The Best Finance Programs in New Jersey for 2026

Rutgers Camden's Bachelor of Science in Finance builds around Principles of Finance, then branches into a 20-course catalog: Business Valuation, Corporate Finance, Investments and Portfolio Management, Financial Markets and Institutions, and Multinational Finance among the core offerings. The upper-level electives get specific about tools, not just topics. M&A Finance integrates real Bloomberg data into merger and acquisition valuation lessons; Financial Modeling and Statistical Financial Modeling teach spreadsheet and SAS/SPSS techniques for corporate finance and portfolio problems; and Equity Trading runs students through TraderEx simulation software across order-driven, dealer-driven, and dark-pool market environments. Students can also complete a Finance Internship, an Honors Thesis, or Independent Study.

A 67% graduation rate and a 66% admit rate produce an 84.5 Hakia Score, fourth among New Jersey finance programs and within half a point of Seton Hall's third-place score. Tuition mirrors Rutgers' other campuses: $14,222 in-state versus $33,734 out-of-state, a $19,512 gap. At 5,675 total enrollment, Camden is by far the smallest program on this list, about half the size of Newark's 11,315 and roughly a ninth the size of New Brunswick's 52,269, a fit for students who want tool-specific, hands-on coursework in Bloomberg, TraderEx, and SAS inside a small cohort rather than a large flagship's breadth.

Ramapo's Finance major sits inside the Anisfield School of Business and centers on the Global Financial Markets Trading Laboratory, where students work live Bloomberg terminals and an S&P FactSet database and can earn a Bloomberg terminal certification. Coursework runs through Corporate Financial Modeling, Securities and Investments, Equity Markets Trading, and Multinational Finance, and the program's own page cites 2024 BLS salary ranges for target roles, from Financial Examiners ($72,450 to $166,900) up to Financial Managers ($127,660 and up). A 4+1 Flex MBA option waives 12 foundational credits so undergraduates can add a master's degree in one extra year, and a standalone Finance minor is open to non-majors who clear Principles of Financial Accounting, Management Statistics, and Corporate Finance I.

Ramapo carries a Hakia Score of 84.1, the highest of these four New Jersey programs, built on a 70% graduation rate and a 71% admit rate that put it a step more selective than Rowan, Rider, or Stockton. In-state tuition is $16,777 a year against $27,708 out of state, a $10,931 gap that makes New Jersey residency worth claiming. At 5,981 total enrollment it fits a student who wants trading-desk hardware and a direct five-year path to an MBA without leaving the state.

Rowan's B.S. in Finance runs through the William G. Rohrer College of Business, which reports 690 declared majors in fall 2025 and 118 graduates in 2024-2025. Students can add a new FinTech concentration that pairs financial theory with hands-on exposure to emerging trading platforms, and the core program targets security analysis, wealth and investment management, and personal financial advising as career tracks. A three-credit Supervised Internship Program connects majors to recruiters who visit campus regularly, including JPMorgan Chase, Lincoln Financial Group, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Northwestern Mutual, Prudential, State Street, TD Bank, and Vanguard.

Rowan's Hakia Score is 80.3, the second highest in this group, on a 67% graduation rate and a 78% admit rate, less selective than Ramapo but running through a much larger university (21,026 total enrollment, the biggest of these four). In-state tuition is $11,812, the lowest in this set, versus $22,170 out of state. That combination of low in-state cost, a large recruiting pipeline, and the new FinTech track fits a budget-conscious New Jersey resident who wants scale over small class sizes.

Rider's B.S.B.A. in Finance is a 120-credit program in the Norm Brodsky College of Business built around four concentrations: Private Wealth Management, which preps students for the Securities Industry Essentials exam senior year; Investment Analysis, built around the CFA Level 1 exam; Financial Management, leading to the two Certified Management Accountant exams; and Financial Services Marketing, which layers in 12 credit hours of marketing coursework. The program carries dual AACSB accreditation in both business and accounting, a distinction Rider's page notes only one other New Jersey school holds and fewer than 2% of business schools worldwide achieve, with classes run at a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Rider's page also cites BLS projections of 17% job growth for financial managers and a $156,100 median salary for that specific role.

Rider's Hakia Score is 77.8, third among these four, on a 61% graduation rate, the lowest in this set, and a 79% admit rate. Tuition is flat at $39,700 whether a student is from New Jersey or out of state, more than double Ramapo's in-state rate, the tradeoff for a private nonprofit with 4,003 total enrollment, the smallest campus of the four. It fits a student who wants an exam-linked concentration (SIE, CFA, or CMA) and small classes more than the lowest sticker price.

Stockton's School of Business offers a B.S. in Finance built on 80 credits of finance and business coursework, capped by a Strategic Financial Management capstone course. Students can choose a concentration in Financial Planning that folds in all seven courses required to sit for the Certified Financial Planner exam, and Stockton partners with Brett Danko LLC, run by a practicing Registered Investment Advisor, for dedicated CFP exam-prep instruction. High-performing students can also pursue an accelerated dual-degree track that adds an MBA with a concentration in Finance or another business field in as little as five years total.

Stockton's Hakia Score is 74.6, the lowest of these four programs, on a 69% graduation rate and an 89% admit rate, the most open of the group. In-state tuition is $13,606 against $21,864 out of state, an $8,258 gap that lands between Rowan's low end and Ramapo's or Rider's higher tuition. At 8,631 total enrollment, it fits a student who wants a direct, licensure-linked path into personal financial planning rather than the trading-desk focus at Ramapo or the boutique concentration structure at Rider.

Thomas Edison State University is a public institution in Trenton, NJ. Its Bachelor's in Finance program ranks #9 of the 12 analyzed here with a 72.8 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 79 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. Thomas Edison State University holds an open-admission policy, accepting every qualified applicant. The university enrolls 7,544 students overall. The degree is also offered online, which widens access for working students.

On cost, Thomas Edison State University charges $6,838 a year in-state, versus $8,856 for out-of-state students. Over four years that is about $27,352 in tuition for residents, against $35,424 for non-residents. That puts it among the most affordable on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $6,838 at Thomas Edison State University to $50,380 at Seton Hall University. Graduates step into a field with an $88,870 national median salary reported by the BLS. That median runs roughly 13x the program's annual in-state tuition. For prospective students, the draw here is low in-state cost paired with an online option.

Based in Madison, NJ, Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus is a private, nonprofit institution. Its Bachelor's in Finance program lands at #10 of the 12 ranked here, earning a 72.0 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 79 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 67% of its students, above the 66% average across the ranked schools. Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus admits 95% of applicants, less selective than the 77% average for the group. That is more open than the 58% rate at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands in the middle of the pack in a group where graduation runs from 53% to 84%.

On cost, Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus charges $36,288 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $145,152 in tuition. That puts it at the higher end on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $6,838 at Thomas Edison State University to $50,380 at Seton Hall University. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with an $88,870 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the main draw here is its above-average completion.

Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus is a private, nonprofit institution in Teaneck, NJ. Its Bachelor's in Finance program ranks #11 of the 12 analyzed here with a 69.0 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 79 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 53% of its students, below the 66% average across the ranked schools. Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus admits 91% of applicants, less selective than the 77% average for the group. That is more open than the 58% rate at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 53% to 84%.

On cost, Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus charges $35,830 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $143,320 in tuition. That puts it at the higher end on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $6,838 at Thomas Edison State University to $50,380 at Seton Hall University. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with an $88,870 national median salary reported by the BLS. It earns its place in the top 12 on the balance of cost, completion, and outcomes.

Georgian Court University is a private, nonprofit institution in Lakewood, NJ. Its Bachelor's in Finance program ranks #12 of the 12 analyzed here with a 68.4 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 79 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 54% of its students, below the 66% average across the ranked schools. Georgian Court University admits 79% of applicants, less selective than the 77% average for the group. That is more open than the 58% rate at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 53% to 84%.

On cost, Georgian Court University charges $35,360 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $141,440 in tuition. That puts it mid-pack on price on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $6,838 at Thomas Edison State University to $50,380 at Seton Hall University. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with an $88,870 national median salary reported by the BLS. It earns its place in the top 12 on the balance of cost, completion, and outcomes.