Barbara Chiarieri, Director of Career Services | LinkedIn
Barbara Chiarieri, Director of Career Services | LinkedIn
Of the 17 institutions in the county, five provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including Seton Hall University, Bloomfield College and Rutgers University-Newark.
At least 63,904 people applied to Essex County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.
NCES data shows that among them, around 45,032 students enrolled in the universities, including 34,038 in undergraduate and 10,994 in graduate programs. Only 4.5% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.
The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of Hispanic (29.3%) and white (25.4%) students.
Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, New Jersey Institute of Technology stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 12,332 students.
U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.
This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.
NCES shows that enrollment data was not available for three institutions in Essex County, including Relay Graduate School of Education - Newark, Bard College - BHSEC Newark and Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.
| Institution | # of Applicants | # of Admitted Students | Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Career Institute | -- | -- | 119 |
| New Community Career & Technical Institute | -- | -- | 22 |
| Relay Graduate School of Education - Newark | -- | -- | -- |
| Essex County College | -- | -- | 6,466 |
| Eastwick College-Nutley | -- | -- | 415 |
| Seton Hall University | 25,731 | 19,298 | 9,623 |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | 13,010 | 8,587 | 12,332 |
| Rutgers University-Newark | 14,935 | 11,052 | 11,017 |
| Empire Beauty School-Bloomfield | -- | -- | 94 |
| Eastern School of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine | -- | -- | 55 |
| Pillar College | -- | -- | 558 |
| Best Care College | -- | -- | 25 |
| Caldwell University | 6,649 | 4,388 | 2,028 |
| Bloomfield College | 3,579 | 2,792 | 1,153 |
| Universal Technical Institute-Bloomfield | -- | -- | 1,125 |
| Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine | -- | -- | -- |
| Bard College - BHSEC Newark | -- | -- | -- |
ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS STORY
!RECEIVE ALERTS
DONATE
Alerts Sign-up