Montclair State University is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Montclair, New Jersey. It enrolls 18,376 students (a very large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Strong
76/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes62
Value83
Affordability76
Selectivity23
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Montclair State University admits 87.9% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.
Acceptance Rate
87.9%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
910 – 1210
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Montclair State University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
11.1 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $15,566 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$15,912
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$26,022
Room & Board (on-campus)
$16,730
Room & Board (off-campus)
$15,674
Books & Supplies
$1,250
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,560
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$5,736
Total Cost of Attendance
$28,305
Application fee: $65 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $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
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$4,75010%percentile
$8,75025%percentile
$22,000Medianpercentile
$27,00075%percentile
$34,00090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $18,500
↓ $3,500
No Pell $15,000
↓ $7,000
Dependent students $16,939
↓ $5,061
Independent students $19,000
↓ $3,000
Female students $17,750
↓ $4,250
Male students $16,750
↓ $5,250
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,573, less than completers ($22,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
68% of students who start here finish within six years, and 79% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
68%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
79%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $61,415 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$61,415
Earning > $25K
82%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$48,700
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$57,800
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$49,000
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$54,500
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$52,800
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $9,100, about 16% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
15.1 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 82% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 18,376 students, a sprawling student community. Worth knowing: 41% are the first in their family to go to college.
Total Enrolled
18,376
Part-Time
7%
First-Generation
41%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 40.7%7,470
White 31.6%5,814
Black 13.2%2,429
Asian 6.1%1,123
Other 2.7%489
International 1.5%274
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Montclair State University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Montclair State University offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
131 distinct programs across
24 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 17 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.
Student : Faculty
17:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$10,092
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$55M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$104,478
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
674 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
210
31%
$131,287
Associate Professors
226
34%
$106,118
Assistant Professors
117
17%
$90,784
No Rank
121
18%
$68,127
Pros & Cons of Montclair State University
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Montclair State University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Best for:
Based on the data, Montclair State University is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.
Frequently Asked Questions about Montclair State University
The questions families ask most about Montclair State University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Montclair State University hard to get into?
Not especially. Montclair State University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 87.9%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Montclair State University?
87.9% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Montclair State University?
Aim for 1210 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 910 and 1210 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Montclair State University cost?
Budget around $15,566 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Montclair State University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $61,415 a year against a net price of $15,566, about 3.9 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Montclair State University known for?
Mostly Business Administration, Experimental Psychology, Business Administration. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Montclair State University graduates earn?
About $61,415 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Montclair State University accredited?
Yes. Montclair State University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Montclair State University?
18,376 students. Large, so expect big lectures and more independence in finding your own footing. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Montclair State University?
68% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Montclair State University a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Montclair State University located?
Montclair State University is located in Montclair, New Jersey.
What programs does Montclair State University offer?
131 different programs, most commonly Business Administration, Experimental Psychology, Business Administration. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Montclair State University?
17 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Related Colleges in New Jersey
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Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
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