Public education in New Jersey dates from 1828, when the legislature first allocated funds to support education; by 1871, a public school system was established statewide. In 2000, the state was above the US norms in both the proportion of persons over age 25 who were high school graduates (82.1%) and the percentage of persons with four or more years of college (29.8%).
The total enrollment for fall 1999 in New Jersey's public schools stood at 1,890,256. Of these, 953,766 attended schools from kindergarten through grade eight, and 335,490 attended high school. Minority students made up approximately 40% of the total enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools in 2001. Total enrollment was estimated at 1,309,839 in fall 2000 and is expected to reach 1,279,000 by fall 2005. The state ranked first nationwide in expenditures per pupil ($9,775) in 1999/2000. Expenditures for public education in 2000/01 were estimated at $14,129,045. Enrollment in nonpublic schools in fall 2001 was 198,631.
As of fall 2000, there were 470,302 students enrolled in institutions of higher education. In the same year New Jersey had 58 degree-granting institutions. Rutgers, the state university, began operations as Queen's College in 1766 and was placed under state control in 1956, encompassing the separate colleges of Rutgers, Douglass, Livingston, and Cook, among others. As of 2000 the university had campuses at New Brunswick, Camden, and Newark. Altogether, New Jersey has 14 public four-year colleges, 19 two-year community colleges, and 21 private colleges. The major private university in the state and one of the nation's leading institutions is Princeton University, founded in 1746. Other major private universities are Seton Hall (1856); Stevens Institute of Technology (1870); and Fairleigh Dickinson (1942), with three main campuses. In 1997, minority students comprised 30.6% of total postsecondary enrollment.
The New Jersey Department of Higher Education offers tuition aid grants and scholarships to state residents who attend colleges and universities in the state. Guaranteed loans for any qualified resident are available through the New Jersey Higher Education Assistance Authority.