The New Jersey County Colleges is a system of 18 public community colleges, encompassing more than 60 campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey.^[1][2] As of 2019^[update], there are 18 county colleges statewide; this reflects the fact that each college serves one of New Jersey's 21 counties, except for Atlantic Cape Community College, Raritan Valley Community College, and Rowan College of South Jersey, each of which serves two counties.

In 2003, former governor James McGreevey created the New Jersey Community Colleges Compact, with Executive Order No. 81, as a statewide partnership to enable cooperation between the colleges and various state departments.^[3][4] The compact is administered by the New Jersey Council of County Colleges, which makes recommendations on the deployment and use of county college resources. The council also provides educational and training materials to the college administrations to further their goals.^[1] The council was founded in 1989 under statute 18A:64A-26 of the New Jersey legislature to promote the advancement of the county community colleges of New Jersey.^[4][5] In 2003, the state further established the Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development as a single point of contact for employers looking for skilled workers in New Jersey.^[1]

The county colleges of New Jersey represent 56% of all undergraduate students in the state and offer studies in 1,700 degree and certificate programs.^[2] Reflecting long-term trends nationwide, the male-to-female ratio of students in the system is 41% male to 59% female, and 48% of students are over the age of 24.^[2] Overall, the system enrolls more than 350,000 students each year on campuses that range in size from 1,300 students at Salem Community College to over 15,000 students at Bergen Community College.

Not all of the county colleges were founded by the State of New Jersey; the oldest county college in New Jersey, Union County College, was founded in 1933 by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration as Union County Junior College; it operated as a private college from 1936 to 1982, and merged with the publicly operated Union County Technical Institute in 1982 to become the current public institution.^[6]

List

School name	County served	Campus locations	Founded	Enrollment	Male	Female	References	Main Campus view
Atlantic Cape Community College	Atlantic Cape May	Mays Landing, Cape May County Campus	1964	6,922	38%	62%	[7][8]
Bergen Community College	Bergen	Paramus, Hackensack, Lyndhurst	1965	15,057	47%	53%	[9][10]
Brookdale Community College	Monmouth	Lincroft, Freehold, Wall, Neptune, Hazlet, Long Branch	1967	14,025	44%	56%	[11][12]
Rowan College at Burlington County (formerly Burlington County College)	Burlington	Mount Laurel	1966	8,432	41%	59%	[13][14]
Camden County College	Camden	Blackwood, Camden, and Cherry Hill	1967	14,741	38%	62%	[15][16]
County College of Morris	Morris	Randolph	1968	14,741	38%	62%	[17][18]
Essex County College	Essex	Newark and West Caldwell	1966	10,995	39%	61%	[19][20]
Rowan College of South Jersey (formerly Gloucester County College, Rowan College at Gloucester County, and Cumberland County College)	Gloucester Cumberland	Sewell and Vineland	1966	9,782	43%	57%	[21][22]
Hudson County Community College	Hudson	Jersey City and Union City	1974	9,414	37%	63%	[23][24]
Mercer County Community College	Mercer	West Windsor, Trenton	1966	9,094	43%	57%	[25][26]
Middlesex College	Middlesex	Edison, New Brunswick, and Perth Amboy	1964	12,097	46%	54%	[27][28]
Ocean County College	Ocean	Toms River and Stafford Township	1964	9,351	42%	58%	[29][30]
Passaic County Community College	Passaic	Passaic, Paterson, Wanaque, and Wayne	1971	7,493	37%	63%	[31][32]
Raritan Valley Community College	Hunterdon Somerset	Branchburg	1965	6,629	44%	56%	[33][34]
Salem Community College	Salem	Carneys Point Township	1958	1,303	32%	68%	[35][36]
Sussex County Community College	Sussex	Newton	1981	3,732	44%	56%	[37][38]
Union County College	Union	Cranford, Elizabeth, and Plainfield	1933	12,774	36%	64%	[39][40]
Warren County Community College	Warren	Washington	1981	1,742	39%	61%	[41][42]

Selected statistics

Source: Hudson County Community College.^[43] Its sources: New Jersey Council of County Colleges; Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau, August 2006.