Public · Community college

UCNJ Union College of Union County New Jersey

Cranford, New Jersey · Large suburb

6%
Transfer rate
$8,257
Avg net price
35%
Grad / completion
$41,595
Median earnings

UCNJ Union College of Union County New Jersey is a public associate-granting institution in Cranford, New Jersey (large suburb setting), enrolling 7,939 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 7,939 undergradsLarge suburbNJCAA Division IICold wintersNear the coast

About Cranford, New Jersey

Cranford is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located 18 miles (29 km) southwest of New York City. The Garden State Film Festival began holding festival screenings at the township's century-old film theater, the Cranford Theater, in 2021. A small performing arts stage, in front of one of the screens, opened at the film theater in 2022. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Associate
Nearest big city
17 miles to New York, NY
To the ocean
6 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to Newark Liberty (EWR) · major hub

How UCNJ Union College of Union County New Jersey compares

Graduation rate35%

Higher than 20% · #77 of 89 in New Jersey

First-year retention66%

Higher than 35%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,595

Higher than 75% · #33 of 68 in New Jersey

Average net price$8,257

Cheaper than 78% · #13 cheapest of 83 in New Jersey

Median debt at graduation$15,091

Lower than 14%

Student–faculty ratio22 : 1

Lower than 21%

Undergraduate enrollment7,939

Larger than 95%

Percentiles compare UCNJ Union College of Union County New Jersey 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

7,939undergrads
  • Women4,88261%
  • Men3,05739%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White13%
  • Black29%
  • Hispanic48%
  • Asian4.0%
  • Other or multiracial6.2%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
7,939
Student–faculty ratio
22 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
43%
First-generation students
54%
Students over 25
36%
Median family income
$24,441
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$124,425
Endowment
$27,078,872

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 1,858 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From New Jersey99%
  • Other U.S. states0.7%

Most first-years stay in state — UCNJ Union College of Union County New Jersey 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
$5,280
Out-of-state tuition
$9,500
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,080
Total cost of attendance
$13,569
Average net price
$8,257

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
35%
First-year retention
66%
Transferred to another college
6%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$33,731
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$41,595
Median debt at graduation
$15,091
Students with federal loans
7%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
34%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
35%
Low-income (Pell)
21%
First-generation
21%

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
$10
Athletics
NJCAA Division II
Varsity athletes
208 (149 men · 59 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)

Soccer48
Basketball32
Volleyball31
Baseball30
Other Sports22
Wrestling20
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)15
Golf10

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)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
2

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (8,330 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.

1.0reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
0.3
Arson
0.3
Robbery
0.3

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.

< $30k
$6,880
$30–48k
$7,213
$48–75k
$9,362
$75–110k
$11,407
$110k+
$11,965

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.

8%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,964
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 8% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,964. 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 1,364 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)
$41,595
Typical debt at graduation
$15,091
Debt vs. one year's pay
36%
Out-earn a HS grad
45%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

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.

Women
$39,805
Men
$44,269

Men out-earn women by $4,464 (11%) 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
25°F
Annual rain
50.4″
Annual snow
26.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cranford, NJ US station (0.3 mi from campus).

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 UCNJ Union College of Union County New Jersey

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare UCNJ Union College of Union County New Jersey side by side →

Colleges near UCNJ Union College of Union County New Jersey

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.