costs about $13,537 for new jersey liberal arts students per year to attend Ocean County College.

Full Ocean County College Liberal Arts General Studies Report

15
Essex crest
Essex County College
Newark, New Jersey

Essex County College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey ranking, coming in at #15. Essex is a public institution located in Newark, New Jersey. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 143 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Essex also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for Essex is $7,871 for New Jersey Liberal Arts students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Essex County College

16

Passaic County Community College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey ranking. PCCC is a medium-sized public school situated in Paterson, New Jersey. It awarded 196 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at PCCC, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for PCCC is $8,506 for New Jersey Liberal Arts students.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at PCCC

17
Middlesex County College crest
Middlesex County College
Edison, New Jersey

Middlesex County College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey ranking. Located in Edison, New Jersey, this medium-sized public school awarded 601 degrees to qualified ’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.

Middlesex County College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” list. The estimated yearly cost for Middlesex County College is $9,950 for new jersey liberal arts students.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Middlesex County College

18
County College of Morris crest
County College of Morris
Randolph, New Jersey

County College of Morris landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey ranking. County College of Morris is a medium-sized public school situated in Randolph, New Jersey. It awarded 226 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

County College of Morris also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $9,274 for New Jersey Liberal Arts students per year to attend County College of Morris.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at County College of Morris

19
Warren County Community College crest
Warren County Community College
Washington, New Jersey

With a ranking of #19, Warren County Community College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey list. Warren County Community College is located in Washington, New Jersey and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 93 ’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

Warren County Community College also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” list, coming in at #25. It costs about $4,960 for new jersey liberal arts students per year to attend Warren County Community College.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Warren County Community College Liberal Arts General Studies Report

20
Atlantic Cape Community College crest
Atlantic Cape Community College
Mays Landing, New Jersey

With a ranking of #20, Atlantic Cape Community College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey list. Atlantic Cape Community College is a small school located in Mays Landing, New Jersey that handed out 224 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Atlantic Cape Community College, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Atlantic Cape Community College is $9,382 for new jersey liberal arts students.

Full Atlantic Cape Community College Liberal Arts General Studies Report

21
HCCC crest
Hudson County Community College
Jersey City, New Jersey

Hudson County Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey ranking, coming in at #21. Hudson County Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Jersey City, New Jersey. It awarded 275 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at HCCC, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” ranking. It costs about $5,899 for new jersey liberal arts students per year to attend HCCC.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at HCCC

22
Brookdale Community College crest
Brookdale Community College
Lincroft, New Jersey

Brookdale Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey ranking, coming in at #22. This medium-sized school is located in Lincroft, New Jersey, and it awarded 189 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Brookdale Community College is $9,351 for new jersey liberal arts students.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Brookdale Community College

23

Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey ranking. Located in Teaneck, New Jersey, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 371 diplomas to qualified ’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.

FDU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” list. The estimated yearly cost for FDU is $12,069 for new jersey liberal arts students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus

24
Rider crest
Rider University
Lawrenceville, New Jersey

With a ranking of #24, Rider University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey list. Rider University is located in Lawrenceville, New Jersey and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 24 ’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

Rider also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $27,882 for New Jersey Liberal Arts students per year to attend Rider.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Rider University

25

Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in New Jersey list. FDU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Madison, New Jersey. It awarded 16 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our new jersey liberal arts students list, FDU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in New Jersey” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for FDU is $21,754 for New Jersey Liberal Arts students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at FDU

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