Dusenberry House · Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus is 3.4 miles from Chatham
No college sits inside Chatham’s boundary, but Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus’s campus in Madison, with 2,671 students on campus, is 3.4 miles from the center of town, and UCNJ Union College of Union County, New Jersey is 6 miles away in Cranford. About 4% of Chatham’s residents are enrolled in college, below New Jersey (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Chatham. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Chatham
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Chatham
12 private colleges within 14.9 miles, five public colleges within 12.8 miles, and three community colleges.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at Over $110k, where Chatham’s median household income ($241,500) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Chatham: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus (2); Bloomfield College of Montclair State (2); Rutgers University-Newark (3); Montclair State (2).
Questions about college near Chatham
Is Chatham a college town?
No. About 4 of every 100 Chatham residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below New Jersey (6). The nearest campus, Drew University, is 2.6 miles away in Madison.
What colleges are near Chatham?
20 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: Montclair State University (12.8 miles, 20,428 students on campus), New Jersey Institute of Technology (10.9 miles, 12,314) and Kean University (9 miles, 11,988).
What is the closest community college to Chatham, and what does it cost?
UCNJ Union College of Union County, New Jersey in Cranford, 6 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,280 a year for New Jersey residents; the federal net price, $8,257, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Kean University cost if we live in New Jersey?
Tuition and fees are $14,299 a year in-state and $22,446 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $7,374 (under $30,000 income) to $20,110 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Chatham. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →