Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Suburban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Kean University

Students comparing Kean University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Union, New Jersey11,433 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 34Public universityResearch universityU.S. News ranked

The short answer

Kean University: U.S. News ranks it #318 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #278 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #258 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 11,433 undergraduates, admits 75.9% of applicants, and posts a 46.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $22,446; aid recipients pay $12,447 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $57,237.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
75.9%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$12,447

69% below the $40,710 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$57,237

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
46.6%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$23,250

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
930–1150

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Kean University ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#318of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#278of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B+#258of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Kean University's position moves 63 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Kean University

Kean University is a public institution in Union, New Jersey. Federal data show 76.1% first-year retention and a 17:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $12,447 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $40,710 sticker cost against $12,447 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Kean University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$14,299

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$22,446

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$18,264

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $40,710 a year, but the average family pays $12,447 — a 69% difference. 47.9% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Kean University's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    17:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    76.1%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    11,433

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Kean University: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $22,446 and on-campus room and board is $18,264, for a published total of $40,710 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $12,447.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 75.9%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    SUNY Oneonta

    Oneonta, NYPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    SUNY Oneonta: U.S. News ranks it #25 on Regional Universities (North) (2026); Forbes ranks it #427 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #141 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #187 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #581 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars. It enrolls 4,643 undergraduates, admits 69.6% of applicants, and posts a 68.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $19,781; aid recipients pay $19,158 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $60,386.

    Acceptance rate
    69.6%
    Average net price
    $19,158
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $60,386
    6-yr graduation rate
    68.8%
    US News · Regional univ. (North)#25 of 170Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#427 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#141 of 1,504+3 more on profile

    4,643 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 34 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    SUNY at Fredonia

    Fredonia, NYPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    SUNY at Fredonia: U.S. News ranks it #66 on Regional Universities (North) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #445 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #865 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars. It enrolls 2,755 undergraduates, admits 77.7% of applicants, and posts a 50.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $19,771; aid recipients pay $15,897 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $54,247.

    Acceptance rate
    77.7%
    Average net price
    $15,897
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $54,247
    6-yr graduation rate
    50.2%
    US News · Regional univ. (North)#66 of 170Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#445 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#865 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    2,755 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 34 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    CUNY City College

    New York, NYPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    CUNY City College: U.S. News ranks it #132 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #166 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #57 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #225 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #472 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #1025 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 12,505 undergraduates, admits 60.0% of applicants, and posts a 56.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $15,290; aid recipients pay $3,776 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $66,039.

    Acceptance rate
    60.0%
    Average net price
    $3,776
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $66,039
    6-yr graduation rate
    56.8%
    US News · National universities#132 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#166 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#57 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    12,505 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 33 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Kean University against these