Best Innovation Schools Near Princeton, NJ (2026)

Princeton, New Jersey has 64 accredited schools offering innovation programs, with tuition ranging from $4,764 to $41,120 per year for indexed programs. Princeton has a population of about 30,451. Median household income is $184,113 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 84.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Trenton-Princeton, NJ metro area, the top-earning innovation-related role is Marketing Manager at a median $208,440 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Innovation Schools to Princeton

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer innovation programs near Princeton, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Princeton city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

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 Princeton. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Rider University

Lawrenceville, NJ 4.6 miles from Princeton BOC Score 64.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,208
Avg net price $24,792/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Strayer University-New Jersey

Piscataway, NJ 17.0 miles from Princeton BOC Score 18.8
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 19%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,092
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 50%
  • Programs offered: 16

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus

Madison, NJ 31.0 miles from Princeton BOC Score 59.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 95%
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,273
Avg net price $22,829/yr
Tuition
In‑state$38,004
Out‑of‑state$38,004
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Seton Hall University

South Orange, NJ 34.7 miles from Princeton BOC Score 66.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $70,196
Avg net price $31,446/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

New Jersey City University

Jersey City, NJ 39.1 miles from Princeton BOC Score 49.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,745
Avg net price $16,053/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 38

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ 43.0 miles from Princeton BOC Score 73.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,415
Avg net price $15,566/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ 47.5 miles from Princeton BOC Score 59.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,780
Avg net price $18,745/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus

Teaneck, NJ 50.1 miles from Princeton BOC Score 59.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 91%
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,273
Avg net price $15,404/yr
Tuition
In‑state$38,004
Out‑of‑state$38,004
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Innovation Wages Near Princeton

Princeton is part of the Trenton-Princeton, NJ metro area (BLS area code 45940). 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)
General and Operations Manager$181,450Trenton-Princeton, NJ$175,824
Management Analyst$102,020Trenton-Princeton, NJ$98,857
Marketing Manager$208,440Trenton-Princeton, NJ$201,977
Computer and Information Systems Manager$197,420Trenton-Princeton, NJ$191,298

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.


Princeton at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population30,451Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$184,113Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+84.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)103.2 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Princeton-Area Cities With Innovation Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited innovation schools are near Princeton, NJ?

Our directory has 64 accredited schools offering innovation programs near Princeton. The closest is Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ (6.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is College of Staten Island CUNY (32.2 miles). 9 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying innovation roles near Princeton?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying innovation-related roles near Princeton are: Marketing Manager ($208,440), Computer and Information Systems Manager ($197,420), General and Operations Manager ($181,450). 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 Trenton instead of Princeton?

Trenton, NJ is 10.4 miles from Princeton and has its own set of local innovation programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Princeton an affordable place to study innovation?

Princeton’s median household income of $184,113 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Princeton 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 Innovation Programs

Other Programs Available in Princeton

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

Data verified: August 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.