By Kelly Heyboer | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Students who attend Princeton University, Stevens Institute of Technology and some of New Jersey's other hardest-to-get-into colleges can expect to be earning a comfortable salary just a few years after graduation, according to federal data.

The average graduate at New Jersey's top four-year colleges is earning between $60,000 and $90,000 a decade after enrollment -- or about six years after earning a bachelor's degree, the U.S. Department of Education says in its latest statistics on the nation's colleges.

But, students who attend some of New Jersey's other colleges should expect to earn far less.

The federal government's College Scorecard site recently updated its data on earnings after college at each school in New Jersey. The site uses tax returns to calculate what former students -- including dropouts -- are earning 10 year after they first enrolled at each school.

Here are the 18 New Jersey colleges that have the lowest-earning former students:

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18. Eastern International College

Private allied health college with campuses in Belleville and Jersey City

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $36,100

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(tie) 16. Mercer County Community College

Public two-year college

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $34,900

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(NJ Advance Media file photo)

(tie) 16. Ocean County College

Public two-year college

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $34,900

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15. Warren County Community College

Public two-year college

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $34,800

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14. Sussex County Community College

Public two-year college

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $34,600

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13. Brookdale Community College

Public two-year college

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $34,200

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(NJ Advance Media file photo)

12. Rowan College at Gloucester County

Public two-year college

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $34,000

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11. Union County College

Public two-year college

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $33,400

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10. Camden County College

Public two-year college

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $32,800

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9. Cumberland County College

Public two-year college

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $31,400

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8. Eastwick College - Nutley

A private college with associate degree and diploma programs

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $31,100

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7. Salem Community College

Public two-year college

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $30,800

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(NJ Advance Media file photo)

6. Essex County College

Public two-year college

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $30,100

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5. Hudson County Community College

Public two-year college

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $28,700

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4. Eastwick College- Hackensack

A private college with associate degree and diploma programs

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $28,500

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3. Passaic County Community College

Public two-year college

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $27,700

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2. Atlantic Cape Community College

Public two-year college

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $27,400

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Students studying in a classroom at Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood. (Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

1. Beth Medrash Govoha

Private Jewish yeshiva in Lakewood

Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment: $25,300

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Why does Beth Medrash Govoha rank so low?

Located in Lakewood, Beth Medrash Govoha is the nation's largest yeshiva, or Jewish college. The all-male school enrolls about 6,500 undergraduates and graduate students.

The school, known at BMG, opened in 1943 and helped transform the Ocean County resort town into one of the fastest-growing Orthodox Jewish communities in the country.

Students study the Talmud, a collection of Jewish writings, six days a week, in large rooms from morning until late at night. Though the tuition is about $20,000 a year, about 70 percent of students receive federal aid, including Pell Grants, for low-income students to help pay the bills.

Some of BMG's graduates become pulpit rabbis or hold other religious positions, which could help explain some of the low salaries for graduates. Others go on to work in business or enroll in other colleges to become lawyers, doctors or other professionals.

Many students keep studying for years. The average stay at the yeshiva is six years, the school said.

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Where do these numbers come from?

The U.S. Department of Education compiles the data on earnings after college using the tax returns of former students who received federal financial aid while they were enrolled in school.

The data is taken 10 years after a student enrolls, so that is usually about six years after graduation for bachelor's degree students. However, the numbers include both graduates and students who may have dropped out or moved to other schools after enrolling.

Students who are enrolled in graduate school were not included in the numbers because they are likely earning little while they continue their studies.

Federal officials have said the data is not perfect and has some "notable limitations." Schools that enroll large numbers of low-income students and have large numbers of drop outs tend to rank lower.

Because the data can not be broken down by major, schools with highly-profitable majors (including engineering, technology and healthcare) often have the highest median salaries for graduates.

Here is the list of 35 New Jersey colleges with the top-paid graduates, according to the data.

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Which schools are missing?

The federal data on earnings after colleges includes all two-year and four-year colleges in the nation.

However, some small New Jersey colleges are not included in the ranking because data for their campuses was listed as "not available," most likely because their schools were either too tiny or too new to collect accurate salary information.

Some of the schools missing from the list are: Pillar College in Newark; Jersey College in Teterboro; and eight small Jewish yeshivas in Lakewood and other towns around the state.

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(Beaverton Leader file photo)

Read more about New Jersey colleges:

35 N.J. colleges with the highest-paid grads, ranked

A rare glimpse into the elite college that changed Lakewood forever

These are the most expensive dorm rooms at each N.J. college

Which N.J. public colleges enroll the most unauthorized immigrants? Here's the list.

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Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook.