The College of New Jersey

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School Says - General Information
The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) has created a culture of constant questioning. In small classes, students and faculty members collaborate in a rewarding process. They seek to understand fundamental principles, apply key concepts, reveal new problems and pursue lines of inquiry to gain a fluency of thought in their disciplines. This transformative process is at the core of the educational experience at the College.

Many students extend their classroom work by participating in research with faculty members or studying abroad. Often, professors and students co-author papers published in academic journals. The mentor relationship helps students discuss career options and land pertinent fellowships, internships, and summer research positions.

TCNJ admits a diverse class each year full of ambitious students, eager to build on their earlier education and plunge into new topics. The most successful admits are prepared to steer their own academic pursuits toward post-graduation goals of graduate school, professional training, or satisfying careers.

Prestigious graduate schools, including the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown Law School, Maxwell School at Syracuse University, NYU Law School, and Harvard, Yale, and Northwestern Universities, routinely welcome TCNJ alumni into their ranks. Eighty-five percent of TCNJ students who apply to medical school are accepted.

Many top corporations recruit TCNJ graduates, providing avenues into rewarding jobs directly after graduation. Other barometers of student success include the 100 percent pass rate of education majors taking the state teacher preparation test and the 85 percent three-year pass rate for nursing students going for their license. The variety of learning opportunities at the College prepare students to prosper in any arena after leaving the campus.

School Says - Student Body
Classroom learning at TCNJ is complemented by an extensive and acclaimed Leadership Development Program. Life outside the classroom is not something our students do on the side. It's an extension of the learning experience. At every turn from the first year on, students blur the boundary between living and learning, closing the gap between "student" and "life."

For fun or experience, students can participate in any of the more than 150 TCNJ clubs, catering to interests as diverse as theater, professional training, writing, fraternities and sororities, and athletics. TCNJ teams play in the NCAA Division III, as non-scholarship student athletes. The men field teams in 11 sports, while them women compete in 10. The college holds the record for championship and runner-up titles since Division III was started in 1979.

For those looking for something a little less competitive, intramural sports, including flag football, volleyball, softball, floor hockey, and basketball, have thriving coed leagues of their own. Intramural teams play in state, regional, and national tournaments. The college was proud to send its top-ten flag football team to the recent championship in New Orleans.

TCNJ students administer both the Student Finance Board and College Union Board. They organize popular student events, bringing people to the campus such as Matt Nathanson, Ludacris, Third Eye Blind, John Leguizamo, Ann Coulter, George Carlin, Angela Davis and Eddie Palmieri.

School Says - Academics
A Liberal Learning Curriculum ensures that all students are grounded in the beliefs and values of civic responsibility and intellectual and scholarly growth and that they receive a well-rounded education in the liberal arts.

In 2004, the College completed a transformation of its curriculum requiring fewer, more in-depth courses. All courses have been transformed and contain a significant out of class requirement and will provide for even more student and faculty interaction.

The small classes enable dialog between students, and every class at TCNJ is taught by a professor, not a graduate student. The College shapes its curricula and educational experiences around the concept of the accomplished and engaged learner.

The required First-Year Seminar, the cornerstone of the new Liberal Learning program, introduces students to the habits of mind and the methodologies of research; it's seminar format of no more than 15 students reinforces the message that students are not to be passive recipients of knowledge but rather active contributors to their own learning. Requirements are grouped as diversity and community engagement goals, proficiencies and depth requirements that can be self designed or designated interdisciplinary concentrations.

Top students may enroll in TCNJ's honors program, designed to provide a core curriculum with additional challenges and opportunities for individualized work. Most honors classes take an interdisciplinary approach to the history of civilizations, its accomplishments, and its problems. Independent study arrangements fall easily within the parameters of the honors program, as well.

School Says - Admissions
The admissions committee at TCNJ accepts a class of motivated, ambitious, and highly talented students. Most successful applicants have taken 16 college-preparatory units in high school. They also show impressive class ranks and SAT scores. Most students admitted into the class fall within the top 10 percent of their graduating class. The committee also considers extracurricular involvement, individual pursuits, and community participation. Students applying to the art and music departments are evaluated on additional criteria specific to their intended course of study.

Those applying for September admission must have their applications submitted by February 15. TCNJ offers an early-decision program to those who know the College is their first choice: applications received by November 15 will receive a response by December 30. A small number of students begin classes in January, and they must apply by November 1. For further information, please contact:

Office of Admissions
The College of New Jersey
PO Box 7718
Ewing, NJ 08628-0718
Telephone: 609-771-2132
E-mail: tcnjinfo@tcnj.edu

School Says - Campus Life
Neoclassical Georgian Colonial architecture, meticulous landscaping and thoughtful design merge to meet the evolving needs of TCNJ students. Students enjoy a campus with 289 acres of trees, lakes, and open spaces within the suburban setting of Ewing Township, New Jersey. Two out of three undergraduate students live in campus residence halls. The residence halls vary in configuration from the freshman towers to suites and townhouse arrangements for upper class students. An on-campus 600-bed apartment complex is set to open in Fall 2009. The college ensures that on-campus housing is available to all students in their first two years.

More that 150 student organizations flourish at the College. Anyone can find an intramural sports team, Greek organization, cultural club, or academic group to suit his or her interests. Many students make friends and enjoy their leisure time participating in one of these groups. In addition, the College Union Board organizes events, including concerts, performances, and comedy nights. The college's highly successful Division III teams also provide an opportunity to socialize and cheer on fellow classmates. Nearby cities, such as Trenton, Philadelphia, and New York, allow for abundant entertainment, employment, and social options. Many courses incorporate field trips to New York City or Washington DC.

School Says - Cost Aid
Because TCNJ is a public institution, costs are lower than most equivalent private institutions. The tuition and fees for undergraduates in the 2008-2009 academic year are as follow:
In-state tuition and fees: $12,308
Out-of-state tuition and fees: $20,415
Room and board (all students): $9,612Close to 50 percent of full-time undergraduates benefit from financial aid, which can come in the form of merit-based scholarships, work-study programs, loans, or government or institutional grants. All students seeking financial aid must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form or renewal FAFSA to apply. The Title IV FAFSA Code for The College is 002642.

Students may compete for the College's merit scholarships, which are funded by the state government as well as private donors. These awards are offered to those applicants with top SAT scores and class rankings. Over the last six years, TCNJ has given scholarships totaling more than $12 million.

Students Say - Academics
The College of New Jersey, "a small, liberal arts, state school that offers, to the best of its abilities, everything that a private school offers," earns plaudits from a student body that understands just what a great deal the school represents. "Many of my friends had well above 1300 SAT scores and got into very prestigious schools such as Georgetown, NYU, Columbia, and Villanova, but chose TCNJ because of its unbeatable cost," explains one student, who warns that the school is "no joke" academically and notes that even those aforementioned friends "are constantly studying and find no cake-walk when it comes to classes." Students benefit from "up-to-date facilities" including "an amazing library" and solid career services. Most impressive, however, is the small-school service students here receive; professors "clearly have their students' best interests in mind," and the administration is not only "amazingly helpful" but also solicitous of student opinion; "Whenever a position opens up in a department, the students are encouraged to attend lectures by prospective candidates and offer their input," one student writes. No wonder undergrads insist that TCNJ is "a smaller school that is a bargain for its quality of education."

Students Say - Campus Life
With "a beautiful campus, great location, top-notch faculty, the newest technology, an interested student body, and competitive sports teams," TCNJ really "is the total package." There "are a lot of things going on on-campus for people to get involved in," including "clubs and intramural sports that people commonly do for fun." The student center "offers games, and there are always performances going on," and "there are tons of student organizations and club teams." Although "People are generally the Abercrombie or Hollister type" here, "you don't have to be athletic or involved at all to be popular at TCNJ. It's completely acceptable to just hang out with people doing nothing constructive." The off-campus party scene "is fine," and "many people "attend the fraternity parties offered on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays," but "There is not much to do once you leave campus unless you have a car," and one student notes "some of the surrounding areas are a little sketchy." Further afield things get better, as "our school is a 15-minute drive from Princeton and 45 minutes outside of Philly."

Students Say - Student Body
You can find any personality type at TCNJ, students tell us, from "your typical jocks who love to party" to "extremely conservative kids who haven't missed a Sunday mass since getting here" and "a few hippie types and everything in between. Whatever your social circle, you're bound to fit in." What they share in common is that most are "smart, dedicated people who care about their education very much," "were in the top 15 percent of their high school class," and "are willing to push themselves to do better in school." While "everyone has different interests, inside the classroom there is never an intellectual differentiation between those in the Medieval Club and those in Greek life. I think everyone is atypical in his own way, and this is a great place for everyone to be able to find a niche." And while "the typical student at TCNJ is white and middle-upper-class to upper class," the school also hosts a solid population of students of "different faiths and ethnicities."

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