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Colleges of Distinction: New Jersey
2022-2023 Colleges of Distinction

Monmouth University

West Long Branch, New Jersey

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Monmouth University is just one mile from the beach, which means that, when the wind blows west, the smell of the ocean air washes over campus. Monmouth is also only one hour from NYC, with a university bus shuttling students to the nearby NJ Transit station for weekend trips. Monmouth’s close proximity to New York and Philadelphia provides many opportunities for students to network, experience real-world applications of their major, and ultimately prepare for life after college. These opportunities bring the core components of Monmouth’s educational philosophy to life.

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“Our commitment to transformative learning is founded on three core principles: an intellectually challenging and rigorous academic experience built on a strong foundation in the liberal arts; learning experiences that are both immersive and that extend beyond the classroom; and preparation for life after Monmouth.”

Monmouth’s Hawk family is a tight-knit community that offers students guidance and support. Classes are small (13:1 student-to-faculty ratio), and administrative staff work closely with students to ensure they are supported from orientation to graduation—and beyond. A phrase that sums up this closeness is often heard around campus and at the Division I athletic games: “Hawks fly together.”

Get to know Monmouth University

4,263
Degree-Seeking Undergraduates
Enrolled female students
61%
 
Enrolled male students
39%
 
Gender Ratio
Full-time students
96%
 
Part-time students
4%
 
Full-time to Part-time Ratio
-0%1%2%3%4%5%6%7%8%9%10%11%12%13%14%15%16%17%18%19%20%21%22%23%24%25%26%27%28%29%30%31%32%33%34%35%36%37%38%39%40%41%42%43%44%45%46%47%48%49%50%51%52%53%54%55%56%57%58%59%60%61%62%63%64%65%66%67%68%69%70%71%72%73%74%75%76%77%78%79%80%81%82%83%84%85%86%87%88%89%90%91%92%93%94%95%96%97%98%99%100%
Retention rate
12:1
Student/teacher ratio
$39,968
Full-time tuition cost
-0%1%2%3%4%5%6%7%8%9%10%11%12%13%14%15%16%17%18%19%20%21%22%23%24%25%26%27%28%29%30%31%32%33%34%35%36%37%38%39%40%41%42%43%44%45%46%47%48%49%50%51%52%53%54%55%56%57%58%59%60%61%62%63%64%65%66%67%68%69%70%71%72%73%74%75%76%77%78%79%80%81%82%83%84%85%86%87%88%89%90%91%92%93%94%95%96%97%98%99%100%
6-year graduation rate
Mar. 1
Application deadline
-0%1%2%3%4%5%6%7%8%9%10%11%12%13%14%15%16%17%18%19%20%21%22%23%24%25%26%27%28%29%30%31%32%33%34%35%36%37%38%39%40%41%42%43%44%45%46%47%48%49%50%51%52%53%54%55%56%57%58%59%60%61%62%63%64%65%66%67%68%69%70%71%72%73%74%75%76%77%78%79%80%81%82%83%84%85%86%87%88%89%90%91%92%93%94%95%96%97%98%99%100%
Acceptance rate
-0%1%2%3%4%5%6%7%8%9%10%11%12%13%14%15%16%17%18%19%20%21%22%23%24%25%26%27%28%29%30%31%32%33%34%35%36%37%38%39%40%41%42%43%44%45%46%47%48%49%50%51%52%53%54%55%56%57%58%59%60%61%62%63%64%65%66%67%68%69%70%71%72%73%74%75%76%77%78%79%80%81%82%83%84%85%86%87%88%89%90%91%92%93%94%95%96%97%98%99%100%
Out-of-state students

Benefits

Student Activities

Student Activities

  • Campus Ministries
  • Choral groups
  • Concert band
  • Dance
  • Drama/theatre
  • International Student Organization
  • Jazz band
  • Literary magazine
  • Model UN
  • Music ensembles
  • Musical theatre
  • Pep band
  • Radio station
  • Student government
  • Student newspaper
  • Television station
  • Yearbook
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High-Impact Practices

High-Impact Practices

  • First-Year Seminars and Experiences
  • Common Intellectual Experiences
  • Learning Communities
  • Writing-Intensive Courses
  • Collaborative Assignments and Projects
  • Undergraduate Research
  • Diversity/Global Learning
  • Service-Learning, Community-Based Learning
  • Internships/Coops/Practicums
  • Capstone Courses and Projects/Senior Experience
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Campus Resources

Campus Resources

  • Career Services
  • Writing Center
  • Academic Advisors
  • Library Services
  • Faculty Mentors
  • Disability Services
  • Health Services
  • Academic Tutors
  • Financial Aid Advisors
  • Student Success Initiative
  • Veteran Services
  • Peer Mentors
  • Counseling
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College Highlights

Engaged Students
Great Teaching
Vibrant Communities
Successful Outcomes
Admission & Aid
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Engaged Students

GLOBAL LEARNING
Monmouth University students are exposed to a variety of global learning experiences both at home and abroad through the university’s Global Education Office. MU’s network of partner universities around the world serves as a foundation that provides opportunities for students to engage in global issues and give back to communities.

Closer to home, Monmouth faculty also integrate a variety of service-learning experiences into the on-campus curriculum to highlight such global issues as food security, migration, community health, and education access. Whether they study abroad or take unique courses designed by Monmouth professors, students are sure to hone their intercultural competencies through service and scholarship.

The Global Experience Program has connected students to international service initiatives in Central America and the Caribbean, and it is always engaging them in a year-long cycle that fosters cultural awareness, supports community fundraising, and promotes leadership development. Collaborations with faculty, staff, and students are creating new opportunities in additional countries in the coming years, making global learning a core experience for the Monmouth University community.

“Monmouth provided me with the opportunity to do field research not only in the U.S., but in the Bahamas as well. Research is a crucial component of my field of study-it’s the foundation of my career. I took a Tropical Island Ecology course as my Experiential Education class for marine biology, and for two weeks, I was with 19 other students examining coral reef and mangrove ecosystems for assessment of diversity and restoration. We snorkeled almost on a daily basis and got to experience sustainable living. Monmouth helped me to establish friendships and professional connections with both students and professors that are imperative to my future.

I wish I had a few more years to create more Monmouth experiences. My four years were great.” – Arturo Romua, 2013

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

“MU students and faculty have a strong rapport and work closely together on many significant projects that help us better understand ourselves and our environment. Students play integral parts in these studies, whether they are conducted on campus, in the field, or at the beach only a mile away.”

Every April, Scholarship Week draws the University community together to share their work and exploration through research. It’s Monmouth’s aim to enable students who want to do more, pursue more, and achieve more. Therefore, the chance to conduct original research is possible all year long, even over the summer. Scholarship Week is therefore a celebration of curiosity, encouraging students to educate one another and be recognized for their own hard work. Learn more about MU’s undergraduate research opportunities here.

ENROLLMENT BY ETHNICITY
Non-U.S. Citizen: 1%
Hispanic/Latinx: 15%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic: 5%
White, non-Hispanic: 69%
Native/Indigenous American or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: 0%
Asian, non-Hispanic: 3%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic: 0%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 3%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown: 4%

Great Teaching

FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR
The First-Year Seminar is specifically designed to help freshmen succeed in all aspects of their transition from high school to college. In one course, MU students address the academic demands of college, the effective tactics for time management and organization, and the ethics of a charitable life. Full-time faculty teach small classes with the help of a peer-learning assistant, meaning that new students start off their college career getting to know people who are already deeply invested in the MU community. From the beginning, they work collaboratively to bond, learn, and grow together as peers.

CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AND LEARNING
The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) serves as a professional development resource for all of Monmouth’s faculty members throughout their careers. CETL encourages faculty to adapt to innovative and impactful, research-based pedagogies, helping them strengthen and expand scholarship, develop their skills as mentors and leaders, connect with colleagues for interdisciplinary collaboration, and advance the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) through access to research.

CETL partners with faculty, administrative units, and scholars from around the world to provide students with an intellectually challenging and rigorous academic experience, high-impact and immersive learning, and important capacities for successful engagement in life beyond the campus community.

“The faculty really stand out in my mind. My professors were always willing to take the time and go out of their way to afford me different opportunities that not only enhanced my skills as a student, but were just generally interesting to be a part of. For example, I served as a research assistant to Dr. Johanna Foster (Sociology) on a project she was working on related to the privatization of prisons, which is really important and engaging work. That project essentially taught me how to code data, something I routinely deal with as a Ph.D. student.” – Sam Maynard, 2014

SPECIAL STUDY OPTIONS
Programs available at this institution.
Accelerated program
Cooperative education program
Cross-registration
Distance learning
Double major
Dual enrollment
Honors Program
Independent study
Internships
Liberal arts/career combination
Student-designed major
Study abroad
Teacher certification program

Vibrant Communities

SERVICE-LEARNING
The office for Service-Learning (SL) promotes a unique educational approach through which students and instructors learn and grow in immersive and reflective service with a community partner. Wherever and however they serve, MU students can see firsthand how they can make a lasting impact on the world around them. Monmouth students serve in ways that cover all the bases. For example, students might act as tutors for high-need elementary schoolers and then reflect on writing as a social process that helps strengthen human connection.

Initiated in 2015, the Service Learning Faculty Fellows (SLFFs) program provides a way for Monmouth University to grow SL as a signature pedagogy across campus. With a diverse selection of Service-Learning classes offered each semester, undergraduate students are able to complete their experiential education general education through incredibly fulfilling coursework.

STUDENT LIFE
Every one of Monmouth University’s 100+ clubs and organizations were founded by students themselves. The arts, athletics, social justice, and so many more areas of interest are all represented through student-led activities. Whatever their passion, MU students can join or create a club and thrive with like-minded friends.

“The greatest thing about going to college is being able to explore your interests and find your niche. At Monmouth there are so many different clubs and organizations that you’ll definitely find something to be a part of. In my case, I felt that getting involved in the Circle K Club, the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, Beta Beta Beta (the Biology Honor Society), and Alpha Epsilon Delta (the Premedical Honor Society) have really helped paved the path to success. Additionally, as an Honors School Peer Mentor, a School of Science Peer Mentor, and a tutor I was really able to get involved on campus.” – Monali Patel, 2015

ATHLETICS
Learn more about the Monmouth Hawks 23 NCAA Division 1 teams at monmouthhawks.com.

RESIDENCE LIFE
Percent of students living on campus.
First-time, first-year (freshman) students: 86%
Undergraduates: 41%

Campus housing options.
Coed dorms
Apartments for single students
Theme housing
Honors housing

Successful Outcomes

“The importance of a strong foundation in the basics cannot be overstated if you are planning a career in science. I feel as though I left Monmouth on a rock-solid footing. I really appreciated that my biology degree required a broad spectrum of scientific knowledge. In order to understand life on Earth, you need to have a strong understanding of not only biological concepts, but also mathematics, physics, and chemistry. A degree in biology gives you choices.” – Chris Wojcik, 1991

CAREER SERVICES

“The mission of Career Services is to be a comprehensive resource center for students and alumni, providing the appropriate services and information that will assist them in successfully meeting their career objectives.”

Through Career Services, all Monmouth students are guided to success with the help of a clear, easy-to-follow four-year plan. This plan is mapped out with different checkpoints that not only make sure students stay on track toward their degree, but also prepare them for their future. Résumé assistance, online profile building, networking events, job fairs, and more are all integrated into the MU experience.

In addition to all the tools provided through the four-year plan, students can also choose to take LT300, a single-credit course that includes more in-depth résumé work, interview preparation, networking tips, and other important guidance.

Forward thinking is all part of the MU culture. Beyond students’ individual four-year plans, the office of Career Services also hosts four major career fairs each year as well as dozens of smaller events like workshops, speakers’ panels, and class presentations to provide consistent support for career preparation. The office also manages Hawks Career Link, a web-based job board that annually posts hundreds of internship opportunities as well as full- and part-time jobs.

TRANSFORMATIVE TEN
Designed to help students connect their major to prospective career options, the Transformative Ten (T10) is a series of ten events that prepare students for life after Monmouth. Available to all students, this initiative is a direct response to student demand for exploring majors and career opportunities. The events include activities to develop student leadership, communication, problem-solving, teamwork, digital literacy, and networking. Students who attend at least three T10 events during the academic year are invited to a special capstone luncheon that features a keynote speaker with incredible insight on employment and industry trends as well as networking opportunities. Learn more about the Transformative Ten here.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Every Monmouth student completes Experiential Education to get hands-on exposure to their field of study. This can take the form of an internship, co-op, service-learning experience, study abroad, research project, clinical assignment, or practicum. Students can also get help from Career Services and the Hawk Career Link to browse a listing of over 3,000 internships and other experiential opportunities.

Admission & Aid

Admission

APPLICATION DEADLINE
Application Closing Date (Fall): March 1
Priority Date: December 1

ADMISSIONS FACTORS
Very Important
Rigor of secondary school record | Academic GPA

Important
Application Essay | Recommendation(s) | Extracurricular activities
Volunteer work | Work experience

Considered
Alumni/ae relation | Standardized test scores

TEST SCORES
Optional

FRESHMAN PROFILE
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing
25th Percentile: 520 | 75th Percentile: 610
SAT Math
25th Percentile: 520 | 75th Percentile: 600
ACT Composite
25th Percentile: 21 | 75th Percentile: 26
ACT Math
25th Percentile: 18 | 75th Percentile: 26
ACT English
25th Percentile: 21 | 75th Percentile: 26

Tuition & Cost

Tuition: $39,968
Fees: $712
Room: $8,648
Board: $6,830

What Others are Saying

Contact Monmouth University

Contact Admissions

www.monmouth.edu/apply-now
(732) 571-3456
admission@monmouth.edu

Campus Location

400 Cedar Avenue
West Long Branch, NJ 07764

(732) 571-3400

Visit Monmouth Online

www.monmouth.edu

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