The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) Admission Requirements and Acceptance Rate

The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) Overview 

TCNJ is an acronym from “The College of New Jersey”; a college founded in 1855. The college started out as the “New Jersey State Normal School” in 1855, making it the first normal school in New Jersey State and the fifth in the United States of America. “New Jersey Normal School” was founded by Governor Rodman Prince to promote a training institute idea for New Jersey teachers via the support of influential state leaders. 

Before settling for the current college name “The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) in 1996, the college underwent five name changes; from New Jersey State Normal School (1855) to New Jersey State Normal School at Trenton (1908) to New Jersey State Teachers College and State Normal School at Trenton (1929) to New Jersey State Teachers College at Trenton (1937) and Trenton State College (1958).

The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is one of the most prestigious public universities in Ewing, New Jersey with emphasis placed on strong liberal arts education. The hallmarks of TCNJ education include “Personalized, collaborative, and rigorous education; undergraduate research, mentored internships, and field experiences; community engaged learning; global engagement; and leadership development.” The college has a suburban setting. It sits on 289 tree-lined acres and was built in Georgian colonial revival architecture style. 

It is ranked by Money as one of the top 15 public colleges “most likely to pay off financially.” U.S. News & World Report ranked TCNJ #1 among public colleges and sixth overall. It is currently holding the top spot in the “Best Regional Universities (North category), and has been since 1991. The college ranked #2 in the regional ranking for best colleges for veterans, and seventh in the region for best undergraduate teaching programs.

You can apply early to “The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)”. It has a conducive learning environment, astonishing professors, rich academics and has resources that will help you succeed in the outside world. You can even work directly with faculty on any research project and gain additional practical experience all through your academic year at the college.

What is the acceptance rate at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)?

The acceptance rate at TCNJ is about 49%. That means, for every 1000 applications received, only about 490 of the applicants will be admitted into the college.

The college admitted 6,812 students out of the 13,824 students that applied for admission into the college last year; 43% of them were male while 57% of them were female. TCNJ  uses a semester-based academic calendar.

What is the SAT//ACT requirement at TCNJ?

The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) currently has a test-optional policy which started last year and will continue for the next three years.

However, if you desire to submit your test scores, you should score between 1160-1360 for SAT or an average ACT score of 25-30. 

You can actually aim higher because the admitted students averaged 1265 on the Math and Reading sections of the SAT and a 28 composite score on the ACT. 

Please note the following codes for SAT and ACT:

• TCNJ SAT CEEB: 002519
• TCNJ ACT Code: 002614

What is the GPA requirement at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)?

You should aim for high grades. The college’s GPA requirement is between 3.6-3.8. That means you need to have B+ grades all through, or a mix of A’s and B’s.

However, if your GPA is low, you can compensate  with harder classes, like AP or IB classes.

 What are the Admission Requirements for first year students at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)?

• As a first year applicant, you are required to use the TCNJ Common Application.
• You are to pay for the application. The application fee is $75, and it is non-refundable.

Kindly note the following:

• You can submit payment through the Common Application or Coalition Application or you can mail check/money order by selecting “Fee Waiver” on the Common Application or Coalition Application, and afterwards mail payment to The Office of Admissions, First-year Applicant.
• Your application fee can be waived if you submit a paper copy of one of the following:

• College Board Fee Waiver
• NACAC Fee Waiver
• TCNJ Out-of-State Fee Waiver
• National Merit Semifinalist/National Achievement Fee Waiver
• Common Application Fee Waiver (verified by school counselor)
• Coalition Application Fee Waiver (verified by school counselor)
• You must submit a formal letter from your school counselor stating why a waiver is necessary for you.

• Academic Major: You can indicate the official program of study you are applying for or select “Undeclared” in several of TCNJ seven academic schools.
• High School Transcripts: Your official transcript should be sent from your high school office.  It should be sent to “The Office of Undergraduate Admissions.” 

• Your high school should submit your transcripts through Naviance or mail the transcripts to TCNJ’s Office of Admissions.
• The Common Application secondary school report does not need to be submitted. Your transcript will be assessed by a United States agency if you attended high school and/or college outside of the United States. The agency provides foreign credentials evaluations before sending it to TCNJ.

• Official Test Scores: Your standardized test scores are not required since TCNJ has now inplemented  a test-optional policy for first-year students. However, if you want to share your test scores, you can. These scores should be sent from the official testing agency or printed on an official school transcript.

• The college will superscore multiple test dates from both the SAT and ACT, respectively.
• The college does not use the Writing sections of the SAT or ACT. SAT II Subject Tests are NOT required.
• Your test scores will be required for TCNJ’s Accelerated Seven-Year Medical School opportunities. TCNJ Codes: SAT CEEB: 002519 | ACT Code: 002614 | Financial Aid: 00264
• You are required to submit your TOEFL or IELTS scores if your native language is not English or if English is not the language of instruction in your high school or university. To be considered for admission, you will need to score at least  90  for the Internet-Based TOEFL exam. A score of 7.0 or higher is recommended for the IELTS.
• Recommendations: You are to submit at least 2-3 letters of recommendation. One of the letters must come from a teacher. The remaining letters can be from other teachers, coaches, school counselors, employers, or extracurricular advisors. 

Kindly note this:

• It is very important that you use The Common Application Teacher Evaluation form if a recommendation is being mailed to TCNJ.

• Essay:The college requires a secondary writing prompt to examine your interest in the College. This should be in detail. The Common Application or the Coalition Application essay is the official essay used in the evaluation process.

• Resume (optional): Aside from filling out the activities lit on The Common Application or The Coalition Application, you are to submit a detailed Activity Resume that provides information about any  employment, internships, volunteering, education, and your involvement in clubs and organisations.

Kindly note the following:

• Your chances of gaining admission into TCNJ is dependent on the records given on your course selection, grades, GPA, class rank, and the strength of your curriculum.
• Your ability and involvement beyond academics will be assessed. 
• There is a test-optional policy at TCNJ due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This started from the 2020-2021 admission cycle. It will be for a 3-year period. Hence, you have a choice whether or not to submit SAT or ACT scores, and this doesn’t hinder your admission. However, your test scores will be required for TCNJ’s Accelerated Seven-Year Medical School opportunities. TCNJ Codes: SAT CEEB: 002519 | ACT Code: 002614 | Financial Aid: 00264
• There is an additional emphasis placed on your high school transcript, extracurricular involvement and audition (Music applicant) or portfolio (Visual Art applicants) results, if you are one of the students applying into the Visual Arts, Art Education, Music (BA), Music Performance and Music Education majors.
• Admissions Interview is not part of the TCNJ  application process.
• Documents should be mailed to :

The College of New Jersey

The Office of Undergraduate Admission, Attn: First-year Applicant

Trenton Hall, Room 228

PO Box 7718

Ewing, NJ 08628

What are the Admission Requirements for International First-year Applicants?

If you are from another country, but want to study at “The College of New Jersey”; there are no minimum academic requirements considered for admission into the school.

However, TCNJ will require and assess your exam results, the rigor of your curriculum, your in-class grades for 9-12 grade, recommendation letters from teachers, your essay, your community service, and activities. 

• You are to submit a complete first-year application using the Common Application or the Coalition Application- www.commonapp.org
• You are required to submit more documents for programs like Art, Education, Music, Seven-year Medical Programs and Seven-year Optometry Program.

• As a first year applicant, you are required to use the TCNJ Common Application.
• You are to pay for the application. The application fee is $75, and it is non-refundable.

Kindly note the following:

• You can submit payment through the Common Application or Coalition Application or you can mail check/money order by selecting “Fee Waiver” on the Common Application or Coalition Application and mailing payment to The Office of Admissions, First-year Applicant.
• Your application fee can be waived if you submit a paper copy of one of the following:

• College Board Fee Waiver
• NACAC Fee Waiver
• TCNJ Out-of-State Fee Waiver
• National Merit Semifinalist/National Achievement Fee Waiver
• Common Application Fee Waiver (verified by school counselor)
• Coalition Application Fee Waiver (verified by school counselor)
• You must submit a formal letter from your school counselor stating why a waiver is necessary for you.

• Academic Major: You can indicate the official program of study you are applying for on TCNJ Common Application Member Form. This can only be submitted online when completing the Common Application. You can not apply to TCNJ “Undecided” about the program of study.
• There is a test-optional policy at TCNJ due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This started from the 2020-2021 admission cycle. It will be for a 3-year period. Hence, you have a choice whether or not to submit SAT or ACT scores, and this doesn’t hinder your admission. However, TCNJ will assess your interests and involvements in other activities aside from academics to assess your academic and extracurricular achievements. You will also have the opportunity to show your interest in TCNJ programs and your loyalty in chasing your field of interest.at TCNJ. 

Kindly note the following:

• Your test scores will be required for TCNJ’s Accelerated Seven-Year Medical School opportunities. 
• TCNJ Codes: SAT CEEB: 002519 | ACT Code: 002614 | Financial Aid: 00264

• You are required to submit your TOEFL or IELTS scores if your native language is not English or if English is not the language of instruction in your high school or university. To be considered for admission, you will need to score at least  90  for the Internet-Based TOEFL exam. A score of 7.0 or higher is recommended for the IELTS.
• Academic Transcripts: You are required to submit your high school transcripts.

Kindly note the following:

• If you are a transfer student, you must submit all College/University transcripts and, depending on the number of credits earned, secondary school transcripts.
• Your transcript must be translated to English. It should be submitted to a United States agency approved by TCNJ. The agency will provide foreign credentials evaluations before sending it to TCNJ.
• You will need a document-by-document or a general report evaluation of your secondary transcript.
• You will need  a course-by-course evaluation converted to U.S. credits and grades for any college or university transcripts. 
• All foreign institutions must have the equivalent to regional accreditation in the United States.  
• You do not have to submit your transcript to an evaluation agency if enrolled in an International Baccalaureate program, in the U.S. or overseas.
• Your transcripts or recommendation letters are not to be sent via email but through the Common Application or mailed to 

The College of New Jersey

The Office of Undergraduate Admission, Attn: First-year Applicant

Trenton Hall, Room 228

PO Box 7718

Ewing, NJ 08628

• TCNJ will accept  documents via email [email protected] to hasten the review m     process. However, all unofficialicial documents must be  received, before you can be enrolled  at the university.

• The official essay used in the evaluation process is “The Common Application” or “Coalition Application essay, which provides a choice of several topics.

What is the cost of studying at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)?

Undergraduate Costs (2021-2022)

Tuition and Fees    Room and Board                  Total Cost per Year

New Jersey residents:

$17,306.92                    $14, 686.06                New Jersey residents:  $31,992.98

Out-of-state residents:

$22,748.06                                                              Out-of-state residents: $37,434.12

This includes 19 Meals per week Plan, Student Service Fee, GSF/Capital Fee, Computing Access Fee, Student Center Fee and Student Activity Fee.

What is student life like at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)?

There is so much experience to garner at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). The college encourages you to expand your talents and skills through its numerous groups, clubs and organisations.

Beyond academics, you can watch different shows at the theatre, watch a musical performance in one of the college’s halls, view some art works at the gallery, play football with friends, or be a part of the community fest. You can also join the print media where you can publish several articles or join the broadcast media to air your voice on any issue you want.

TCNJ campus is small and has a campus as well as family feel. You can easily relate with your professors and get their full attention. The campus is also safe. You can walk at night without fear of being attacked. If there is anything to be careful of, the campus police will notify you by sending a text.

Outside TCNJ campus, there are lots of interesting places you can visit too. There is a free loop bus that will be made available for you by TCNJ if you do not have a car.

At The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), you live and learn. You work hard, and you get to play hard.

In conclusion, The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) provides quality education at a reasonable cost. The college believes in the power of education to transform and develop critical thinkers, responsible citizens, and long-lasting learners and leaders. Hence, it offers leadership programs and other programs aimed at students’ social, emotional, career, academic, spiritual, and physical development. TCNJ  has one of the most academically challenging curriculums in the whole of America. Knowledge passed on to the students is updated and mostly new; they don’t teach information from years ago. They have their own research and open up to students so they can get hands-on experience from their sophomore year.

FAQ on College of New Jersey (TCNJ)