Best Software Developer programs in New Jersey, ranked by enrollment
Research, design, and develop computer and network software or specialized utility programs.
37 schools in New Jersey run programs that feed this job, graduating 4,259 people a year. The job pays a median of $135,940 in New Jersey across about 51,570 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in New Jersey that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
11 programs in New Jersey that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in New Jersey (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own New Jersey page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 11.0701In New Jersey → | 1,245 | 29.2% | 18 | $70,374 | $23,250 |
| 2 | CIP 11.0103In New Jersey → | 883 | 20.7% | 17 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 3 | CIP 11.0401In New Jersey → | 805 | 18.9% | 8 | $57,313 | $25,833 |
| 4 | CIP 30.7001In New Jersey → | 680 | 16.0% | 10 | — | — |
| 5 | CIP 11.0201In New Jersey → | 261 | 6.1% | 8 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 6 | CIP 14.0901In New Jersey → | 187 | 4.4% | 4 | $78,333 | $24,098 |
| 7 | CIP 14.0903In New Jersey → | 120 | 2.8% | 3 | $78,333 | $24,098 |
| 8 | CIP 11.0102In New Jersey → | 32 | 0.8% | 5 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 9 | CIP 11.0804In New Jersey → | 30 | 0.7% | 3 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 10 | CIP 11.0204In New Jersey → | 13 | 0.3% | 2 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 11 | CIP 11.0202In New Jersey → | 3 | 0.1% | 1 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
Top 25 schools in New Jersey
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 14 of the 37 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 1,084 | Computer Science | $99,007 | 87% | $34,827 | 48% |
| 2 | New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ Public · 7 feeder programs | 726 | Information Technology | $68,183 | 73% | — | 65% |
| 3 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 575 | Information Science/Studies | $56,360 | 84% | — | 58% |
| 4 | Rowan University Glassboro, NJ Public · 3 feeder programs | 312 | Computer Programming/Programmer, General | $41,799 | 67% | — | 78% |
| 5 | Princeton University Princeton, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 267 | Computer Science | $146,624 | 98% | $13,729 | 5% |
| 6 | Saint Peter's University Jersey City, NJ Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 223 | Data Science, General | — | 58% | $14,440 | 90% |
| 7 | Rutgers University - Newark Newark, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 105 | Information Technology | $80,448 | 64% | — | 71% |
| 8 | UCNJ Union College of Union County, New Jersey Cranford, NJ Public · 3 feeder programs | 105 | Computer Science | — | 35% | — | — |
| 9 | Montclair State University Montclair, NJ Public · 3 feeder programs | 104 | Information Technology | $46,739 | 65% | — | 88% |
| 10 | Stockton University Galloway, NJ Public · 3 feeder programs | 84 | Computer Science | — | 69% | — | 89% |
| 11 | County College of Morris Randolph, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 75 | Information Technology | — | 36% | — | — |
| 12 | William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 70 | Information Technology | $42,552 | 44% | — | 90% |
| 13 | Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 49 | Information Science/Studies | $49,568 | 70% | — | 71% |
| 14 | Thomas Edison State University Trenton, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 47 | Computer Science | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 46 | Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation | — | 61% | $23,844 | 79% |
| 16 | Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus Teaneck, NJ Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 41 | Computer Programming/Programmer, General | — | 53% | $18,059 | 91% |
| 17 | Essex County College Newark, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 35 | Computer Programming/Programmer, General | — | 20% | — | — |
| 18 | Rutgers University - Camden Camden, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 30 | Data Science, General | — | 67% | — | 66% |
| 19 | Rowan College of South Jersey - Gloucester Campus Sewell, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 29 | Computer Science | — | 39% | — | — |
| 20 | Drew University Madison, NJ Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 28 | Computer Science | $47,689 | 70% | $23,094 | 68% |
| 21 | Raritan Valley Community College Branchburg, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 25 | Information Technology | — | 31% | — | — |
| 22 | Middlesex College Edison, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 24 | Information Technology | — | 33% | — | — |
| 23 | Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 24 | Information Technology | $73,706 | 69% | $27,376 | 73% |
| 24 | Caldwell University Caldwell, NJ Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 22 | Computer Science | — | 57% | $21,902 | 71% |
| 25 | Strayer University - New Jersey Piscataway, NJ Private for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 22 | Information Technology | $67,315 | 0% | — | — |
All 37 schools in New Jersey
Every school in New Jersey with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stevens Institute of Technology | Hoboken | Private not-for-profit | 1,084 | 6 |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | Newark | Public | 726 | 7 |
| Rutgers University - New Brunswick | New Brunswick | Public | 575 | 2 |
| Rowan University | Glassboro | Public | 312 | 3 |
| Princeton University | Princeton | Private not-for-profit | 267 | 1 |
| Saint Peter's University | Jersey City | Private not-for-profit | 223 | 3 |
| Rutgers University - Newark | Newark | Public | 105 | 2 |
| UCNJ Union College of Union County, New Jersey | Cranford | Public | 105 | 3 |
| Montclair State University | Montclair | Public | 104 | 3 |
| Stockton University | Galloway | Public | 84 | 3 |
| County College of Morris | Randolph | Public | 75 | 2 |
| William Paterson University of New Jersey | Wayne | Public | 70 | 2 |
| Ramapo College of New Jersey | Mahwah | Public | 49 | 2 |
| Thomas Edison State University | Trenton | Public | 47 | 2 |
| Rider University | Lawrenceville | Private not-for-profit | 46 | 2 |
What software developers earn in New Jersey
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $135,980. New Jersey pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in New Jersey
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Software Developers page.
How to become a Software Developer
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in New Jersey
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 20 majors mapped to Software Developers20 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 11.0102Artificial Intelligence
- 11.0103Information Technology
- 11.0104Informatics
- 11.0201Computer Programming/Programmer, General
- 11.0202Computer Programming, Specific Applications
- 11.0203Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification
- 11.0204Computer Game Programming
- 11.0205Computer Programming, Specific Platforms
- 11.0401Information Science/Studies
- 11.0701Computer Science
- 11.0804Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation
- 11.0902Cloud Computing
- 14.0901Computer Engineering, General
- 14.0903Computer Software Engineering
- 15.1204Computer Software Technology/Technician
- 30.0801Mathematics and Computer Science
- 30.1601Accounting and Computer Science
- 30.3901Economics and Computer Science
- 30.4801Linguistics and Computer Science
- 30.7001Data Science, General
Common questions
Answers for people weighing software developers programs in New Jersey.
What degree do you need to become a Software Developer?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Computer Science, which awarded 1,245 degrees in New Jersey in 2024-25, 29.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Software Developer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 11 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer Science, Computer and Information Sciences, Information Science/Studies, Data Science, plus 3 more. Together they graduate about 4,259 people a year in New Jersey.
How much do software developers earn in New Jersey?+
The median is $135,940 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 0.0% below the U.S. median of $135,980. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for software developers growing?+
BLS projects a +15.8% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 115,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in New Jersey?+
37 institutions in New Jersey reported graduates from at least one of the 11 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do software developers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Developer, Software Engineer, Software Architect, Software Developer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 15-1252.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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