Forbes has released its list of the top 660 colleges in the U.S. — and a dozen are in New Jersey.

The schools range from those with 2,000 students to schools with nearly 50,000 students. Check out the list below:

  • #3: Princeton University
  • #141: Rutgers University
  • #179: The College of New Jersey
  • #248: Stevens Institute of Technology
  • #274: Drew University
  • #299: Seton Hall University
  • #386: New Jersey Institute of Technology
  • #470: Montclair State University
  • #471: Rowan University
  • #488: Rider University
  • #489: Stockton University
  • #503: Fairleigh Dickinson University, Metropolitan Campus

The rankings were determined by five categories: post-graduate success, student debt, student satisfaction, graduation rate and academic success.

"(The list) is our answer to the debate over whether higher education is worth it," Caroline Howard, Forbes education journalist, wrote in an article explaining the methedology  "For these outstanding institutions, we give a resounding yes."

Many of these New Jersey colleges have climbed the list over the years.

Princeton University, which sat at No. 4 on last year's list, has been bumped up one spot. Rutgers University, at No. 146 in 2015, climbed five spots, while The College of New Jersey jumped three spots.

Stevens Institute of Technology and the New Jersey Institute of Technology both dropped on the list by 22 and 16 spots, respectively.

Princeton earned the No. 8 spot on Forbes' Top Earning Colleges list for its graduates that make more than $120,000 a year on average. The school is also one of 9 colleges with endowments over $10 billion, a list which includes Harvard, Yale and Stanford.

Dan Day, Princeton University spokesperson, says the school is grateful for the recognition, but students should remember that rankings don't "fully capture the distinctiveness of any institution."

"We encourage students and their families to collect as much information as they can about colleges and universities of interest, and to visit them to find the best academic and social environment for them," Day says.

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