2026 Best Value Child Development & Psychology Schools in New Jersey
[Child Development & Psychology](/majors/psychology/child-development-psychology/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 7 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for child development & psychology students.
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2026 Best Value Child Development & Psychology Schools in New Jersey
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in child development & psychology, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Child Development & Psychology Schools
Princeton University tops our 2026 list of the best value child development & psychology 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. Typical student debt for child development & psychology graduates is $10,888. Child Development & Psychology graduates of Princeton University earn a median of $47,050 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 5% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Montclair State University earned it the #2 place for child development & psychology. Located in the suburb of Montclair, Montclair State University is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $15,912, with out-of-state students paying around $26,022. Students borrow a median of $25,286 to complete the child development & psychology program here. Early-career child development & psychology graduates make about $44,369. Set against $25,286 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 88%.
A rank of #3 makes Centenary College one of the best values for child development & psychology. Centenary College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Hackettstown. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $37,732. Typical student debt for child development & psychology graduates is $25,358. Early-career child development & psychology graduates make about $27,933. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 83% of applicants are accepted.
Rutgers University New Brunswick is a great value for students pursuing a degree in child development & psychology, landing the #4 spot this year. Set in the city of New Brunswick, Rutgers University New Brunswick is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $17,929, compared with $37,441 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for child development & psychology graduates is $25,120. Child Development & Psychology graduates of Rutgers University New Brunswick earn a median of $58,402 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 58%.
More Child Development & Psychology Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 7 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 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.
