By: Enrique Medel | Publish Date: October 2, 2026
Beginning in the Fall 2026 semester, class times have shifted through all of Kean. Kean University has taken an effective hour change for the campus community with class commencing 15 minutes later than usual, according to the universities new Schedule Planning Grid.
“The decision was made by the administration due to a number of factors,” said Hajar Lababidi, a Junior who was part of the trial testing during the spring 2026 semester. “Kean wanted to accommodate train schedules for commuter students, as well as try to bump up graduate enrollment by adjusting times to make it easier for students with full-time jobs to also attend class.”
College hour, which is also used for meetings and faculty development, now runs from 2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays.
This new schedule has also taken effect on Kean’s other campuses in Jersey City, Ocean, and Skylands. And one month in, there are mixed reviews.
Community Opinions
“I do not particularly like the new hours and the evening block; 5:15 – 7:55 was the hardest transition for me,” said Allison Edgley, Communication Lecturer, regarding how the transition has impacted her normal class routine. “3:30 – 4:30 p.m. college hours felt perfect for so long. Otherwise, I am rolling with it.”
One commuter, Jacob Allan, has a positive view of the changes. Allan expressed that the new schedule has not conflicted with his usual time to arrive to campus and with a positive impact to avoid traffic.
“I get to campus on time; this new schedule has allowed me to leave home a little later than usual,” Allan said. “I’m not sure how this new schedule is affecting other students but pushing back the start time for classes could actually help students get to classes on time.”
Like students, faculty and staff are also adjusting to the newly updated class time. Communication, Media and Journalism Assistant Professor, Dr. Joshua Guitar shared how he is tackling the newly updated shift.
“I still haven’t committed these things to my habitual memory, which will take time,” Guitar said. “I’m not necessarily for, or against the time change. Since this is my fifth year at Kean, and every day I have to remind myself daily that ‘class is at this time.’ It has been a hard habit to get out of it.”
NJ Transit Allignment
As Lababidi confirmed, Kean wished to accommodate train schedules to ensure commuter students gain additional time to arrive class.
Commuters who travel from home to Kean by taking the NJ Transit now have more time after departing from Union Station. Local trains that run through Union Station stop at any station on the Raritan Valley Rail Line. Students may continue the Raritan Valley Line or transfer at Newark Penn Station to various other lines.
Allan shares his concerns on the idea of train schedule enduring delays, causing students to miss their class.
“I think it’s nice idea to work around the train schedules; however, sometimes trains do run late so no matter what time classes start, there could still be possibility students are running late because of delays which is never their fault,” Allan said.
According to the “Plan Your Trip” from the NJ Transit website, taking a Bound Brook Station, Itinerary 1 are scheduled at between 8:56 a.m. with a 37-minute travel time, arriving at approximately 9:33 a.m.; this gives students 12-minutes to arrive at their class, but are chances of delays is noted; train and buses will not wait.
Guitar considers the train aligning with the campus hour to be a “good reason,” and advises students to ensure in taking an accountant for potential train delays.
“We are in the most densely populated part of the country; there will be train delays and traffic jams, and so you have got an everyday account for those possibilities whether you’re taking a train or taking a car, taking a bus,” Guitar said.
The new schedules will take time for the Kean community to adjust to. As the weeks and months go on, the students and professors will continue to settle into a routine of arriving to classes at strict new times. When registration season starts, the student body can select their classes according to the times that work for them and whatever their commutes may be.
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