NJ is #1 in a very important category for college students

For college kids in New Jersey eyeing a four-year degree by frugally starting off in a community college, a new report says there’s good news and there’s bad news.

The good news

New Jersey is rated number 1 in the United States in percentage of community college students transferring to a four-year school and earning a bachelor’s degree.

We are top of the heap. The top 15 states for this category along with the percentage of students achieving this goal are…

New Jersey 21%

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Illinois 20%

Maryland 20%

Oklahoma 19%

Virginia 19%

New York 18%

California 17%

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Florida 17%

Michigan 17%

Pennsylvania 17%

Wyoming 17%

Kansas 16%

Iowa 16%

Texas 16%

Washington 16%

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The bad news

80% of students said their initial plan was to receive a bachelor’s degree but, while we’re number one in this category, 21% achievement is still relatively low.

Even worse, in New Jersey only 10% of low-income community college students graduated from a four-year college. Looking at low-income students New Jersey plummets to 24th in the nation.

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What can help?

The report offers recommendations on how to improve these numbers. One idea is for students to participate in dual enrollment programs which allow high school students to earn college credits. Another suggestion is for community college students to concentrate on selective four-year schools and avoid for-profit institutions with low graduation rates.

The school that has the most amazing success for community college students transferring and successfully earning a bachelor’s degree is The College of New Jersey. 86% of 2019 transferring students earned a degree in four years.

It’s not yet known if future numbers will be helped by 2021’s Community College Opportunity Grant Program which allows students to attend a New Jersey community college tuition free before transferring.

The 30 best rated schools in New Jersey

Here are the top 30 schools statewide, based on their 2021-2022 New Jersey School Performance Reports — involving scores for language arts, math and attendance. (For an explanation of how the state calculates the "accountability indicator scores" and overall rating for each school, see page 90 of this reference guide.)

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt

The 30 worst rated schools in New Jersey

Here are the 30 lowest-rated schools statewide, based on their 2021-2022 New Jersey School Performance Reports — involving scores for language arts, math and attendance. (For an explanation of how the state calculates the "accountability indicator scores" and overall rating for each school, see page 90 of this reference guide.)

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt