New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is the top public university in New Jersey for both value and alumni salary outcomes, according to the newly released Wall Street Journal/College Pulse “2026 Best Colleges” rankings.

NJIT achieved strong placement in categories that highlight return on investment and long-term success:

New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) has climbed to No. 80 — its highest-ever placement — in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best National Universities rankings, continuing its steady ascent among the nation’s leading institutions.

The new placement marks a four-spot rise from last year and a 23-place improvement over the past five years, underscoring NJIT’s growing national reputation for academic excellence, innovation, student success and affordability.

When the vessel “King Gizzard” lined up for the final round of NJIT’s STEM Success Academy boat race, the stakes weren’t high in the traditional sense — just a stream of air and a small plastic boat floating on a narrow water track in NJIT’s Makerspace. But what was at play was far bigger: creativity, collaboration and the confidence to think differently.

Rajesh Davé, a problem-focused inventor whose groundbreaking methods for re-engineering tiny particles have applications in such diverse areas as rocket fuels and explosives, high-value-added chemicals and pharmaceuticals, has been tapped for the Elsevier Particle Technology Forum Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

Written by: Andrew McMains and Tracey Regan
Published: Tuesday, August 5, 2025

The Research & Development Council of New Jersey is recognizing medical technology developed at New Jersey Institute of Technology and Stryker executive Robert C. Cohen’s leadership in surgical device and robotics innovation.

Dr. Richard Cimino, Senior University Lecturer, and collaborators at UConn and Pitt have been awarded a $750,000 Tier-2 IUSE grant for Fall 2025 titled Collaborative Research: Using Digital Narratives and Data Analytics to Enhance Ethical Judgment Education and Assessment. This grant builds on and expands the work from their successful T1 project that resulted in the creation of Mars! An Ethical Expedition, a narrative choose-your-own adventure style digital game for teaching engineering ethics.

For the fifth straight year, New Jersey Institute of Technology is a Top 50 Best Value College in The Princeton Review’s annual ranking of public institutions.

Dr. Roman Voronov, Associate Professor in NJIT’s Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, has received a prestigious NIH STTR grant totaling $295,038 to advance the commercialization of innovative microfluidic cell culturing technology.

Persevere, be authentic, remain flexible and make a difference in the world, speakers told the Class of 2025 at New Jersey Institute of Technology’s undergraduate commencement.

Of the thousands of students graduating from New Jersey Institute of Technology today, many will bring their families to take pictures on the grassy hill in front of Eberhardt Hall — it's a university tradition.

A line quickly formed at noon as students made their way back from official commencement ceremonies at Newark's Prudential Center. Several new alumni spoke about their memories and next steps.