Best Paralegal Studies Schools Near Ridgewood, NJ (2026)

Ridgewood, New Jersey has 45 accredited schools offering paralegal programs, with tuition ranging from $4,913 to $26,022 per year for indexed programs. Ridgewood has a population of about 26,076. Median household income is $217,250 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 80.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, the top-earning paralegal-related role is Lawyer at a median $208,880 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Paralegal Schools to Ridgewood

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer paralegal programs near Ridgewood, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Ridgewood 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 Ridgewood. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Bergen Community College

Paramus, NJ 2.5 miles from Ridgewood BOC Score 63.9
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,624
Avg net price $10,345/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 47

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ 9.2 miles from Ridgewood 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

#3

Essex County College

Newark, NJ 17.2 miles from Ridgewood BOC Score 43.1
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 20%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,230
Avg net price $4,436/yr
Tuition
In‑state$5,415
Out‑of‑state$9,523
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Hudson County Community College

Jersey City, NJ 17.6 miles from Ridgewood BOC Score 38.8
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,333
Avg net price $7,307/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

UCNJ Union College of Union County, New Jersey

Cranford, NJ 24.2 miles from Ridgewood BOC Score 58.1
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,595
Avg net price $8,257/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 38

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

County College of Morris

Randolph, NJ 26.1 miles from Ridgewood BOC Score 72.1
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,243
Avg net price $8,895/yr
Tuition
In‑state$6,210
Out‑of‑state$14,310
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Sussex County Community College

Newton, NJ 34.1 miles from Ridgewood BOC Score 53.8
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 27%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,664
Avg net price $7,859/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Middlesex College

Edison, NJ 35.5 miles from Ridgewood BOC Score 60.9
  • 2 year
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,861
Avg net price $2,288/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Paralegal Wages Near Ridgewood

Ridgewood 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)
Paralegal and Legal Assistant$75,330New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$66,901
Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant$75,920New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$67,425
Lawyer$208,880New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$185,506

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.


Ridgewood at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population26,076Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$217,250Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+80.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)112.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Ridgewood-Area Cities With Paralegal Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited paralegal schools are near Ridgewood, NJ?

Our directory has 45 accredited schools offering paralegal programs near Ridgewood. The closest is Bergen Community College in Paramus, NJ (2.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is CUNY LaGuardia Community College (18.9 miles). 9 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying paralegal roles near Ridgewood?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying paralegal-related roles near Ridgewood are: Lawyer ($208,880), Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant ($75,920), Paralegal and Legal Assistant ($75,330). 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 Fair Lawn instead of Ridgewood?

Fair Lawn, NJ is 3.2 miles from Ridgewood and has its own set of local paralegal programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Ridgewood an affordable place to study paralegal?

Ridgewood’s median household income of $217,250 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Ridgewood 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 Paralegal Programs

Other Programs Available in Ridgewood

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

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.