Ramapo College


Ramapo College of New Jersey is a public liberal arts college in Mahwah, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. As of the fall 2021 semester, there were a total of 5,732 students enrolled at the college, including 576 graduate students and 11 doctorate students. The school has a "somewhat selective" acceptance rate.

History

In the late 19th century, the Ramapo Valley was developed for large estates by many wealthy families. Ramapo Valley is named after the Ramapough, a band of the Lenape Indians. Theodore Havemeyer and his family arrived in the area in the 1870s. Havemeyer, a founder of the American Sugar Company, purchased and renovated a home on the road that would become Route 202 and developed more than surrounding the mansion into a farm. In 1889, he had a second mansion built on the property for one of his daughters. That mansion and about of the original 1,000 were later purchased by Stephen Birch, president of the Kennecott Copper Company.
In 1968, the New Jersey Department of Higher Education authorized establishing a new state college in Bergen County, due to its increasing population and suburbanization. The criteria for the new college's location were sufficient land for the construction of current needs and future expansion, and proximity to at least one major highway. The locations of existing public and private institutions in the state were also taken into consideration. The college was planned to serve economically deprived students from urban and rural areas, in addition to a full range of middle-class families.
George Potter, an administrator at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, was appointed the first President of the college before a location had been determined. After many board meetings, it was decided that the former Birch Estate in Mahwah would be the location for the new college. Although the land was farther north than originally intended for the campus, its proximity to Route 17 and mountainous surroundings made it an attractive site. The architects drew up plans for an L-shaped, glass-walled facility consisting of five two-story academic buildings connected by large entry spaces, with each building devoted to a particular department or division. The architects recommended this approach to allow for rapid construction of additional wings onto the various entry spaces, allowing quick expansion of the college.
The former Havemeyer mansion was adapted as the president's house, and the former Birch Mansion was renovated to be used as the administration building of the college.

Academics

Ramapo College offers bachelor's degrees in the arts, business, the social and natural sciences, and the humanities, as well as in professional studies programs such as nursing and social work. Eleven programs are offered leading to a master's degree: M.S. in Accounting, M.F.A in Creative Music Technology, M.S. in Data Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Social Work, Master of Arts in Educational Leadership, M.S. in Applied Mathematics, Master of Science in Educational Technology, Master of Arts in Special Education, M.S. in Nursing, and a Master of Science in Accounting. The college also offers a physician assistant and physical therapy with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; a B.A./Master's degree program in Art Therapy with Caldwell University; a B.S./Doctor of Chiropractic with New York Chiropractic College; a B.S./D.D.S. and a B.S./D.M.D. with the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine; a B.S./Doctor of Optometry with SUNY State College of Optometry; and a B.S./Doctor of Podiatric Medicine through New York College of Podiatric Medicine.
The five interdisciplinary schools include the Anisfield School of Business, the School of Contemporary Arts, the School of Humanities and Global Studies, the School of Social Science and Human Services, and the School of Theoretical and Applied Science.
The Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center, which opened in December 2022, provides assistance to law enforcement in solving cases including identification of human remains and determination of wrongful convictions, and offers a certificate program.

Accreditation

Ramapo College was established in 1968 as a state-supported, co-educational, four-year College for liberal arts, sciences, and professional studies. Ramapo received accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in 1975. Individual programs also received accreditation. The Social Work Program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, the Chemistry Program is approved by the American Chemical Society, the Nursing Program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and the New Jersey Board of Nursing, the Teacher Certification program is approved by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council and the State of New Jersey, and the Anisfield School of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Ramapo College is also a founding member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges.

Rankings

U.S. News & World Report ranks Ramapo 37th among 196 "Regional Universities in the North" in its 2018 list.
Forbes ranked Ramapo College 299th out of the top 500 rated private and public colleges and universities in America for the 2024-25 report. Ramapo college was also ranked 140th among public colleges and 102nd in the northeast. In 2019, Forbes ranked Ramapo College at #341 in Top Colleges, #116 in Public Colleges, and #133 in the Northeast region, and ranked Ramapo at #206 in America's Best Value Colleges of 2019.
In 2023, Ramapo College's Nursing School was one of 17 New Jersey graduate schools to rank nationally, according to the U.S. News & World Report. The same article noted that Ramapo College is additionally ranked by U.S. News as the No. 2 public institution in New Jersey.
For its 2025 edition of "Best Colleges," U.S. News & World Report ranked Ramapo College as the 27th best in "Regional Universities North", 10th best in "Top Public Colleges," and 72nd in "Best Value Schools," marking an increase in all three rankings from previous editions.

Presidents

  1. George T. Potter
  2. Robert A. Scott
  3. Rodney David Smith
  4. Peter Philip Mercer
  5. Cindy Jebb

    Campus

Praised for its accessibility and modernity which is juxtaposed by the picturesque outdoors, Ramapo College, which lies at the foothills of the Ramapo Mountains, was named by CondeNast Traveler as one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America in 2020.
The campus includes dozens of modern academic buildings, offices, eating facilities, and athletic playing fields and gyms. It also features an array of theaters and art galleries. Several dormitories have been built in the last twenty years. There is a "Spiritual Center".
The school has an independent FM radio station, WRPR, 90.3 FM, a free-form station featuring numerous genres and talk shows.

Athletics

Ramapo College teams are named the Roadrunners. The university has 8 men's teams and 12 women's teams, and participates in NCAA Division III sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country running, soccer, swimming, track and field, and volleyball. Women's athletic teams at Ramapo College consist of basketball, cheerleading, cross country running, dance, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, track and field, and volleyball. Ramapo also offers a club DIII ice hockey team.
The men's basketball team won the 2017 New Jersey Athletic Conference championship and advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs. However, Ramapo was eliminated after the second round of playoff competition.
The hockey team won the Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference title for 2016–2017 season.
Student supporters of Ramapo College's athletic teams are known as the Ramapo Rowdies.

Affiliations