Andres Acebo

Andrés Acebo, the 13th President of New Jersey City University, is the proud first-generation son of Cuban exiles and a Hudson County native who grew up in Union City, N.J. In January 2023, he became only the third Hispanic to serve as the leader of a four-year public institution of higher education in New Jersey and the youngest known president to ever lead a public university in the state.

Acebo was unanimously appointed president by the Board of Trustees on July 23, 2025, after serving as interim president since January 17, 2023, and formally installed during an investiture on September 10, 2025. In nearly three years of mission-driven servant leadership, Acebo has guided NJCU from a fiscal emergency to remarkable recovery. Taking office amid a $22.7 million deficit, he achieved the university's first balanced operating budget since 2017.

This recovery earned historic recognition from rating agencies. Most recently, on November 3, 2025, Fitch upgraded NJCU's credit rating to "BBB-" from "BB+" and placed the university on "rating positive watch"—the second consecutive year with a positive upgrade. These represented NJCU's first rating improvements in over a decade and first consecutive annual upgrades this century.

Under Acebo's leadership, NJCU has been recognized as the No. 1 public university in New Jersey for social mobility for two consecutive years. In Fall 2025, undergraduate enrollment surged by 10%, with first-time, full-time freshmen increasing by 20%.

His leadership has garnered significant recognition. ROI-NJ named him the No. 1 ranked Influencer in New Jersey Higher Education (May 2024), while NJBIZ ranked him No. 4 overall in their Education Power 50 List (September 2024). In November 2025, he was named to the inaugural BINJE's Best: Power Players 2026 list.

Acebo holds a B.A. from Brown University and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School. He is father to three young children and husband to an NJCU alumna.