Colleges / Montclair State University
College · Public · Montclair, NJ · Suburb
MSU

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ

Hispanic-serving
Address1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043-1624
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate88%
6-yr median pay$48k
Net price / yr$16k
Undergrad size18,376
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $16k/yr for a shot at a $48k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 88% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1070.

If you get in

18,376 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

Suburban — a short drive to the nearest city, greener but still connected.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $28k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $16k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$113k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$62k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$51k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.3x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$15.9k
Tuition · out-of-state
$26.0k
Room & board
$16.7k
Books & supplies
$1,250

How students pay for it.

Pell grants47%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans41%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$22k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $9k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention79%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr65%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$48k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$61k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out20%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
Suburb
Control
Public
Undergrad size
18,376
Location
Montclair, NJ
Region
Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity (R2)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Identity
Hispanic-serving
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • Hispanic41%
  • White32%
  • Black13%
  • Asian6%
  • Unknown4%
  • Two or more races2%
  • International1%
First-gen students41%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time7%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$40k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 68

What you can study.

Colleges / Montclair State University
College · Public · Montclair, NJ · Suburb
MSU

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ

Hispanic-serving
Address1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043-1624
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate88%
6-yr median pay$48k
Net price / yr$16k
Undergrad size18,376
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $16k/yr for a shot at a $48k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 88% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1070.

If you get in

18,376 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

Suburban — a short drive to the nearest city, greener but still connected.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $28k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $16k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$113k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$62k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$51k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.3x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$15.9k
Tuition · out-of-state
$26.0k
Room & board
$16.7k
Books & supplies
$1,250

How students pay for it.

Pell grants47%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans41%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$22k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $9k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention79%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr65%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$48k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$61k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out20%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
Suburb
Control
Public
Undergrad size
18,376
Location
Montclair, NJ
Region
Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity (R2)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Identity
Hispanic-serving
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • Hispanic41%
  • White32%
  • Black13%
  • Asian6%
  • Unknown4%
  • Two or more races2%
  • International1%
First-gen students41%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time7%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$40k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 68

What you can study.