What are the best and worst college towns?

College application deadlines are upon Shore area students and the acceptance letters will soon be rolling in. Before you and your prospective college student make a choice about where to head for the next chapter of their academic life, there’s a list you may want to give a glance.

Personal finance network WalletHub conducted an analysis of 2014’s Best and Worst College Cities and Towns in America.

It ranked 280 U.S. cities based on 23 metrics, including quality of higher education, crime rates and the cost of living, according to WalletHub.

APP’s guide to NJ’s best-known college towns

Oxford, Ohio, home of Miami University, was ranked the best college town based on having the highest number of students per capita and a high percentage of part-time jobs, among other factors. Yonkers, New York, home to Sarah Lawrence College, reportedly the most expensive four-year university in the U.S., was ranked the worst college town.

In New Jersey, New Brunswick, home to Rutgers University, ranked 184th. Jersey City, home to St. Peter’s University and New Jersey City University, ranked 233rd. Newark, home to a Rutgers campus and New Jersey Institute of Technology, ranked 274th.

Here are more factoids pulled from WalletHub’s findings:

•The housing cost (rent of a two-bedroom apartment) is three times higher in San Francisco than in Johnson City, Tenn.

•The adjusted cost of living for young people is two times higher in Honolulu than in Memphis, Tenn.

•The cost of higher education is 10 times higher in Waltham, Mass., than in Laramie, Wyoming.

•The number of students per capita is 12 times higher in Oxford, Ohio, than in Amarillo, Texas.

•The number of nightlife options per capita is 28 times higher in Las Vegas than in Miramar, Fla.

•The number of violent crimes per capita is 57 times higher in Detroit than in Orem, Utah.

•The percentage of part-time jobs is three times higher in State College, Pa., than in Alexandria, Va.

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