Public · Community college
Ocean County College
Toms River, New Jersey · Large suburb
- 10%
- Transfer rate
- $11,411
- Avg net price
- 42%
- Grad / completion
- $45,210
- Median earnings
Ocean County College is a public associate-granting institution in Toms River, New Jersey (large suburb setting), enrolling 5,424 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Toms River, New Jersey
Toms River is a township located on the Jersey Shore in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Much of the early history of the settlement of Toms River is obscured by conflicting stories. Various sources list the eponym of the township as either English captain William Tom, or farmer and ferryman Thomas Luker. The RWJBarnabas Health Arena (formerly Pine Belt Arena), a 3,500-seat public arena connected to Toms River High School North, is used for concerts, sporting events, and some small local events throughout the year to raise money for the school district. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 49 miles to New York, NY
- To the ocean
- 2 miles
- Nearest airport
- 39 miles to Trenton Mercer (TTN)
How Ocean County College compares
Higher than 27% · #69 of 89 in New Jersey
Higher than 42%
Higher than 83% · #21 of 68 in New Jersey
Cheaper than 65% · #27 cheapest of 83 in New Jersey
Lower than 34%
Lower than 21%
Larger than 92%
Percentiles compare Ocean County 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
- Women3,08457%
- Men2,34043%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White63%
- Black5.5%
- Hispanic24%
- Asian2.8%
- Other or multiracial4.9%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 5,424
- Student–faculty ratio
- 22 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 27%
- First-generation students
- 52%
- Students over 25
- 20%
- Median family income
- $29,639
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $64,638
- Endowment
- $7,932,716
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 1,741 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From New Jersey99%
- Other U.S. states1.1%
Most first-years stay in state — Ocean County College draws overwhelmingly from New Jersey.
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
- $4,906
- Out-of-state tuition
- $6,970
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $438
- Total cost of attendance
- $18,207
- Average net price
- $11,411
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
- 42%
- First-year retention
- 69%
- Transferred to another college
- 10%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,382
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $45,210
- Median debt at graduation
- $11,150
- Students with federal loans
- 6%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 40%
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
- 163 (101 men · 62 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
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (7,095 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.
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?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 3% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,768. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,345 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $45,210
- Typical debt at graduation
- $11,150
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 25%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 50%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.5 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 $12,091 (30%) 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
- 86°F
- Winter low
- 22°F
- Annual rain
- 52″
- Annual snow
- 23.7″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Toms River, NJ US station (4.8 mi from campus).
What Ocean County 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 Ocean County College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Ocean County 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
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
Bergen Community College
Paramus, New Jersey · Large suburb · 17 mi to New York
- Students
- 10,557
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $47k
County College of Morris
Randolph, New Jersey · Large suburb · 32 mi to New York
- Students
- 5,360
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 17%
- Earnings
- $50k
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
Raritan Valley Community College
Branchburg, New Jersey · Fringe rural · 36 mi to New York
- Students
- 5,416
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 22%
- Earnings
- $48k
Colleges near Ocean County College
Ocean County Vocational-Technical School
Toms River, NJ · Public · Certificate · 497 students
Beth Medrash of Asbury Park
Lakewood, NJ · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 124 students
Rabbinical Seminary Mkor Chaim
Lakewood, NJ · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 96 students
American Institute-Toms River
Toms River, NJ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 484 students
Innovate Salon Academy
Brick Township, NJ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 219 students
Yeshiva Yesodei Hatorah
Lakewood, NJ · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 75 students
Yeshiva Gedola Tiferes Yaakov Yitzchok
Lakewood, NJ · Private nonprofit · Associate · 71 students
Yeshiva Chemdas Hatorah
Lakewood, NJ · Private nonprofit · Associate · 72 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.