2026 Best Value Philosophy Schools in New Jersey
[Philosophy](/majors/philosophy-and-religious-studies/philosophy/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 19 schools to find the best return on investment for philosophy students.
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2026 Best Value Philosophy Schools in New Jersey
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in philosophy, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Philosophy Schools
Princeton University earned the #1 spot for value among philosophy schools in New Jersey. Located in the city of Princeton, Princeton University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $62,688. Students borrow a median of $10,888 to complete the philosophy program here. Philosophy graduates of Princeton University earn a median of $67,532 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 5% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in philosophy will find it at Rutgers University New Brunswick, which ranked #2. Rutgers University New Brunswick is a very large public school located in the city of New Brunswick. Students from in state pay about $17,929 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $37,441. Typical student debt for philosophy graduates is $25,000. Philosophy graduates of Rutgers University New Brunswick earn a median of $40,113 early in their careers. Set against $25,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 58% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 19 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
