2026 College Rankings: Montclair Named No. 1 Public Institution in NJ, Top 30 Public in the Nation

Montclair State University has been named one of the top institutions in the country in The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. rankings.

For the first time, Montclair has been named among the Top 30 public institutions in the nation. It is also the No. 1 public institution in New Jersey, and has seen its overall ranking rise to No. 67 overall out of 584 colleges and universities.

In addition to other factors including graduation rates, diversity and learning environment, the rankings emphasize how well an institution prepares its students for financial success. Schools are rewarded for the boost provided to graduates’ salaries beyond what they could expect from attending another institution.

A Montclair graduate can expect an average of $34,013 added to their salary. Those extra earnings were then compared against an institution’s average net price to determine how long it would take to pay back the cost of attending. In Montclair’s case, the salary boost for typical graduates repays them for the cost of attending in just one year and seven months.

Wall Street Journal 2026 Best U.S. Colleges Rankings At a Glance

• No. 67 overall
• No. 29 among public institutions
• No. 1 public institution in New Jersey (No. 2 overall in the state behind only Princeton University)
• No. 1 in New Jersey for social mobility (No. 14 overall in the country)
• Ranked ahead of institutions including Duke University, the University of Florida and UCLA in the overall rankings

“Montclair State University is redefining what it means to be a top-tier public university,” says Montclair President Jonathan Koppell. “To be ranked among the Wall Street Journal’s top 30 public institutions in the nation — and first in New Jersey — is a powerful affirmation of our mission: providing an excellent, accessible education that delivers real results for our students. Our graduates are earning more, giving back more and proving that a university focused on inclusion can also lead in excellence.”

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