Frequently Asked Questions
How are the higher education institutions of New Jersey Arrayed?
To what extent does the State of New Jersey control and coordinate the colleges and universities?
Why don't all the state's colleges have the same policies and practices?
How can you tell if one school's policies or practices are unique?
Why is Rutgers not a member of the state college/university association?
Can state colleges and universities accept private donations? Can donors specify how funds are used?
Which of the above segments award the greatest number of bachelor's degrees?
Does everyone who applies to a state college or university get accepted?
Will four-year colleges accept credits from a course taken at a two-year college?
Who actually sets tuition at the state colleges?
What is the actual cost of education at a state college/university for a full-time student?
Does the public tend to underestimate or overestimate the cost of tuition?
HOW ARE
THE HIGHER EDUCATION
INSTITUTIONS OF NEW
In New
Jersey, higher education is
arrayed in various segments and
includes the group of nine state
colleges and universities (The
College of New Jersey, Kean
University, Montclair State
University, New Jersey City
University, Ramapo College of
New Jersey, Richard Stockton
College of New Jersey, Rowan
University, Thomas Edison State
College and William Paterson
University); three public
research universities (New
Jersey Institute of Technology,
University of Medicine &
Dentistry of New Jersey, and
Rutgers University); nineteen
county colleges (community
colleges); and fourteen
independent colleges and
universities. Higher
education also includes several
proprietary institutions and
special purpose religious
institutions.
TO WHAT EXTENT DOES THE STATE OF
NEW
COORDINATE THE COLLEGES AND
UNIVERSITIES?
New Jersey colleges and universities are governed by institutional trustee boards and are coordinated through New Jersey Higher Education, an agency which is administered by the Secretary of Higher Education, with advice from the NJ Presidents' Council and others. State college and university trustee boards are composed of lay citizens appointed by the Governor, and confirmed by the Senate. Trustees serve six-year terms, which may be renewed. They serve as unpaid volunteers.
WHY DON'T ALL THE STATE'S COLLEGES HAVE THE SAME POLICIES AND PRACTICES?
Rather than being part of a
system governed by a single
board and a set of rules, in
HOW CAN YOU TELL IF
Check with other colleges.
Regarding the nine state
colleges and universities, check
with the NJ Association of State
Colleges and Universities.
You can also check with the
Commission on Higher Education.
Other sources include the
national higher education
associations in
WHY IS
Its history and law sets it
apart from the nine state
colleges/universities. Six
of the latter began as teacher
training institutions,
originally called "normal
schools."
Labor's interests are served by
unions. The NJ Council of
State College Locals AFT/AFL-CIO
is the faculty's bargaining
unit. Management is
represented by the NJ Governor's
Office of Employee Relations
(OER), with state
college/university
representatives on the
management negotiation team.
The state pays benefits and in
principle should pay in full
state negotiated salary
increases for employees.
Concerning state mandated pay
increases, typically it pays
only part of such increases, and
often zero percent, thereby
passing the cost of raises on to
colleges. Institutions must make up any
difference. For
details, see the
State College Sourcebook.
CAN
CAN DONORS SPECIFY HOW FUNDS ARE
USED?
Yes. The degree of self-governance trustee boards have, and the existence of institutional foundations, allows state colleges/universities to have a great deal of freedom to encourage private contributions and allow major donors to dedicate gifts.
WHICH OF THE ABOVE SEGMENTS AWARD THE GREATEST NUMBER OF BACHELOR'S DEGREES?
The
nine state colleges and
universities, serving about
94,000 undergraduates annually
are the leading source of
bachelor's degrees in
DOES EVERYONE WHO APPLIES TO A
No. Admissions are
competitive, but many who apply
do get in. Each public
four-year institution has its
own standards and unique set of
applicants.
Typically, fewer than one-half of the
applications to the freshman
class at
WILL FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES ACCEPT
CREDITS FROM A COURSE TAKEN AT A
More than ever, this is particularly true due to a well established agreement between the New Jersey state colleges and New Jersey community colleges. When there is a good match between the learning objectives of a beginning (lower-level) course at a two-year college and advance courses at senior colleges; they are said to be "well-articulated."
Two-year college students are well advised to remain in close contact with their advisors/counselors about their degree attainment goals.
WHO ACTUALLY SETS TUITION AT THE STATE COLLEGES?
Trustee boards set tuition based
on anticipated costs of
educational operations over the
years ahead. Before making
a decision, they are required by
law to hold open public hearings
to allow comment from students
and the general public.
WHAT IS THE ACTUAL COST OF EDUCATION AT A STATE COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY FOR A FULL TIME STUDENT?
How much of that is covered by
tuition? How much is paid
by the state? What is the
cost for students to go to a
state college full-time,
including fees, room and board?
In tuition and fees, full-time
students pay well over half of
the $18,000 per year cost of
delivering education (about
$11,500 on average). The state also
pays about 40%. Full-time
residential students pay,
besides tuition, about $14,500
in room, board, books and other
costs per academic year.
Full-time tuition and fees, plus
room and board and other
academic costs total about
$26,000 per year.
DOES THE PUBLIC TEND TO UNDERESTIMATE OR OVERESTIMATE THE COST OF TUITION?
The public tends to overestimate the cost of tuition significantly for all categories of colleges, according to polls sponsored by the American Council on Education.