Camden and Newark are located near Philadelphia and New York City respectively. Law school applicants who are considering a New Jersey law school may want to take that into account. The population density and cost of living are significantly higher in New York City. This can be an issue for students who have limited funds; and it may be relevant for students who have family or friends in either place. All three schools have on-campus residences, but they are limited to space available.
Rutgers-Camden is especially recognized for its programs in constitutional, criminal, health and corporate law. Bar preparation at Rutgers-Camden is focused on the New Jersey Bar Exam, but general questions likely to show up in other states are also rehearsed. Rutgers-Newark is known for its social justice law emphasis. Moot courts and clinics are offered at Rutgers-Newark that focus on urban, environmental, community and child advocacy law. Seton Hall makes prominent mention of its proximity to Wall Street on its home page and in its brochures. This says something about where the emphasis is there, and bar preparation is available specifically for New York, where future lawyers who anticipate working on Wall Street will have to acquire a license.
In 2010, the three New Jersey law colleges ranked near each other on various "top-law-school" lists. Top-Law-Schools.com ranked Seton Hall 72 in the nation. On the same list, the two Rutgers law schools tied for position 82. The tie score between the two Rutgers is not unique. These rankings are scored, and the scores - not the schools - are the numerical rankings, meaning there can be far more than 81 schools that outrank Rutgers and more than 71 schools that outrank Seton Hall.
At Rutgers-Camden, full-time resident tuition for the 2009-2010 year was $21,489. Non-residents paid $31,986. Part-time students from New Jersey paid $896 per credit; and part-time non-residents paid $1,333 for the same credit. Fees at Rutgers-Camden were $1,187 a semester for full-time and $629 for part-timers. Rutgers-Newark was comparable in 2010, with $22,344 annual tuition for residents ($1,386 per credit part-time), $33,264 for non-residents, full-time fees of $2,633 per semester and part-time fees of $676. Seton Hall's most recent posting of tuition and fees is 2007, so call for more current information. As of 2007, annual tuition was $44,268. Part-time students were expected to pay $16,600 per semester -- not per school year.