Photo: Bryan Housel · CC BY-SA 3.0UCNJ Union College of Union County, New Jersey is 2.3 miles from Mountainside
No college sits inside Mountainside’s boundary, but UCNJ Union College of Union County, New Jersey’s campus in Cranford, with 6,539 students on campus, is 2.3 miles from the center of town. About 4% of Mountainside’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 Mountainside. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Mountainside
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Mountainside
11 private colleges within 14.7 miles, eight public colleges within 15 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 Mountainside’s median household income ($211,538) 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 Mountainside: 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); Rutgers University-Newark (3); Bloomfield College of Montclair State (2); Rutgers University-New Brunswick (3); Montclair State (2).
Questions about college near Mountainside
Is Mountainside a college town?
No. About 4 of every 100 Mountainside residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below New Jersey (6). The nearest campus, UCNJ Union College of Union County, New Jersey, is 2.3 miles away in Cranford.
What colleges are near Mountainside?
22 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: Rutgers University-New Brunswick (13.4 miles, 47,422 students on campus), Montclair State University (15 miles, 20,428) and New Jersey Institute of Technology (10.5 miles, 12,314).
What is the closest community college to Mountainside, and what does it cost?
UCNJ Union College of Union County, New Jersey in Cranford, 2.3 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 Mountainside. 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 →