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College · Catholic life on campus

Montclair State University

  • LocationMontclair, NJ
  • Type and sizePublic · 4-year · 22,570 students
Official website

Montclair State University is not a Catholic college. This rating measures Catholic life on campus: campus ministry, priests, Mass and confession, student groups, and nearby parishes.

Red Hawk Catholic, the Catholic campus ministry at Montclair State University, works from a Newman Center at 894 Valley Road in Montclair. Its site names Fr. Jim Chern as chaplain and director and lists a FOCUS team.

Catholic churches nearby

Map of Montclair State University, its Catholic center and nearby Catholic churches1 mi2 mi3 miRed Hawk Catholic: 0.1 mi1Sacred Heart Armenian Catholic Church: 1.1 mi2St. Cassian's Roman Catholic Church: 1.4 mi3St. Ann's Melkite Catholic Church: 1.5 mi4Holy Cross Church: 1.9 mi5Catholic church (unnamed in OpenStreetMap): 2.5 mi6Montclair State University (campus)N1 mi
CampusCatholic church (numbered below)Open a street map ›
  1. Red Hawk Catholic — 0.1 mi · 894 Valley Road, Montclair
  2. Sacred Heart Armenian Catholic Church — 1.1 mi
  3. St. Cassian's Roman Catholic Church — 1.4 mi · 187 Bellevue Avenue, Montclair
  4. St. Ann's Melkite Catholic Church — 1.5 mi
  5. Holy Cross Church — 1.9 mi · 220 Browertown Road, Woodland Park
  6. Catholic church (unnamed in OpenStreetMap) — 2.5 mi

Within 3 miles, as mapped by OpenStreetMap contributors. The map may be incomplete. Confirm with the parish or diocese.

Catholic life scorecard

Each line is one thing we looked for. A check means yes, a half means partly, a dash means no. “Not enough information” means official sources did not say.

N/ACatholic life on campus: Not enough information. Official sources do not cover enough of this to grade it yet.

Catholic life on campus

Not enough information: official sources cover less than 60% of this area.

  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Catholic campus ministry serving this campus (Catholic center, campus ministry, or chaplaincy)Yes (The ministry's own contact page lists Montclair addresses for its chaplain and campus minister, and its counseling page names Montclair State.)
    Sources (2)
    1. Contact Us | Red Hawk Catholicredhawkcatholic.com/contact · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Fr. Jim Chern Chaplain & Director chernj@montclair.edu”
      Fr. Jim Chern is the ministry's chaplain and director, reachable at a Montclair State address.
    2. Catholic Counselling | Red Hawk Catholicredhawkcatholic.com/copy-of-about-us-1 · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Catholic Psych has partnered with MSU to offer counseling and mentorship to students seeking help.”
      The ministry offers students Catholic counseling through a partnership with MSU.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Dedicated Catholic center or chapel on or next to campusNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Priest chaplain assigned to campus ministryFull-time priest chaplain (The ministry's team page presents Fr. Jim Chern as chaplain and director.)
    Sources (1)
    1. About Us | Red Hawk Catholicredhawkcatholic.com/about-us · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Newman Team. Fr. Jim Chern Chaplain & Director”
      The ministry's team page lists Fr. Jim Chern as chaplain and director.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Weekday Mass at the campus ministryNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Sunday Mass at the campus ministry or a campus chapelNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Scheduled confession at the campus ministryNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Partly: the school meets some of this item and earns part of the points.
    Catholic student groups and missionary outreach (e.g., FOCUS, Saint Paul's Outreach, Knights of Columbus, Bible studies)One (FOCUS is the only Catholic student group found on the ministry's public pages.)
    Sources (1)
    1. FOCUS | Red Hawk Catholicredhawkcatholic.com/focus · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Our FOCUS Team. Morgan Gillis Team Director”
      The ministry lists a FOCUS team of missionaries led by a team director.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Formation programs (retreats, OCIA/RCIA, service, small groups)Not enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Catholic church within walking distance (computed from OpenStreetMap)Within 1 mile of campusComputed from OpenStreetMap church locations.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Published weekly schedule of Mass, confession, and adorationNot enough information: no verified Mass times are recorded.

Grades come from the documented indicators under the published rubric. “Not enough information” does not mean the school lacks it.

Strengths

  • A named priest is listed as the ministry's chaplain and director.
    Sources (1)
    1. About Us | Red Hawk Catholicredhawkcatholic.com/about-us · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Newman Team. Fr. Jim Chern Chaplain & Director”
      The ministry's team page lists Fr. Jim Chern as chaplain and director.
  • The ministry lists a FOCUS team and a Catholic counseling partnership with the university.
    Sources (2)
    1. FOCUS | Red Hawk Catholicredhawkcatholic.com/focus · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Our FOCUS Team. Morgan Gillis Team Director”
      The ministry lists a FOCUS team of missionaries led by a team director.
    2. Catholic Counselling | Red Hawk Catholicredhawkcatholic.com/copy-of-about-us-1 · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Catholic Psych has partnered with MSU to offer counseling and mentorship to students seeking help.”
      The ministry offers students Catholic counseling through a partnership with MSU.

Concerns

None recorded.

Know something we missed? Suggest a correction.

The Catholic center

Red Hawk Catholic (Newman Center)

  • Address: 894 Valley Rd, Montclair, NJ 07043
  • Facilities: chapel

Source: redhawkcatholic.com, verified Oct. 12, 2026, redhawkcatholic.com, verified Oct. 12, 2026

Catholic clubs and student life

2 groups and regular activities · 0 on campus, 0 off campus, 2 location not published

Clubs and groups 1

  • FOCUS team at Red Hawk Catholic
    FOCUS missionaries work with the ministry; the page lists a team director and three missionaries.
    redhawkcatholic.com

Service 1

  • Catholic counseling for students
    Counseling and mentorship offered to students through a partnership between Catholic Psych and MSU.
    redhawkcatholic.com

Everything listed is published by the school, its campus ministry, or the parish. Ask the campus minister what’s happening this semester.

Catholic campus ministry

Sources (3)
  1. Contact Us | Red Hawk Catholicredhawkcatholic.com/contact · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “Newman Center 894 Valley Rd Montclair, NJ 07043”
    The ministry's Newman Center is at 894 Valley Road, Montclair, NJ 07043.
    “Newman Center 894 Valley Rd Montclair, NJ 07043”
    The ministry's Newman Center is at 894 Valley Road, Montclair, NJ 07043.
  2. About Us | Red Hawk Catholicredhawkcatholic.com/about-us · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “Newman Team. Fr. Jim Chern Chaplain & Director”
    The ministry's team page lists Fr. Jim Chern as chaplain and director.
  3. Donate | Red Hawk Catholicredhawkcatholic.com/donate-1 · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “Thanks to your prayers and contributions, we've created a beautiful chapel, expanded our facilities”
    The ministry states it has created a chapel and expanded its facilities.

Reach out

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Academic Excellence

CAcademic Excellence: Mixed (grade C): 55 to 100 points out of 100 on what official sources document. Grades need sources for at least 60% of the checklist.
62 of 100
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.65%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.78%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,070
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.18 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$9,193

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

Campus facts

SportsNCAA Division III · New Jersey Athletic Conference
SettingSuburb
ROTCArmy · Air Force
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member18 to 1

Federal data (IPEDS). None of this changes the faith grades.

Cost and value

Federal data, shown separately. Cost, debt, and earnings are never part of any grade.

Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
18,062
Total students22,570
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$15,566
Cost of attendance (per year)$28,305
Median federal debt at graduation$22,000
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
65%
First-year retention78%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$61,415
Admission rate88%
Students receiving Pell grants47%
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT1070
SAT reading & writing480–620
SAT math430–590
ACT composite—
Test policyConsidered but not required

Value index: 68 / 100 (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Local Church

Diocese of Paterson

The Most Reverend Kevin J. Sweeney, Bishop of Paterson

Formal address: “Your Excellency”

Source: usccb.org, verified Oct. 7, 2026.

Diocese determined from the county using NCES Catholic school records. Confirm with the diocese.

About this school’s data

Questions families ask

Is Montclair State University a Catholic college?
No. Montclair State University is not a Catholic college. Catholic School Compass rates the Catholic life on its campus instead. Catholic students are served by Red Hawk Catholic.

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