Best General Studies Associate Degrees in New Jersey, Ranked (2026)

General Studies Associate Degrees in New Jersey

General studies associate degrees in New Jersey are four programs, and the largest of them, Ocean County College's 445 degrees a year, sits in the table of other programs rather than the ranking. Two programs are ranked. Atlantic Cape Community College in Mays Landing has the higher score at this level, 43.6, 285th nationally on our list, on 157 degrees, a 30% graduation rate and $6,913 in resident tuition and fees, with the degree available online. Pillar College in Newark, a private nonprofit, scores 35.3 on 37 degrees, a 38% graduation rate and $24,820.

Ocean County College in Toms River, public and online, awarded its 445 degrees with a 42% graduation rate at $5,122, the lowest price on the page. Fairleigh Dickinson University's Metropolitan Campus in Teaneck awarded 2 at $37,686 with a 53% graduation rate. So the level splits cleanly: two public county colleges that award nearly all the degrees and charge $5,122 and $6,913, both online, and two private universities that charge $24,820 and $37,686 and award a few dozen between them.

Graduation rates run from 30% at Atlantic Cape to 53% at FDU, and the two county colleges sit at opposite ends of their own pair, Ocean County at 42% and Atlantic Cape at 30%, with Ocean County also the cheaper of the two.

The 2 Best General Studies Associate Degrees in New Jersey

The best general studies associate degrees in New Jersey are ranked below by their national score, from the national associate degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in New Jersey. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.

1. 1

   Atlantic Cape Community College

   New Jersey

   43.6

   • Public
   • Fully Online Option

   College graduation rate

   30%

   In-state tuition and fees

   $6,913 a year

   Degrees awarded, latest year

   157

   • College graduation rate percentile 33 / 100
   • In-state tuition and fees percentile 36 / 100
   • Degrees awarded, latest year percentile 71 / 100

   About the Program

   Some 4,052 students attend Atlantic Cape Community College, a public community college in Mays Landing, New Jersey. It conferred 157 associate's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 71% of the associate's programs ranked at this level. Of the students who start at Atlantic Cape Community College, 30% graduate, and that beats 33 in every 100 institutions on this measure. Residents pay $6,913 a year in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay $8,313. Distance students can complete the whole degree online, so where you live matters less here. Its strongest mark is the number of degrees it awards, at the 71st percentile.

2. 2

   Pillar College

   New Jersey

   35.3

   • Private nonprofit

   College graduation rate

   38%

   In-state tuition and fees

   $24,820 a year

   Degrees awarded, latest year

   37

   • College graduation rate percentile 59 / 100
   • In-state tuition and fees percentile 5 / 100
   • Degrees awarded, latest year percentile 30 / 100

   About the Program

   Some 556 students attend Pillar College, a private nonprofit college in Newark, New Jersey. During the most recent year on record it awarded 37 associate's degrees, a count at the 30th percentile for size. Across the whole college, 38% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 59% of the institutions behind this list. Tuition and fees hold at $24,820 a year whichever state you come from. Strongest of its measures is the graduation rate of its college, which lands at the 59th percentile.

Other General Studies Associate Degrees in New Jersey

The other general studies associate degrees in New Jersey awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.

Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.

How Much Does a General Studies Associate Degree Cost in New Jersey?

A general studies associate degree in New Jersey costs $15,867 a year in tuition and required fees at the median of the four programs, a midpoint between Atlantic Cape and Pillar College that nobody pays. The real prices are $5,122 at Ocean County College and $6,913 at Atlantic Cape for New Jersey residents, $24,820 at Pillar and $37,686 at FDU's Metropolitan Campus. Out-of-state students pay $6,850 at Ocean County and $8,313 at Atlantic Cape.

At the county colleges the tuition can go to zero. The Community College Opportunity Grant covers any remaining tuition, up to 18 credits a term, and approved fees after other grants and scholarships, for residents with an adjusted gross income between $0 and $65,000, at least six credits a semester and no prior degree. For 2025-2026 the state stopped admitting new students to the higher-income tiers of CCOG because of reduced funding, so ask which tier you fall in before you count on it. And if you're taking 6 to 11 credits, the part-time Tuition Aid Grant pays up to $774 a semester at 6 to 8 credits or $1,161 at 9 to 11 credits in 2026-2027 at a county college.

Will a General Studies Associate Degree Transfer in New Jersey?

Yes, a general studies associate degree transfers in New Jersey under a state law, as long as it's an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science from a county college and you're headed to a public university. The Lampitt Law guarantees that a county college A.A. or A.S. is fully transferable and credited as the first two years of a bachelor's degree at the state's public four-year institutions. The Comprehensive State-wide Transfer Agreement adopted in September 2008 turns that into arithmetic: an A.A. into a B.A. or an A.S. into a B.S. has exactly half the degree's credits accepted, with junior status on enrollment, and you're treated as having completed all lower-division general education.

Two questions settle whether that applies to you. Is the general studies degree at Ocean County or Atlantic Cape awarded as an A.A. or A.S., since the law names those two. And is your destination public, because the guarantee covers Rowan and NJIT, while FDU, Centenary and Pillar decide for themselves.

Reverse transfer is law too. Under P.L.2017, c.130, a student at a four-year institution with 66 combined credits between a county college and the university can be awarded an associate degree by the county college. If you left Ocean County or Atlantic Cape for a university without finishing, that is how you collect the degree.

What Do Jobs With a General Studies Associate Degree Pay in New Jersey?

Jobs open to a general studies associate degree in New Jersey pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.

How to Choose a General Studies Associate Degree Program in New Jersey

How to choose a general studies associate degree program in New Jersey starts with the two county colleges, because they hold nearly all the degrees at this level and both can be finished online. Ocean County College costs $5,122 and graduates 42%. Atlantic Cape costs $6,913 and graduates 30%. Ocean County sits in the other-programs table and Atlantic Cape in the ranking, so compare the two on those figures rather than letting the ranking threshold decide for you. Pillar College's 38% graduation rate at $24,820 is a private campus option in Newark, and FDU's associate awarded 2 degrees.

Ask each county college whether its general studies degree is an A.A. or A.S., which the Lampitt Law guarantee depends on, and which CCOG tier you'd fall in under this year's funding. If Rowan's Bachelor of General Studies is your goal, ask the county college how many of its general studies graduates went there and arrived as juniors. At Pillar, ask directly how many credits Rowan or NJIT has accepted from its graduates, and get the answer in writing.

If you plan to finish a bachelor's in the state, the general studies bachelor's degrees in New Jersey have their own page.