College Profile:
New Jersey City University

There is much to discover at New Jersey City University. This vital 75-year-old liberal arts institution is located in Jersey City, New Jersey, within minutes of New York City. While NJCU’s location affords students all the cultural and intellectual stimulation of the metropolitan area, the campus has retained a quiet atmosphere for study and offers an incomparable education at an affordable price.

At the heart of the University is a strong academic program. NJCU has an esteemed and caring faculty and extensive student support services. Thirty-two undergraduate degree programs are offered in addition to graduate and teacher certification programs. Through NJCU’s nationally recognized Cooperative Education Program, sophomores, juniors, and seniors in all academic areas may study for a degree while working in salaried positions at more than 550 local and international corporations, agencies, and organizations.

There is a sense of excitement on the 46-acre tree-lined campus, which will soon see the completion of a new Fine Arts Building and the construction of an Arts and Sciences Tower.

The University’s diverse student population includes recent high school graduates, part-time and older students, and those seeking job retraining. While drawn primarily from northern New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area, students hail from 15 other states as well as 51 countries around the world.

The total undergraduate and graduate enrollment for full- and part-time students is 10,637. The average class size is 15, which is smaller than that of most universities. This enables students to work closely and directly with faculty and classmates. Seventy-one percent of NJCU’s faculty members hold the highest degrees in their fields.

The richness of university life at NJCU is seen in the extracurricular activities, services, and facilities that are available. Most student activities take place in the spacious Michael B. Gilligan Student Union, a facility that houses study lounges, a TV lounge, the University bookstore, a cafeteria, and indoor parking. The Student Union is also home to the Student Government Organization, the student newspaper, student radio station, and many clubs, organizations, fraternities, and sororities.

All students can participate in sports through the University’s extensive varsity and intramural athletic programs, which include baseball, basketball, cross-country, soccer, softball, and volleyball. NJCU’s Athletic and Fitness Center is a 72,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility that houses a swimming pool, saunas, a 2,000-seat arena, an elevated jogging track, a fitness and training facility, and racquetball courts. The Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex, home to outdoor sports and located a mile southwest of the main campus, is a 14-acre facility that features a 3,000-seat stadium and a natural grass surface. The campus also houses six outdoor tennis courts.

Undergraduate programs at NJCU lead to the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Fine Arts, or Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees. NJCU’s College of Arts and Sciences offers major programs in such subjects as art, biology, geoscience/geography, physics, chemistry, computer science, economics, English, history, mathematics, media arts, music, philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology, and Spanish. A B.S. in clinical laboratory sciences is offered jointly with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

The College of Education offers major programs in early childhood, elementary, and special education. Also offered are undergraduate programs that lead to certification, such as the New Jersey Department of Education certification in secondary education.

The College of Professional Studies offers major programs in business administration, criminal justice/fire safety/security administration, health sciences, and nursing.

Among NJCU’s facilities are the Congressman Frank J. Guarini Library, a state-of-the-art research facility; Media Arts Center, a 16,000-square-foot facility that houses television and production studios, processing and animation laboratories, projection/seminar rooms, and editing space; A. Harry Moore Center for Special Education; Raimondo Institute for Urban Research and Public Policy; Peter W. Rodino Institute of Criminal Justice; and Career Development Center, which provides career counseling and placement assistance to recent graduates.

Undergraduate tuition and fees for the 2002–03 academic year were $5556.00 for New Jersey residents and $9508.50 for nonresidents. Room and board in NJCU’s Vodra Hall Dormitory, Cooperative Education Dormitory, or apartment complex were $6198.00.
Approximately 80 percent of full-time undergraduates receive financial aid. Financial aid for eligible students includes needs-based grants, merit-based Corporate Scholarships, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Stafford Student Loans, and jobs provided under the Federal Work-Study Program. Applicants for aid must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Admission to NJCU is based on a student’s projected ability to complete a degree program. All admission decisions are made without regard to race, religion, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. It is desirable that freshman applicants rank in the top half of their high school class and complete a college-preparatory program that includes 4 units of English, 3 units of mathematics, 2 units of social science, and 2 units of laboratory science. A student’s combined SAT I score or ACT score is taken into account in determining acceptance in individual cases. Highly qualified high school juniors may apply for early admission with a recommendation from their high school principal. In addition, New Jersey residents who demonstrate financial need and do not meet traditional admissions requirements but have the academic potential and motivation to succeed in college may apply for admission through NJCU’s Opportunity Scholarship Program. The University also accepts students who have been identified as learning disabled through its Project Mentor Program.

Application for admission may be made by submitting a completed application, a $35.00 application fee, an official high school transcript, and SAT I or ACT scores. Applications for the fall semester should be received by April 1; applications for the spring semester should be received by November 1. These dates are subject to change. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis.