Public · Community college
Bergen Community College
Paramus, New Jersey · Large suburb
- 15%
- Transfer rate
- $10,345
- Avg net price
- 21%
- Grad / completion
- $46,624
- Median earnings
Bergen Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Paramus, New Jersey (large suburb setting), enrolling 10,557 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.
About Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus is a borough in the central portion of Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Albrycht Zaborowski, whose descendants became known by the family name "Zabriskie", immigrated from Poland via the Dutch ship Deb Ves in 1662. He settled in the Dutch West Indies Company town of Ackensack, site of the present-day Hackensack. One of the earliest drive-in theaters opened in Paramus, featuring what was said to be the world's largest and brightest screen, located behind what is now Westfield Garden State Plaza. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 17 miles to New York, NY
- To the ocean
- 9 miles
- Nearest airport
- 7 miles to Teterboro (TEB)
How Bergen Community College compares
Higher than 5% · #87 of 89 in New Jersey
Higher than 31%
Higher than 86% · #17 of 68 in New Jersey
Cheaper than 69% · #18 cheapest of 83 in New Jersey
Lower than 29%
Lower than 39%
Larger than 97%
Percentiles compare Bergen Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in New Jersey.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women5,73454%
- Men4,82346%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White24%
- Black7.4%
- Hispanic45%
- Asian8.5%
- Other or multiracial15%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 10,557
- Student–faculty ratio
- 18 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 35%
- First-generation students
- 49%
- Students over 25
- 26%
- Median family income
- $25,610
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $77,418
- Endowment
- $12,891,117
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 2,630 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From New Jersey96%
- Other U.S. states1.4%
- International2.9%
Most first-years stay in state — Bergen Community College draws overwhelmingly from New Jersey.
3% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $4,913
- Out-of-state tuition
- $9,294
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,500
- Total cost of attendance
- $17,184
- Average net price
- $10,345
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 21%
- First-year retention
- 64%
- Transferred to another college
- 15%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,599
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $46,624
- Median debt at graduation
- $12,000
- Students with federal loans
- 19%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 42%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division III
- Varsity athletes
- 180 (100 men · 80 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (8)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.1 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 3
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (11,720 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Bergen Community College funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.
Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $46,624
- Typical debt at graduation
- $12,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 26%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 48%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $8,166 (19%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 87°F
- Winter low
- 26°F
- Annual rain
- 46.3″
- Annual snow
- 29.8″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Teterboro AP, NJ US station (7.2 mi from campus).
What Bergen Community College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Bergen Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Bergen Community College side by side →
Brookdale Community College
Lincroft, New Jersey · Large suburb · 28 mi to New York
- Students
- 7,901
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 14%
- Earnings
- $44k
Ocean County College
Toms River, New Jersey · Large suburb · 49 mi to New York
- Students
- 5,424
- Tuition
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- Transfer
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- Earnings
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UCNJ Union College of Union County New Jersey
Cranford, New Jersey · Large suburb · 17 mi to New York
- Students
- 7,939
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 6%
- Earnings
- $42k
County College of Morris
Randolph, New Jersey · Large suburb · 32 mi to New York
- Students
- 5,360
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 17%
- Earnings
- $50k
Raritan Valley Community College
Branchburg, New Jersey · Fringe rural · 36 mi to New York
- Students
- 5,416
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 22%
- Earnings
- $48k
Rowan College of South Jersey-Gloucester Campus
Sewell, New Jersey · Large suburb · 12 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 4,234
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 21%
- Earnings
- $42k
Colleges near Bergen Community College
Lincoln Technical Institute-Paramus
Paramus, NJ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 495 students
Hohokus School of Trade and Technical Sciences
Paterson, NJ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 146 students
Adult and Continuing Education-BCTS
Hackensack, NJ · Public · Certificate · 106 students
Passaic County Community College
Paterson, NJ · Public · Associate · 4,260 students
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus
Teaneck, NJ · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,627 students
Parisian Beauty School
Hackensack, NJ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 441 students
Eastwick College-Hackensack
Hackensack, NJ · Private for-profit · Associate · 1,171 students
American Institute-Clifton
CLIFTON, NJ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 778 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.