Only 1 NJ school is on a list of the 100 worst U.S. colleges

It’s always sad to be featured on a list distinguishing New Jersey for anything less than stellar.

But the one thing that we could always depend on what is that our schools would not make any such list.

We’ve always been known to have extraordinary schools, beginning with public schools and then continuing with our community colleges and fine 4 year public and private colleges and universities.

So when it came to this list that I came across on dailychoices.com, I was a bit skeptical. Until I realized what the criteria were for being included on this list and if you guessed money, you are correct.

Most of the schools on this list, were judged by how much money someone can make when they graduate and then how likely it is that that salary will provide them with the opportunity to pay back their loans.

We all know that student debt is what causes so many college grads to have a difficult time getting launched.

The other thing they based this list on is retention and graduation rates.

So Bloomfield College was named as one of the 100 worst. In fact, it was the only New Jersey college to have made the list.

Bloomfield College is a public college that is part of Montclair State University. Only 30% of students who go to Bloomfield actually graduate, but the good news is that out of the 30% of students who do, 92% find a job.

However, while the average earnings of the students who finish school are over $38,000, which is considered an above-average, starting salary nationwide, because of how expensive it is to live in this state in just about every area.

Almost 15% of those grads still have a hard time paying their loans on time.

I know Bloomfield is a really good school, but this is a sobering reminder that we all need to be aware of the student debt crisis, and consider whether a four-year college is all it’s cracked up to be and if that diploma is worth what it used to be. See the whole list here.

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.)

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.)

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

You can now listen to Dennis & Judi — On Demand! Hear New Jersey’s favorite best friends anytime, anywhere and any day of the week. Download the Dennis & Judi show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom

Source: Only 1 NJ school is on a list of the 100 worst U.S. colleges