Brief Intro/History
With a rich history that spans more than 160 years, Kean University is a vibrant, public university on a 180-acre-plus campus in Union, New Jersey offering a full spectrum of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs. The University embraces its mission of accessibility and excellence by keeping the promise of an affordable, world-class education within reach of all students.
Kean distinguishes itself through exceptional academics and a commitment to the success of every student. Dedicated to preparing its more than 15,000 students for rewarding careers, lifelong learning and fulfilling lives, Kean offers a broad range of disciplines, the expertise of a diverse and distinguished faculty, and a student-centered learning environment and campus community.
The diversity of Kean’s students, faculty and staff is a hallmark of the University, one that has earned Kean national recognition in DiversityInc magazine. The University is committed to affirmative action in admissions and employment practices, promoting equity, fairness and human rights.
Kean is the third largest public university in New Jersey, and graduates more teachers than any other university in the state. It is the only public university, and one of only three in the nation, operating a full-scale campus in China, Wenzhou-Kean University (WKU). This unique initiative provides Kean USA students with unprecedented access to the international education needed to compete in today’s global marketplace.
Kean also has an additional location in Ocean County, New Jersey known as Kean Ocean, where students can earn both bachelors and graduate degrees from Kean through this unique partnership with Ocean County College. In addition, Kean offers classes on its 41-acre Highlands location in Sussex County, a living laboratory of pristine forest that offers real-world research and educational opportunities for sustainability, education, architecture and design students.
The University boasts New Jersey’s first comprehensive program dedicated to the development of a new generation of mathematics, science and technology teachers and researchers—the New Jersey Center for Science Technology and Mathematics (NJCSTM). Other centers of excellence include global business, health professions and education.
The Michael Graves College School of Public Architecture welcomed its first cohort of students to the Union campus in Fall 2015, with classes beginning at Michael Graves School of Architecture at Wenzhou-Kean University in Fall 2017. Kean also owns The Warehouse, Michael Graves’ iconic home, and two other Graves’ properties in Princeton, which were a gift from the estate of the renowned architect and designer. They now function as an education center for architecture and design students.
The University is home to Liberty Hall Museum, a historic landmark in New Jersey that houses some of the last undiscovered treasures of the American Revolution and the birth of our nation. The Kean Department of History catalogued thousands of previously undiscovered manuscripts from the Revolutionary War period. Other University academic programs, from design to biology, use Liberty Hall as an educational resource for students studying everything from period dress and culture to soil reclamation.
Kean is conveniently located 30 minutes from New York City and an hour from Philadelphia. New Jersey Transit’s Union train station is a three-minute walk from the heart of Kean’s campus. Newark Liberty International Airport is a 10-minute drive from the main campus.
With more than 170 honor societies and student organizations, residence halls that are ranked top three in the state, as well as a variety of cultural, athletic and social events, the Kean campus is vibrant, active and growing to meet increased demand in the University’s world-class academic programs. The campus’s beautiful manicured pathways are framed by three new buildings – the North Avenue Academic Building, the Green Lane Academic Building, and the STEM Building – which collectively house science, math, physical therapy, nursing, computer science, architecture, design and business programs. A new freshman dorm is currently under construction.
Kean University was founded in 1855 as a teachers’ college in the city of Newark. In 1958, the University moved to Union Township after acquiring the former Kean family estate. In 1981, the University purchased its East Campus property located in Hillside, New Jersey (the former Pingry School) and transformed the facility into the Nathan Weiss Graduate College, which is also the home of the spectacular Enlow Recital Hall.
Kean University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and licensed by the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education.
Students who graduate from Kean University become part of a network of 94,000 alumni around the world, and leave well prepared for personal and professional success.