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Montclair State University: MSU Childrens Center jeh
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National university

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $15,566 a year

Median debt at graduation: $22,000 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Campus tour

Montclair State Campus Tour: Discover our WOW Factor · From the college’s official YouTube channel. Plays from YouTube when you tap it.

Academic Excellence

BAcademic Excellence: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Good · Top 44%
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.65%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.78%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,070
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.18 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$9,193

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$10,880
$30,001–$48,000$11,532
$48,001–$75,000$16,388
$75,001–$110,000$22,058
Over $110,000$25,573

Full cost of attendance before aid: $28,305 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
18,062
Men and women
College Scorecard, fall 2023
Men 41% · Women 59%
First-generation students
College Scorecard
41%
First-year students from another state
IPEDS, fall 2023
5%
Total students22,570
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$15,566
Cost of attendance (per year)$28,305
Median federal debt at graduation$22,000
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
65%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
College Scorecard, within 6 years
68%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
College Scorecard, within 6 years
68%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
College Scorecard, within 3 years
65%
First-year retention78%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$61,415
Admission rate88%
Application fee
IPEDS, 2023–24
$65
Students receiving Pell grants47%
Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 910–1210
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT1070
SAT reading & writing480–620
SAT math430–590
ACT composite—
Test policyConsidered but not required

Value: Excellent · Top 19% (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Nursing$109,167
Accounting$84,906
Biochemistry$81,519
Computing and information science$79,692
Chemistry$74,401
Mathematics$68,371
Business administration$68,235
Biology$67,541
Economics$66,148
Geology and earth science$65,826
Secondary education$65,007
Broadcasting$62,999
Other legal professions and studies$61,036
Political science$60,984
Foods, Nutrition,$59,866
Communication studies$59,247
Kinesiology and exercise science$58,308
Interdisciplinary studies$58,236
Design$56,176
Public health$55,681
Romance languages$55,208
Journalism$53,579
Family and human development$53,575
Geography$53,285
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences$52,511
Allied health$52,435
History$52,160
Sociology$52,053
Social work$51,646
Liberal arts$51,469
Film and video$50,790
Music$50,418
Ethnic and gender studies$49,429
Psychology$48,464
Anthropology$47,225
English$45,337
Fine arts$43,564
Linguistics$42,017
Visual and performing arts$41,156
Theatre$39,248
Dance$39,064

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Applied mathematics, Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians, Classics, Clinical laboratory science, Computational Science, Computer science, East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Ecology and evolutionary biology, Education (general), Experimental psychology, General studies, German, Graphic communications, Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities, Hospitality management, Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Networking, Nutrition Sciences, Philosophy, Physics, Public Policy Analysis, Public relations, Rehabilitation and therapy, Religious studies, Sustainability Studies, Teacher education, Writing and rhetoric.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Business21%
Psychology12%
Visual and performing arts11%
Communication8%
Interdisciplinary studies5%

Campus life

School colors
SettingSuburb
Part-time undergraduates7%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older8%
On-campus room and board (per year)$16,730
SportsNCAA Division III · New Jersey Athletic Conference
ROTCArmy · Air Force
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member18 to 1
Undergraduates registered with the disability officeAbout 7%IPEDS, 2023–24
Faculty who are full-time34%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student$2,771IPEDS, 2023, per student
Dorm spaceFor about 28% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus
Nearest airport with airline serviceNewark Liberty International Airport (EWR)About 12 miles away · about 30 minutes by car
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreNewarkAbout 10 miles away · about 25 minutes by car
Typical weather31°F in January · 76°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Little Falls, NJ

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.340.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.130.04
Burglary0.430.08
Motor vehicle theft0.040.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Montclair State University’s Compass Score?
Good (grade B). It ranks in the top 43% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Montclair State University cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $15,566 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Montclair State University?
Montclair State University admitted 88% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Montclair State University’s graduates do?
65% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $61,415; the median federal debt at graduation is $22,000.

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