Union County College

What Union County College does

Union County College, branded as UCNJ (Union College of Union County, NJ), is a public community college established in 1933 as the first community college in New Jersey. The institution operates four campuses across Union County — Cranford (headquarters), Elizabeth, Plainfield, and Scotch Plains — serving 12,000+ students annually with 501–1,000 employees and more than 60 programs of study spanning Allied Sciences, Humanities, Social Science/Business/History, STEM, and cooperative healthcare degrees through RWJBarnabas Health School of Nursing and JFK Muhlenberg partnerships. The college is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and designated one of the top 25 community colleges nationally by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program.

Underlying technology consists primarily of third-party educational platforms — Canvas LMS for online learning delivery, a Student Planning system for course registration, a Self-Service portal for student finance and academic records, and a Virtual Campus platform for remote services — with proprietary differentiation limited to operational programs such as the Book Subscription Program for course materials distribution. UCNJ does not develop proprietary learning technology, AI models, or platform infrastructure at scale.

The business model is a publicly funded, tuition-driven educational institution. Core revenue streams are tiered per-credit-hour tuition (in-county, out-of-county, out-of-state residents) supplemented by mandatory fees, state and federal grants (including the Community College Opportunity Grant and FAFSA-administered aid, school code 002643), private foundation grants (notably a $220,000 Bank of America grant for the Progresando Initiative), donations via the Union County College Foundation, non-credit continuing and professional education, allied-health partnerships, and bookstore sales (Cranford and Elizabeth campuses with online storefronts). Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer across eight documented student segments (recent high school graduates, transfer students, adult learners, veterans, visiting students, dual-enrollment students, international students, and readmitted students), distributed across four physical campuses and online channels, with articulation agreements and the Princeton Transfer Scholars Initiative supporting transfer pathways to four-year institutions.

Name

Union County College

Legal name

Union County College

Website

https://ucc.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

UCNJ (Union County College) is a public community college founded in 1933, operating four campuses across Union County, NJ, serving 12,000+ students annually with 60+ programs of study, tuition-tiered revenue supplemented by state/federal grants and foundation donations, and pipeline partnerships with NJ public universities and Princeton.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community College Education

NAICS

Junior Colleges (6112), Junior Colleges (61121), Junior Colleges (611210), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Educational Services (611), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce) (EDAHADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Community Colleges (EDAHADAA), Junior Colleges (Associate-Degree Granting) (EDAHADAC), Transfer/University-Parallel Community Colleges (EDAHADAF)

Keywords

• Community college education
• Associate degree programs
• Workforce training services
• Nursing education programs
• Transfer pathway programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Cranford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue generated from student tuition and mandatory fees for credit-bearing courses. UCNJ charges tuition rates for in-county, out-of-county, and out-of-state students, supplemented by various institutional fees.
2. Government Grants: UCNJ receives state and federal funding including the Community College Opportunity Grant program. Additional grants from private foundations support specific programs.
3. Foundation Donations: The Union County College Foundation accepts donations and runs fundraising events including annual galas and the Close the Gap event to support student scholarships.
4. Continuing Education: Non-credit professional education, workforce development programs, and adult learning courses generate supplemental revenue.
5. Campus Bookstores: Campus bookstores at Cranford and Elizabeth locations sell course materials, supplies, and collegiate apparel.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Union County College (UCNJ) is a public community college delivering credit-bearing associate degrees, certificates, and transfer pathways across more than 60 programs of study, delivered through four physical campuses in New Jersey and online via Canvas LMS. The college supplements degree programs with cooperative nursing degrees (RWJBarnabas Health School of Nursing and JFK Muhlenberg), continuing and workforce education, English language programs, dual enrollment for high schoolers, and support services such as transfer advising and academic learning centers.

Product overview

UCNJ Union College of Union County, NJ is a public community college offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs and services. The institution provides more than 60 degree and certificate programs through academic divisions including Allied Sciences, Humanities, Social Science/Business/History, and STEM. The college operates cooperative healthcare programs through the RWJBarnabas Health School of Nursing and JFK Muhlenberg partnerships. Beyond degree programs, UCNJ offers the Union Honors Program, Institute for Intensive English for ESL learners, and Continuing and Professional Education for workforce development. The institution supports student transfers through its Transfer Transition Center and articulation agreements with NJ public universities. Additional student services include Academic Learning Centers, Career Services, and the Center for Economic & Workforce Development providing basic skills and job training. The college operates four campuses in Cranford, Elizabeth, Plainfield, and Scotch Plains, NJ.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Academic Programs (60+ Programs of Study)
• RWJBarnabas Health School of Nursing
• JFK Muhlenberg Degrees
• Union Honors Program
• Institute for Intensive English (IIE)
• Continuing and Professional Education
• Industry-Business Institute
• Center for Economic & Workforce Development (CEWD)
• Dual Enrollment / Bridge Program
• University Center

Quantifiable outcome

• 33.1% graduation rate within 150% normal time to completion
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• RWJBarnabas HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to operate the RWJBarnabas Health School of Nursing at UCNJ's Elizabeth Campus, providing clinical education pathways for nursing students and addressing regional healthcare workforce needs.
• JFK MuhlenbergcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative program in allied health providing specialized healthcare education pathways through JFK Muhlenberg degrees at UCNJ.
• Princeton UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrinceton Transfer Scholars Initiative (TSI) partnership allowing UCNJ students to study on Princeton's campus, earn Princeton course credit at no cost, receive stipends, and gain transfer guidance. 11 UCNJ scholars selected for 2026 cohort.
• Rutgers UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents present NASA-funded research at Rutgers through New Jersey Space Grant Consortium. Partnership provides research opportunities for UCNJ STEM students.
• New Jersey State Colleges and UniversitiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTransfer articulation agreements with all New Jersey public four-year institutions including Kean, Montclair State, Rutgers, NJIT, Rowan, Stockton, and others. Covered by Lampitt Law for seamless credit transfer.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Atlantic Cape Community College: New Jersey public community college with similar associate degree and continuing education programs, comparable in size and structure to UCNJ within the same state community college system.
• Essex County College: New Jersey urban public community college offering associate degrees and transfer pathways, with similar diverse student demographics, ESL programs, and dual enrollment offerings as UCNJ.
• Passaic County Community College: NJ public community college with similar associate degree and continuing education offerings, comparable in scale and serving a similar urban-suburban student population to UCNJ.
• Rowan College of South Jersey: New Jersey community college resulting from a recent merger, offering similar associate, transfer, and workforce programs with a comparable multi-campus public college operating model to UCNJ.
• Middlesex College: New Jersey public community college in Edison offering associate degrees, transfer pathways, and workforce programs — directly comparable in mission, structure, and student segments to UCNJ within the same state system.
• Brookdale Community College: Large New Jersey public community college with multiple campuses, offering 60+ programs and serving a similar commuter student population with transfer and career-technical tracks comparable to UCNJ's portfolio.
• County College of Morris: New Jersey public community college with similar associate degree, transfer, and continuing education offerings, competing for the same regional student demographic and articulation agreement pathways as UCNJ.
• Raritan Valley Community College: NJ public community college offering associate degrees, transfer programs, and workforce development with a comparable multi-program structure and similar partnership-driven healthcare and transfer pathways.
• Mercer County Community College: New Jersey public community college providing associate degrees, transfer preparation, and continuing education in a comparable format with similar public funding and articulation agreement structure to UCNJ.
• Bergen Community College: One of the largest NJ community colleges offering a broad portfolio of associate degrees and certificates, comparable in scale and program diversity to UCNJ's four-campus operation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uccweb
• Facebookfacebook.com/153359166879
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/union-county-college
• Instagraminstagram.com/ucnj_owls
• TikToktiktok.com/@ucnj_owls

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Union County College