New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) has risen 34 spots — third most increase in the nation — in the 2019 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, which identify the top colleges in the nation offering the best education for students.
In the rankings, released on September 10, 2018, NJIT is ranked 106th in the National Universities category, climbing from 140th in the 2018 edition of the publication. NJIT also has risen 18 places to number 46 on U.S. News’ list of Top Public Schools. Additionally, NJIT was named on the Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs, Best Value Schools, and Most Ethnically and Economically Diverse lists compiled by U.S. News in the 2019 edition.
U.S. News & World Report reviews nearly 2,000 colleges and universities nationally each year, and bases its rankings on 16 measures of academic quality, which include graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, reputational assessment by peers and guidance counselors, financial resources and alumni giving rate.
NJIT takes great pride in its recognition in the U.S. News rankings. NJIT Provost and Senior Executive Vice President Fadi Deek noted, “We have, for several years, been laser-focused on student outcomes and have invested heavily in the things that improve the educational experience — $400 million in facilities that support research and learning as well as nearly 130 new faculty members during the last six years. That’s evident in the success of our students, both while at NJIT and after they have graduated, and the empirical evidence of that success is something prospective students and their families find quite attractive.”
These focused efforts and investments have had a positive impact on NJIT’s U.S. News ranking. Increases in retention and graduation rates in recent years have resulted in much improved four-year averages for these two metrics, as used by U.S. News. Higher education peers also boosted their reputational rating of NJIT this year, a factor that accounts for 15 percent of the overall U.S. News score. This year, U.S. News also incorporated need-based financial aid and social mobility factors, an area in which NJIT has received past recognition for its strong performance. NJIT has been ranked #1 in the nation by Forbes and The New York Times for upward economic mobility based on data from the Equality of Opportunity Project. In 2017, NJIT awarded more than $20 million in grants and scholarships to help defray the cost of tuition for its students.
NJIT also has seen robust growth in total applications for admission, accompanied by an improvement in the academic profile of applicants — 3.58 average high school GPA and 1288 average SAT (3.9 and 1475 for students in NJIT’s Albert Dorman Honors College) for this year’s entering class. Together, NJIT’s efforts to improve student outcomes and the educational experience have resulted in a 7-point increase in the Overall Score U.S. News uses to compare universities.
“The improvement in NJIT’s U.S. News ranking is indicative of the upward trajectory of our university and the growing recognition of its strength,” said NJIT President Joel S. Bloom. “Every major industry across the global economy is reliant upon technology, and NJIT excels in the disciplines that meet their workforce, research and economic development needs. That’s why NJIT has been able to develop so many mutually beneficial partnerships with industry, and it’s why our students are in such great demand — receiving multiple job offers prior to graduation and starting salaries nearly 20 percent above their peers at other universities across the nation.”
