Public · Community college
Passaic County Community College
Paterson, New Jersey · Large suburb
- 17%
- Transfer rate
- $7,761
- Avg net price
- 19%
- Grad / completion
- $36,972
- Median earnings
Passaic County Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Paterson, New Jersey (large suburb setting), enrolling 4,260 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.
About Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The land was known as the Lenapehoking. The Dutch claimed the land as New Netherlands, followed by the British as the Province of New Jersey. The Paterson Literary Review has been published annually by the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College, and edited by Maria Mazziotti Gillan, since 1979. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 17 miles to New York, NY
- To the ocean
- 12 miles
- Nearest airport
- 7 miles to Teterboro (TEB)
How Passaic County Community College compares
Higher than 4% · #89 of 89 in New Jersey
Higher than 24%
Higher than 56% · #43 of 68 in New Jersey
Cheaper than 80% · #11 cheapest of 83 in New Jersey
Lower than 79%
Lower than 62%
Larger than 90%
Percentiles compare Passaic County 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
- Women2,54860%
- Men1,71240%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White13%
- Black11%
- Hispanic65%
- Asian4.8%
- Other or multiracial5.7%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 4,260
- Student–faculty ratio
- 14 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 61%
- First-generation students
- 61%
- Students over 25
- 31%
- Median family income
- $18,422
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $78,921
- Endowment
- $29,324
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $6,300
- Out-of-state tuition
- $10,560
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,600
- Total cost of attendance
- $13,754
- Average net price
- $7,761
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
- 19%
- First-year retention
- 60%
- Transferred to another college
- 17%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $31,276
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $36,972
- Median debt at graduation
- $7,536
- Students with federal loans
- 11%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 39%
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
- 36 (22 men · 14 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 (2)
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 1 campus (4,782 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: 5% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,221. 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 479 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)
- $36,972
- Typical debt at graduation
- $7,536
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 20%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 37%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.0 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 $9,804 (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
- 44.9″
- Annual snow
- 28.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Little Falls, NJ US station (3.7 mi from campus).
What Passaic County 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 Passaic County Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Passaic County Community College side by side →
Atlantic Cape Community College
Mays Landing, New Jersey · Fringe rural · 43 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 3,755
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 14%
- Earnings
- $34k
Hudson County Community College
Jersey City, New Jersey · Large city · 3 mi to New York
- Students
- 6,626
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $34k
Camden County College
Blackwood, New Jersey · Large suburb · 13 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 6,636
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 12%
- Earnings
- $41k
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
Essex County College
Newark, New Jersey · Large city · 9 mi to New York
- Students
- 5,855
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 12%
- Earnings
- $37k
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 Passaic County Community College
Hohokus School of Trade and Technical Sciences
Paterson, NJ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 146 students
Berkeley College-Woodland Park
Woodland Park, NJ · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 1,778 students
William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ · Public · Bachelor's · 6,614 students
American Institute-Clifton
CLIFTON, NJ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 778 students
Montclair State University
Montclair, NJ · Public · Bachelor's · 18,376 students
Bergen Community College
Paramus, NJ · Public · Associate · 10,557 students
Christine Valmy International School of Esthetics & Cosmetology
Wayne, NJ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 353 students
Fortis Institute-Wayne
Wayne, NJ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 502 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.