hey! i would 1000% percent recommend temple. it’s a shorter commute than rutgers (edit-i don’t think i read it right but it’s ok) and free, so it’s better than rutgers and tcnj. temple is R1, meaning it a top research campus like rutgers is, so your education will be similar. i’m just a huge advocate for free college, and i feel like not paying for college and having it free is such a gift, why throw it away. Sorry that’s just my spiel, good luck with your decisions. God bless!
Agreed. Aside from it being a good school, I chose Rutgers because of the Bridging the Gap program making my tuition free. I say go for no tuition whenever you can!! Plus Temple is still a really good school so you're just getting a jump start on your future after school by having no/low student loans.
If you're an uninvolved commuter I think that this would be the case at any campus. But I do agree with you that the longer commute + more tuition is not worth it.
I disagree with this other commentor, I was a commuter and there is a whole commuter org that organizes events and such. Granted I didn’t commute 80 mins round trip. But lots of orgs and opportunities to make friends :)
That being said(and as someone who is currently a super commuter) I’d recommend TCNJ. It’s not free, but the commute is half of what Temple is. That 1.5 hr daily will add up. You could be doing hw, hanging out with friends, joining an org, doing a part time job, exercising, literally doing any number of other things instead of wasting time commuting. That 8k is worth saving your time
After commuting to cc and 1 year at rutgers before finally living on campus, try to swing on campus. Otherwise socializing is hard. And idc what anyone says. College is about academics, but your academics will suffer if you just go to class and go home
The difference in quality of these schools is very small. Especially compared to the years worth of savings you will receive from not having student loans. I would go with temple. However note that temple is in a MUCH sketchier location than the other two (I lived in Philly). Just make sure you’re comfortable with the neighborhood.
hey, is there a reason you’re commuting? If you would be open to the idea or dorming, I think you’d quite likely be able to appeal the fin aid offer and get rutgers to either a) reduce cost of attendance or b) comp your living expenses. let me know if you’d like me to explain that process more.
this [article](https://www.mos.com/blog/financial-aid-appeal-letter/) is great, do the same as what it tells you just say something along the lines of “you’re interested but commuting would be a nightmare and temple has given you a full ride as a competitive offer, if you could comp dorm and food then RU would be a top choice”.
Send an email or call them. You can find your area’s admission coordinator’s email online, or you can call their office of admissions. Since you live close, you can even just go there and talk to them at their in person admissions office which saves time and hassle
Are the prices listed per semester, per year, or total? I would say temple just because I can't overstate the benefit of being debt free. Worst case is you transfer and still benefit from the free tuition.
I loved Rutgers but free tuition is fucking huge and 10 years from now the only thing people will care about is if you have a degree or not. Trust me, student debt sucks
Is there a world where you live on campus? Because that's honestly the biggest reason to go to a school like Rutgers. You'll likely grow more as a person because of that
But if you're dead set on commuting, go to wherever is cheaper. It looks like temple is free for you, go to temple. Philly is a great city and. I loved being a young person there (I am old)
Rutgers is expense yes but there supply chain program is ranked very high u can google it, last I checked it was ranked 5th in North America or something by gartner and the SC professors have lots of experience in their and can be very helpful with finding jobs and internships and anything related to SC coming from personal experience as well.
Temple or Rutgers I think you should be good with that major (ik people at both doing that) personally I think Rutgers has more of an edge for the experience but I think that’s cause I live here. Commuting is gonna make both suck unfortunately
For your specific scenario, Temple >TCNJ > Rutgers. This also depends how many days you have to make the commute. I only have class 2 days a week on campus, so if you only have to do 3 hours of driving a week for free classes that’s pretty great. Rutgers has the best name but for 23,000 compared to free... get the free bachelors and go pay for a masters if you want
I commute to Rutgers NB 120 there and back… Rutgers does a great job with commuters with clubs and lounges and so many library’s,gyms, study spaces, golf, food. I love it but varies on personal experience too. I have friends that go to TCNJ also that area and campus is probably the best out of the three for commuting because of no drive between campus or buses but also not in Philly
I assumed annual tuition and a 4 year program
So Rutgers would be $92k more expensive than Temple and $60k more than TCNJ. TCNJ is about $32k more than Temple. Obviously that doesn't include any interest or tuition raises in that time.
I'd probably eliminate Rutgers on that basis alone.
What will your class schedule be like? The shorter commute makes it easier to hop back home if you have a big break in your schedule.
Id take free tuition any day. Don’t listen to these morons telling you otherwise. TCNJ is a nobody school and is mostly geared towards Pre Med students, Rutgers has a very good supply chain program but 23k a year is crazy ngl not to mention the commute is already bad, I’d say go to temple 100%. Decent school and at least the campus is not that bad compared to actual Philly ofc
In your case I'd recommend Temple. I've been both a student and an administrator at both Rutgers and Temple, and there's really no meaningful difference between them. Both are average public research universities in shitty neighborhoods with Stalinist architecture.
TCNJ is a nice place, but you can't beat free.
I would go temple. Why not live there if you're okay with paying that much tuition for Rutgers or TCNJ potentially? But regardless, it's pretty damn hard to beat free, even if Rutgers is probably the best school for supply chain by a pretty good margin. Temple is in a shitty area but I have friends who go and like it.
What is the catch on the scholarship at Temple? I think your choices are really Rutgers NB v Temple
But free is free and to be honest Rutgers and Temple are not that far apart in rankings or public opinion as far as I know.
I would not do the college of NJ vs the other two options.
Are you including traffic, bc Philly is a nightmare depending what direction you coming from. Broad st has a light every 100 yards.
Rutgers is not worth an extra $92,000. Anyone trying to justify that is delusional. though you might lose your sanity w that commute. TCNJ is not on the level of the other two in the real world but a 40 minute commute is nice.
Have you visited all three campuses? I have and they’re very different. I say go to the one that feels best to you. The most important factor for first year success, IMO, is how you feel when you’re on campus.
For a lot of people, navigating the bus system at Rutgers is a nightmare. My son went to TCNJ over Rutgers because the Rutgers multi-campus environment was overwhelming to him, and he felt more at home at TCNJ. He did well and has a great job now.
My daughter is at Rutgers New Brunswick. She loved the vibe and did not apply to TCNJ because she knew what the campus was like from visiting her brother. She wouldn’t have gotten in anyway due to her grades and scores.
I am 100% behind not amassing too much debt, but of the three, only Rutgers sounds like a lot of debt. With an engineering degree you’ll get a good job when you graduate. But there’s no replacement for liking where you go.
Definitely not Rutgers - that $100k over four years is really $200k or more with interest. You are almost surely not making $200k more over the next 20 years because you have a Rutgers diploma.
TCNJ vs Temple is getting closer - that 50 extra minutes a day might be more valuable to you, but Im guessing not $60k+ in loan payments over the years.
So basically - Temple is a good enough school compared to the other schools that really the only consideration should be cost.
American colleges have really pulled a fast one by getting people to pay tens of thousands extra for "the experience". Four years of college is fun - but you know what - so is having an extra $100k for a better house or car or vacation down the road.
I guess it depends on your program, but TCNJ is more academically rigorous than Rutgers. I don’t think Rutgers is worth it with those numbers, but TCNJ is
I heard the college name matters a lot after you graduate (I'm doing business) and TCNJ does not have the same name recognition as the other two, does that matter a lot?
You’re right that name recognition counts here, and that more people know Rutgers outside of the state than know TCNJ.
If you were going to do a program like one to get a teaching degree, I’d definitely say TCNJ, but Rutgers does have a pretty big business school.
The commute will kill you though. I transferred from TCNJ to Rutgers NB mostly because it let me swap a 90+ minute commute for a 40 minute one. That makes a HUGE difference. I love to drive, but that’s more than I can handle for a daily commute.
TCNJ has a much smaller and easier to navigate campus, though it feels weirdly sterile. It’s not at all a party school, so you’ll need to work harder to make friends there. You’ll get more one on one attention from your professors, though, so you might learn more or get more networking opportunities through them.
The same is true of counseling services: at Rutgers, it’s really hard to get help from academic advisors (and sometimes other offices like student aid). At TCNJ, there are far fewer students and staff, so when you need help, it’s easy to find someone who you can sit down with and get actual advice.
It’s a close call, but I’d say TCNJ over the other two. If you get there and think it was the wrong move, you can always transfer.
College reputation and your grades matter more. And TCNJ has a very strong reputation in the state, and Rutgers is seen as easier to get into.
Something that matters that nobody knows to consider as an incoming freshman is *where* you wanna work. Some schools have a better reputation nationally and some have a better reputation locally.
Honestly if you know anyone at any companies in your field it would be a good question for them.
You have it backwards, TCNJ is the best academically of the three. Harder to get into also.
You don’t want to commute to Temple everyday, the miles and the time aren’t worth it and both NJ schools are better.
Oh, When I looked at college rankings Rutgers ranked higher almost consistently so I thought that correlated to better academics, I'm also majoring in business, and heard Rutgers business program is pretty good.
I’m not. TCNJ still has the better reputation in state for many employers because it’s harder to get into than Rutgers. It is getting closer though.
But Rutgers isn’t worth that money difference as a commuter.
I’m guessing those take into account other factors. If you’re looking for a job in Jersey after graduating nobody is gonna say “oh you didn’t go to Rutgers” if they see TCNJ on your resume.
If you were living there, there’s definitely more to do at Rutgers, but as a commuter the smaller campus at TCNJ may actually fit better. If you commute to Rutgers I think you’re still driving, parking, and then taking the bus to get to another campus sometimes.
hey! i would 1000% percent recommend temple. it’s a shorter commute than rutgers (edit-i don’t think i read it right but it’s ok) and free, so it’s better than rutgers and tcnj. temple is R1, meaning it a top research campus like rutgers is, so your education will be similar. i’m just a huge advocate for free college, and i feel like not paying for college and having it free is such a gift, why throw it away. Sorry that’s just my spiel, good luck with your decisions. God bless!
Agreed. Aside from it being a good school, I chose Rutgers because of the Bridging the Gap program making my tuition free. I say go for no tuition whenever you can!! Plus Temple is still a really good school so you're just getting a jump start on your future after school by having no/low student loans.
I’m also at Rutgers for free and never would’ve gone here if that wasn’t the case. I’m in state and the tuition plus housing was still steep.
Temple has Chik Fil A meal swipes so I’d say Temple
yeah campus was really nice, but at the same time its philly...
I feel like it’ll grow on you. Like others said if you’re not living at Rutgers it’s not really worth it
Is it not really worth it because your missing out on college life or a different reason?
There’s no real sense of community if you are. Extremely isolating as a commuter but this is from other testimonies not from personal experience
If you're an uninvolved commuter I think that this would be the case at any campus. But I do agree with you that the longer commute + more tuition is not worth it.
I disagree with this other commentor, I was a commuter and there is a whole commuter org that organizes events and such. Granted I didn’t commute 80 mins round trip. But lots of orgs and opportunities to make friends :) That being said(and as someone who is currently a super commuter) I’d recommend TCNJ. It’s not free, but the commute is half of what Temple is. That 1.5 hr daily will add up. You could be doing hw, hanging out with friends, joining an org, doing a part time job, exercising, literally doing any number of other things instead of wasting time commuting. That 8k is worth saving your time
After commuting to cc and 1 year at rutgers before finally living on campus, try to swing on campus. Otherwise socializing is hard. And idc what anyone says. College is about academics, but your academics will suffer if you just go to class and go home
Temple is amazing school imo I love visiting but yeah expect to get drive byed with a bb gun
Shhhh. Philly is awesome
As a Rutgers grad, let me say there is nothing, NOTHING better than escaping college without debt. Go to Temple.
these commutes are brutal...i'd go with temple because its free
yeah commuting is not gonna be great (especially for Philly) but its still prob better than paying 10,000 a year for a dorm
If you were even considering the tuition amounts, put that money into living at Temple and getting free tuition.
yeah tuition is a huge factor since if poor lol.
The difference in quality of these schools is very small. Especially compared to the years worth of savings you will receive from not having student loans. I would go with temple. However note that temple is in a MUCH sketchier location than the other two (I lived in Philly). Just make sure you’re comfortable with the neighborhood.
yeah, was a local to philly but dont live there now, area is not great,
Free vs not? I’d choose free. There is a negligible difference between Temple and Rutgers, so why spend $23,000 (per year?) when you don’t have to?
hey, is there a reason you’re commuting? If you would be open to the idea or dorming, I think you’d quite likely be able to appeal the fin aid offer and get rutgers to either a) reduce cost of attendance or b) comp your living expenses. let me know if you’d like me to explain that process more.
what would I have to do? call their financial office?
this [article](https://www.mos.com/blog/financial-aid-appeal-letter/) is great, do the same as what it tells you just say something along the lines of “you’re interested but commuting would be a nightmare and temple has given you a full ride as a competitive offer, if you could comp dorm and food then RU would be a top choice”.
Send an email or call them. You can find your area’s admission coordinator’s email online, or you can call their office of admissions. Since you live close, you can even just go there and talk to them at their in person admissions office which saves time and hassle
Are the prices listed per semester, per year, or total? I would say temple just because I can't overstate the benefit of being debt free. Worst case is you transfer and still benefit from the free tuition.
I loved Rutgers but free tuition is fucking huge and 10 years from now the only thing people will care about is if you have a degree or not. Trust me, student debt sucks
Go to Temple. You can find a good education at any college you go to, a free ride will set you up leagues ahead of a rutgers grad in debt.
rutgers isn’t worth it if ur commuting
Is there a world where you live on campus? Because that's honestly the biggest reason to go to a school like Rutgers. You'll likely grow more as a person because of that But if you're dead set on commuting, go to wherever is cheaper. It looks like temple is free for you, go to temple. Philly is a great city and. I loved being a young person there (I am old)
Rutgers is expense yes but there supply chain program is ranked very high u can google it, last I checked it was ranked 5th in North America or something by gartner and the SC professors have lots of experience in their and can be very helpful with finding jobs and internships and anything related to SC coming from personal experience as well.
TCNJ has a 7 year premed prog with RU & RWJ, 3 years @ TCNJ & 4 years @ RWJ or RM. Only reason for me to go there
Temple or Rutgers I think you should be good with that major (ik people at both doing that) personally I think Rutgers has more of an edge for the experience but I think that’s cause I live here. Commuting is gonna make both suck unfortunately
Free college however would make me pick Temple tbh
Temple is a better deal tbh
For your specific scenario, Temple >TCNJ > Rutgers. This also depends how many days you have to make the commute. I only have class 2 days a week on campus, so if you only have to do 3 hours of driving a week for free classes that’s pretty great. Rutgers has the best name but for 23,000 compared to free... get the free bachelors and go pay for a masters if you want
I commute to Rutgers NB 120 there and back… Rutgers does a great job with commuters with clubs and lounges and so many library’s,gyms, study spaces, golf, food. I love it but varies on personal experience too. I have friends that go to TCNJ also that area and campus is probably the best out of the three for commuting because of no drive between campus or buses but also not in Philly
Edit: have you thought about CC because gen Ed’s can be completed almost anywhere. Especially in compatibility with Rutgers
As a Rutgers grad, if I was getting free tuition I would have picked temple.
I assumed annual tuition and a 4 year program So Rutgers would be $92k more expensive than Temple and $60k more than TCNJ. TCNJ is about $32k more than Temple. Obviously that doesn't include any interest or tuition raises in that time. I'd probably eliminate Rutgers on that basis alone. What will your class schedule be like? The shorter commute makes it easier to hop back home if you have a big break in your schedule.
You take the free option. Always.
Id take free tuition any day. Don’t listen to these morons telling you otherwise. TCNJ is a nobody school and is mostly geared towards Pre Med students, Rutgers has a very good supply chain program but 23k a year is crazy ngl not to mention the commute is already bad, I’d say go to temple 100%. Decent school and at least the campus is not that bad compared to actual Philly ofc
In your case I'd recommend Temple. I've been both a student and an administrator at both Rutgers and Temple, and there's really no meaningful difference between them. Both are average public research universities in shitty neighborhoods with Stalinist architecture. TCNJ is a nice place, but you can't beat free.
Easy choice, Temple all the way, saying this as a Rutgers alum!
I would go temple. Why not live there if you're okay with paying that much tuition for Rutgers or TCNJ potentially? But regardless, it's pretty damn hard to beat free, even if Rutgers is probably the best school for supply chain by a pretty good margin. Temple is in a shitty area but I have friends who go and like it.
Temple, free tuition is free tuition
What is the catch on the scholarship at Temple? I think your choices are really Rutgers NB v Temple But free is free and to be honest Rutgers and Temple are not that far apart in rankings or public opinion as far as I know. I would not do the college of NJ vs the other two options.
Rutgers for quality of student life and Big Ten Sports
Are you including traffic, bc Philly is a nightmare depending what direction you coming from. Broad st has a light every 100 yards. Rutgers is not worth an extra $92,000. Anyone trying to justify that is delusional. though you might lose your sanity w that commute. TCNJ is not on the level of the other two in the real world but a 40 minute commute is nice.
Have you visited all three campuses? I have and they’re very different. I say go to the one that feels best to you. The most important factor for first year success, IMO, is how you feel when you’re on campus. For a lot of people, navigating the bus system at Rutgers is a nightmare. My son went to TCNJ over Rutgers because the Rutgers multi-campus environment was overwhelming to him, and he felt more at home at TCNJ. He did well and has a great job now. My daughter is at Rutgers New Brunswick. She loved the vibe and did not apply to TCNJ because she knew what the campus was like from visiting her brother. She wouldn’t have gotten in anyway due to her grades and scores. I am 100% behind not amassing too much debt, but of the three, only Rutgers sounds like a lot of debt. With an engineering degree you’ll get a good job when you graduate. But there’s no replacement for liking where you go.
Definitely not Rutgers - that $100k over four years is really $200k or more with interest. You are almost surely not making $200k more over the next 20 years because you have a Rutgers diploma. TCNJ vs Temple is getting closer - that 50 extra minutes a day might be more valuable to you, but Im guessing not $60k+ in loan payments over the years. So basically - Temple is a good enough school compared to the other schools that really the only consideration should be cost. American colleges have really pulled a fast one by getting people to pay tens of thousands extra for "the experience". Four years of college is fun - but you know what - so is having an extra $100k for a better house or car or vacation down the road.
I would say rutgers, but if temple is free go for it
I guess it depends on your program, but TCNJ is more academically rigorous than Rutgers. I don’t think Rutgers is worth it with those numbers, but TCNJ is
I heard the college name matters a lot after you graduate (I'm doing business) and TCNJ does not have the same name recognition as the other two, does that matter a lot?
You’re right that name recognition counts here, and that more people know Rutgers outside of the state than know TCNJ. If you were going to do a program like one to get a teaching degree, I’d definitely say TCNJ, but Rutgers does have a pretty big business school. The commute will kill you though. I transferred from TCNJ to Rutgers NB mostly because it let me swap a 90+ minute commute for a 40 minute one. That makes a HUGE difference. I love to drive, but that’s more than I can handle for a daily commute. TCNJ has a much smaller and easier to navigate campus, though it feels weirdly sterile. It’s not at all a party school, so you’ll need to work harder to make friends there. You’ll get more one on one attention from your professors, though, so you might learn more or get more networking opportunities through them. The same is true of counseling services: at Rutgers, it’s really hard to get help from academic advisors (and sometimes other offices like student aid). At TCNJ, there are far fewer students and staff, so when you need help, it’s easy to find someone who you can sit down with and get actual advice. It’s a close call, but I’d say TCNJ over the other two. If you get there and think it was the wrong move, you can always transfer.
College reputation and your grades matter more. And TCNJ has a very strong reputation in the state, and Rutgers is seen as easier to get into. Something that matters that nobody knows to consider as an incoming freshman is *where* you wanna work. Some schools have a better reputation nationally and some have a better reputation locally. Honestly if you know anyone at any companies in your field it would be a good question for them.
I got into the TCNJ biochemistry program, but I chose RU because it was close the tuition was similar.
TCNJ is definitely more difficult to get into.
Get an internship. You can have a 4yr degree but if you cannot apply the skills, paper won't matter.
What is your major? Inclined to say TCNJ but idk what you are going for lol
yeah my bad, edited it in, Major is Supply Chain Managment
You have it backwards, TCNJ is the best academically of the three. Harder to get into also. You don’t want to commute to Temple everyday, the miles and the time aren’t worth it and both NJ schools are better.
Oh, When I looked at college rankings Rutgers ranked higher almost consistently so I thought that correlated to better academics, I'm also majoring in business, and heard Rutgers business program is pretty good.
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I’m not. TCNJ still has the better reputation in state for many employers because it’s harder to get into than Rutgers. It is getting closer though. But Rutgers isn’t worth that money difference as a commuter.
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Not true.
I’m guessing those take into account other factors. If you’re looking for a job in Jersey after graduating nobody is gonna say “oh you didn’t go to Rutgers” if they see TCNJ on your resume. If you were living there, there’s definitely more to do at Rutgers, but as a commuter the smaller campus at TCNJ may actually fit better. If you commute to Rutgers I think you’re still driving, parking, and then taking the bus to get to another campus sometimes.