2025 Best Online Community Colleges in New Jersey

Union County College of Union County, NJ (UCNJ) offers flexible and student-centered instruction. You may decide to earn college credit in order to transfer to a four-year institution or use the opportunity to earn an associate degree online and directly enter the workforce upon graduation. Some of the available online associate degree programs include health science, criminal justice, health information technology, and more.

Why we like them: UCNJ offers online non-credit programs through the Continuing Education & Workforce Development Division. These programs are available for students as young as adolescents to older adults. The college offers online programs and courses in topics like English as a second language instruction and cannabis training. By taking these programs, you can obtain job training, personal enrichment, and professional certifications for personal and professional development.

Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) has several fully online associate degrees and certificate programs. Degree majors include criminal justice, accounting, communication studies, and business administration with optional concentrations in Marketing, Supply Chain Management, or International Business. Students can also work toward certificates in paralegal studies and supply chain management.

Why we like them: Students can take advantage of the Service Learning program at RVCC to get volunteer work experience while they study. The college partners with hundreds of organizations with missions as different as early childhood education, senior care, community agriculture and gardening, and law enforcement. These opportunities make useful additions to a resume and may teach practical skills and a sense of civic engagement.

Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) offers several online programs you can pursue. RCBC has more than 20 different online associate degrees and certificates, including programs in liberal arts, accounting, business, criminal justice, health science, math, education, health information technology, cancer registry, and medical billing. Some of RCBC’s online programs can be easily transferred to a four-year institution.

Why we like them: RCBC offers continuing education and certificates to help you explore your interests, upskill in your workplace, or gain new skills. The college offers various courses, spanning from agribusiness to real estate. With these online programs, you may be eligible for a payment plan if the courses are $600 or more. They also accept requests for refunds if you’re not satisfied with your chosen program.

Camden County College (CCC) provides students with options for earning an associate degree or certificate online. The college’s online degrees are in business administration, diversity and social justice, health information technology, liberal arts, and psychology. The one available certificate is in medical coding. CCC also has several dozen programs with optional online courses but with at least one in-person class.

Why we like them: CCC is a diverse institution that broadly reflects the demographic make-up of Camden County, with about 20% of students identifying as Black and 15% identifying as Hispanic or Latino. The college has fairly low tuition for New Jersey and hosts a large selection of scholarships that students might qualify for based on merit, need, or family background.

Bergen Community College (BCC) offers online associate degrees in business administration, criminal justice, information technology, general studies, and psychology. These associate degrees cover general education requirements necessary for the first two years of a bachelor's program if you want to transfer as well as degree-specific courses to help you prepare for careers and further study in your chosen field.

Why we like them: Not sure if distance education is right for you? The college offers virtual information sessions to help you figure out if online learning works for you. We also appreciate that BCC provides students with online programs tailored to their specific career interests. For example, they offer fully online health professions training, technology boot camps, cannabis business certificates, quick skills classes, career training programs, and cybersecurity classes.

At Rowan College of South Jersey (RCSJ), you can pursue online associate degree programs featuring various areas of interest. The college’s online associate degree programs include business administration, computer information systems, human resource management, digital marketing, communications, arts and sciences, history, psychology, and sociology. RCSJ offers online learning in five-, seven-, or 15-week classes to fit your learning needs.

Why we like them: RCSJ offers affordable online tuition to help you save money. According to the community college, you may be able to save thousands of dollars here compared to alternative four-year institutions and two-year colleges. In addition, there are also opportunities through scholarships and other financial aid.

At Atlantic Cape Community College (Atlantic Cape), you can pursue different associate degrees in various disciplines. Atlantic Cape’s online programs are only available in 47 states. Examples of online degrees at Atlantic Cape include an Associate in Applied Science in Business Administration, an Associate in Science in Criminal Justice, and an Associate in Arts in Psychology.

Why we like them: Atlantic Cape facilitates online learning using the Blackboard learning management system. We believe it is important for online schools to offer reliable online learning tools, so we appreciate that Atlantic Cape has invested in Blackboard for online students. On Blackboard, you can virtually access your courses, contact your instructors, and connect with your classmates through discussion boards. Blackboard is available 24/7, so you can access your online courses anytime.

Ocean County College (Ocean) offers several online associate degrees and certificate programs. Some of the online associate degree majors offered at Ocean include business, paralegal studies, liberal arts, computer science, criminal justice, environmental studies, and public services. Online certification programs include topics like business studies, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, information technology, and small business management.

Why we like them: At Ocean, you can submit applications and register for online classes on the same day. The college’s online courses are completed at an accelerated pace of 7.5 weeks. In addition, New Jersey online students can pay in-county rates for online courses without paying an application fee. If you’re looking for an affordable college that can help you graduate faster, consider attending Ocean.

Brookdale Community College (Brookdale) delivers online degree programs for busy students who desire the flexibility to complete coursework at their own pace. Online associate majors available include business administration, English, history, liberal education, political science, psychology, sociology, and social sciences. In addition to online associate degrees, students may also pursue online certificates in cyber security.

Why we like them: Brookdale is a military-friendly institution. The community college offers veteran services to veterans and active-duty military personnel. These students get access to assistance with degree planning, review of GI Bill benefits, career and occupational assessment and counseling, and connections to and coordination with Monmouth County, New Jersey, state and federal veterans programs and services.

Passaic County Community College (PCCC) offers a few online associate degrees for distance learners along with one certificate. Associate degree students can choose from programs in liberal arts, business administration, health science, public health, and supply chain management. The business administration degree has a choice of concentrations in Accounting, Management, or Marketing.

Why we like them: PCCC has a flexible selection of learning options, ranging from fully online to fully on campus and everything in between. These include asynchronous courses in which students interact in forums and watch recorded lectures as well as concurrent classes where they attend live class meetings remotely. The college is also a diverse institution with a significant majority of students coming from underrepresented ethnic or racial backgrounds. This helps foster an inclusive environment that benefits all students.