NJ colleges grant more degrees than ever

New Jersey colleges and universities have granted more bachelor's degrees every year for the past two decades, according to new data compiled by the state.

In the 2014-15 school year, colleges in the state gave out 43,311 bachelor's degrees, up 32.9 percent from a decade prior.

The number of bachelor's degrees granted in the state has grown every year since the 1994-95 school year, when 24,607 were conferred, according to data published last week by the state secretary of higher education.

The number of degrees has increased at almost every level, with the 2014-15 school year setting a new high for the number of associate's degrees, master's degrees, and research doctorates.

New Jersey schools conferred 89,704 total degrees and certificates last year, a new record. That number has grown every year since the 1998-99 year.

New Jersey's public schools granted a record 32,002 bachelor's degrees last year. They conferred 840 research doctorates, such as Ph.D.s, and 1,276 professional practice doctorates, such as the doctor of nursing practice.

The state's 19 community colleges also granted a record number of degrees, conferring 21,000 associate's degrees. They also conferred 2,066 certificates.

Private schools also have generally grown over time, but recent years have seem some ups and downs in the number of degrees conferred. Last year, they granted 17,234 degrees; that total number, bolstered by graduate programs, was up from the two years before that but down from 2011-12. But the number of bachelor's degrees conferred by the private schools was down last year from the two years prior.

New Jersey has long had a "brain drain" problem, with about 30,000 high school graduates each year leaving the state to attend college. Many schools have been virtually maxed-out on enrollment, held back in part by the time it takes to grow physical capacity.

When voters approved a $750 million bond referendum in 2012, it was the first state-backed funding for higher education construction in 25 years. In South Jersey, that money is funding a slew of major projects, including a business building and engineering building at Rowan University, a writers house and nursing building at Rutgers-Camden, and academic building and Unified Science Center expansion at Stockton University.

All three of those universities plan to grow their enrollment: Rowan is two years into an ambitious 10-year growth plan. Stockton wants to grow 2 percent each year. And Rutgers-Camden hopes to grow by about 200 students a year.

To see how many degrees each school granted, click here.