Best Online Education Programs in Plainfield, NJ (2026)

Plainfield, New Jersey has 5 accredited schools offering education programs. Plainfield has a population of about 54,515. Median household income is $80,334 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 22.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, the top-earning education-related role is Education Administrator, K-12 at a median $163,210 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Education Schools to Plainfield

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer education programs near Plainfield. Distances are calculated from Plainfield city center.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Plainfield. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College

New York, NY 22.5 miles from Plainfield BOC Score77.7
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#2

CUNY New York City College of Technology

Brooklyn, NY 23.1 miles from Plainfield BOC Score44.3
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#3

CUNY Hunter College

New York, NY 25.9 miles from Plainfield BOC Score61.9
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#4

Rider University

Lawrenceville, NJ 27.0 miles from Plainfield BOC Score64.7
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#5

CUNY City College

New York, NY 28.1 miles from Plainfield BOC Score73.6
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all New Jersey schools on the New Jersey education page.


Education Wages Near Plainfield

Plainfield is part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (BLS area code 35620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to New Jersey statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Secondary School Teacher$100,800New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$89,520
Elementary School Teacher$96,900New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$86,057
Middle School Teacher$96,500New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$85,702
Education Teacher, Postsecondary$80,640New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$71,616
Education Administrator, K-12$163,210New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$144,947
Education Administrator, Postsecondary$137,800New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$122,380
Tutor$46,550New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$41,341
Educational and Career Counselor$77,580New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$68,899

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Plainfield at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population54,515Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$80,334Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+22.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)112.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Education-related employment in Union County3,157 workers, 200 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Plainfield-Area Cities With Education Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited education schools are near Plainfield, NJ?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering education programs near Plainfield. The closest is CUNY Bernard M Baruch College in New York, NY (22.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is CUNY City College (28.1 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying education roles near Plainfield?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying education-related roles near Plainfield are: Education Administrator, K-12 ($163,210), Education Administrator, Postsecondary ($137,800), Secondary School Teacher ($100,800). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with New Jersey statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in North Plainfield instead of Plainfield?

North Plainfield, NJ is 1.2 miles from Plainfield and has its own set of local education programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Plainfield an affordable place to study education?

Plainfield’s median household income of $80,334 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Plainfield while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and New Jersey public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Education Programs

Other Programs Available in Plainfield

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Plainfield:

Data verified: June 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.