How much does it cost to go to college in N.J.?: Tuition at 4-year colleges continue to rise

By Kelly Heyboer, The Star-Ledger

NEWARK — Students at Ramapo College and the College of St. Elizabeth will get a reprieve this year. But undergraduates at the rest of New Jersey’s four-year colleges will have to dig a little deeper to pay their tuition bills as they return to campus this semester.

Across the state, cash-strapped students called on their colleges to freeze tuition. Only Ramapo, a public college in Mahwah, and the College of St. Elizabeth, a private Catholic college in Convent Station, agreed to keep this year’s tuition at last year’s rates.

Undergraduates at New Jersey’s other four-year colleges and universities will pay between 1.3 percent and 4.7 percent more during the 2014-15 school year, according to a Star-Ledger survey of two dozen public and private schools.

But many students were still disappointed their tuition continues to rise. At Rowan University, senior Jalina Wayser was among the students calling for the school’s board to hold down tuition.

Rowan froze tuition last year. But this year, tuition and fees are going up 1.9 percent to $12,616.
“Even if a tuition increase is $300, that could mean the difference between someone going to school or dropping out,” said Wayser, a member of New Jersey United Students, a statewide student group campaigning for more financial help for students.

More>>