Every school on this list, including Princeton, is test optional for the 2026-27 admissions cycle (fall 2027 entry); NJIT is the one partial exception, requiring scores from its Albert Dorman Honors College and accelerated-program applicants, and Princeton will require the SAT or ACT again starting with fall 2028 applicants. Published score ranges describe a cohort; they are not admission cutoffs.
The table covers 9 colleges New Jersey families apply to most, from the most selective to the large public universities. Read each cohort note before comparing numbers. The bottom rows show the score-based money New Jersey families can earn: TCNJ Presidential / Provost / Dean's Scholarships and NJIT National Merit Scholarship.
| School | SAT profile / cohort | ACT | Acceptance rate | Testing, fall 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton University | 1490-1560 · enrolled, fall 2025 | 34-35 | 4.4% · fall 2025 | Test optional through fall 2027 entry; SAT/ACT required again starting fall 2028 |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick (School of Arts and Sciences) | 1380-1520 · admitted middle 50%, fall 2026 cycle | 30-34 | 65.3% · fall 2023, university-wide first-year applicants | Test optional |
| Rutgers University-Newark (Newark College of Arts and Sciences) | 1320-1500 · admitted middle 50%, fall 2026 cycle | 30-34 | Not reported | Test optional |
| The College of New Jersey | 1140-1320 · enrolled, fall 2024 | 26-31 | 62.3% · fall 2024 | Test optional (scores not used in merit scholarship review) |
| Rutgers University-Camden (Camden College of Arts and Sciences) | 1250-1470 · admitted middle 50%, fall 2026 cycle | 29-34 | Not reported | Test optional |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | 1235-1460 · enrolled, fall 2024 | 28-31 | 65.1% · fall 2024 | Test optional for spring and fall 2027 entry, except Albert Dorman Honors College and accelerated-program applicants, who must submit scores |
| Rowan University | 1100-1300 · enrolled, fall 2025 | 23-30 | 76.5% · fall 2025 | Test optional |
| Stockton University | 1050-1250 · enrolled, fall 2022 (most recently published Common Data Set) | 18-25 | 85.5% · fall 2022 | SAT/ACT optional for all first-year applicants |
| Montclair State University | 930-1200 · enrolled, fall 2024 | Not published | 87.9% · fall 2024 | Test optional |
| TCNJ Presidential / Provost / Dean's Scholarships | Not used -- TCNJ does not consider SAT/ACT scores in merit scholarship review | See program rules | ~$48,000 (at the top tier, 4 years) over 4 years | Top 1-10% of high school class: up to $12,000/year (Presidential); top 11-20%: up to $9,000/year (Provost); top 21-30%: up to $5,000/year (Dean's). Renewable with a 2.5 cumulative GPA at TCNJ, for up to 8 semesters. |
| NJIT National Merit Scholarship | Tied to National Merit Scholar/Finalist status (determined by the PSAT/NMSQT), not an NJIT-set SAT cutoff | See program rules | Full tuition and fees for 4 years over 4 years | Covers tuition and fees for National Merit Scholars/Finalists who designate NJIT as their college choice; renewable with a 3.0 cumulative GPA and continuous full-time enrollment. |
Cohort notes: Princeton: Princeton's enrolled fall 2025 class had a median SAT of 1530; the university stays test optional for the 2026-27 cycle (fall 2027 entry) before testing becomes mandatory again for fall 2028 applicants. Rutgers-New Brunswick: Figures are for the School of Arts and Sciences, New Brunswick's largest college; Engineering and Pharmacy run higher, other New Brunswick schools lower. TCNJ: TCNJ set an application record for the Class of 2030 (14,400 applications) while its acceptance rate has stayed in the low 60s. NJIT: NJIT's own admissions page cites a newer fall 2026 average SAT of 1339, but does not publish a 25th/75th range for that class; the CDS range above is the most recent official range available. Rowan: Only 25.8% of Rowan's enrolled fall 2025 class submitted an SAT score at all, so the range describes a minority of the class. Montclair State: Only 9% of Montclair's enrolled fall 2024 class (353 students) submitted an SAT score; the ACT middle-50% range did not extract cleanly from the CDS PDF and is flagged in gaps. These are not interchangeable measures.
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Find my teen's target scorePrinceton reports a 1490 to 1560 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2025). It admitted 4.4% of 42,303 applicants (fall 2025). The matching ACT range is 34-35. Testing for fall 2027: Test optional through fall 2027 entry; SAT/ACT required again starting fall 2028. Princeton's enrolled fall 2025 class had a median SAT of 1530; the university stays test optional for the 2026-27 cycle (fall 2027 entry) before testing becomes mandatory again for fall 2028 applicants.
Rutgers-New Brunswick reports a 1380 to 1520 middle 50% SAT (admitted middle 50%, fall 2026 cycle). It admitted 65.3% of 43,347 applicants (fall 2023, university-wide first-year applicants). The matching ACT range is 30-34. Testing for fall 2027: Test optional. Figures are for the School of Arts and Sciences, New Brunswick's largest college; Engineering and Pharmacy run higher, other New Brunswick schools lower.
Rutgers-Newark reports a 1320 to 1500 middle 50% SAT (admitted middle 50%, fall 2026 cycle). The matching ACT range is 30-34. Testing for fall 2027: Test optional.
TCNJ reports a 1140 to 1320 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2024). It admitted 62.3% of 12,766 applicants (fall 2024). The matching ACT range is 26-31. Testing for fall 2027: Test optional (scores not used in merit scholarship review). TCNJ set an application record for the Class of 2030 (14,400 applications) while its acceptance rate has stayed in the low 60s.
Rutgers-Camden reports a 1250 to 1470 middle 50% SAT (admitted middle 50%, fall 2026 cycle). The matching ACT range is 29-34. Testing for fall 2027: Test optional.
NJIT reports a 1235 to 1460 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2024). It admitted 65.1% of 15,607 applicants (fall 2024). The matching ACT range is 28-31. Testing for fall 2027: Test optional for spring and fall 2027 entry, except Albert Dorman Honors College and accelerated-program applicants, who must submit scores. NJIT's own admissions page cites a newer fall 2026 average SAT of 1339, but does not publish a 25th/75th range for that class; the CDS range above is the most recent official range available.
Rowan reports a 1100 to 1300 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2025). It admitted 76.5% of 22,410 applicants (fall 2025). The matching ACT range is 23-30. Testing for fall 2027: Test optional. Only 25.8% of Rowan's enrolled fall 2025 class submitted an SAT score at all, so the range describes a minority of the class.
Stockton reports a 1050 to 1250 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2022 (most recently published Common Data Set)). It admitted 85.5% of 9,591 applicants (fall 2022). The matching ACT range is 18-25. Testing for fall 2027: SAT/ACT optional for all first-year applicants.
Montclair State reports a 930 to 1200 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2024). It admitted 87.9% of 26,257 applicants (fall 2024). Testing for fall 2027: Test optional. Only 9% of Montclair's enrolled fall 2024 class (353 students) submitted an SAT score; the ACT middle-50% range did not extract cleanly from the CDS PDF and is flagged in gaps.
New Jersey has no statewide SAT-cutoff merit scholarship; HESAA's main aid programs are need-based (the Tuition Aid Grant) or class-rank/GPA-based (NJ STARS, for community college students in the top 5% of their class with at least a 3.0 GPA), so score-tied money in New Jersey comes from each university's own merit scholarships, and those are themselves built around class rank or GPA rather than a published SAT grid.
TCNJ Presidential / Provost / Dean's Scholarships: Not used -- TCNJ does not consider SAT/ACT scores in merit scholarship review. Top 1-10% of high school class: up to $12,000/year (Presidential); top 11-20%: up to $9,000/year (Provost); top 21-30%: up to $5,000/year (Dean's). Renewable with a 2.5 cumulative GPA at TCNJ, for up to 8 semesters.
NJIT National Merit Scholarship: Tied to National Merit Scholar/Finalist status (determined by the PSAT/NMSQT), not an NJIT-set SAT cutoff. Covers tuition and fees for National Merit Scholars/Finalists who designate NJIT as their college choice; renewable with a 3.0 cumulative GPA and continuous full-time enrollment.
Rutgers-New Brunswick, Rutgers-Newark, TCNJ and Rutgers-Camden are test optional for fall 2027, so many families assume the score is irrelevant. The ranges above come from the students who chose to send one, and they sit well above the overall class. Princeton still require a score. A strong score is one more reason for a school to say yes, and a weak one can simply stay home.
No New Jersey state scholarship is tied to an SAT score. The state's main aid programs, the Tuition Aid Grant and NJ STARS, are based on financial need and on high school class rank/GPA (NJ STARS requires the top 5% of a graduating class and at least a 3.0 GPA), not a test score. Individual colleges run their own merit scholarships, and in New Jersey those are built around class rank or GPA too: at TCNJ, for example, the top 10% of a class can receive up to $12,000 a year with no SAT requirement at all, since TCNJ does not consider test scores in merit review.
No. Rutgers is test optional for first-year applicants at all three campuses (New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden) for the 2026-27 cycle, and SAT/ACT scores are not required to be considered for admission. Middle-50% admitted SAT ranges are still published for students who do submit scores, for example 1380-1520 at Rutgers-New Brunswick's School of Arts and Sciences.
No. New Jersey does not run a statewide SAT School Day. The one assessment the state requires of all high schoolers is the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA), which is not the SAT, so most New Jersey juniors who want an SAT score need to register for a regular weekend administration (fee waivers are available for eligible students).
Princeton's enrolled fall 2025 class scored between 1490 and 1560 on the SAT (25th to 75th percentile), with a median of 1530, and between 34 and 35 on the ACT. Princeton stays test optional through the 2026-27 cycle (fall 2027 entry) and will require testing again starting with fall 2028 applicants.
They land in a similar range, with NJIT only slightly more selective. NJIT admitted about 65.1% of fall 2024 applicants (enrolled SAT range 1235-1460), while Rutgers-New Brunswick admitted 65.3% of fall 2023 applicants university-wide, though its most selective New Brunswick college, the School of Arts and Sciences, posted a higher admitted middle-50% SAT range of 1380-1520. Individual Rutgers schools and colleges vary widely, so the right comparison depends on the specific program.
No. A middle 50% describes the central half of the reported group, not an admission cutoff. Some rows describe enrolled students or score submitters only, as labeled. A position within a range does not guarantee admission or merit aid.
University and state sources: Princeton, Rutgers-New Brunswick, TCNJ, NJIT, Rowan, Stockton, Montclair State, TCNJ Presidential / Provost / Dean's Scholarships, NJIT National Merit Scholarship. Reviewed October 9, 2026. Cohorts and entry terms differ; confirm current requirements with each admissions office.
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