Stockton University in New Jersey offers a solid public university experience without the enormous scale of the flagship state schools. You get better access to professors and more personal attention than you would at Rutgers, but you're not paying private school tuition. The campus is attractive, the student body is engaged, and the academic quality varies but is generally respectable across programs.
The business and sciences are the standout programs, and the location between New York City and Atlantic City gives you internship opportunities in multiple directions. The campus culture is unpretentious and generally inclusive. The cost for in-state students is reasonable; out-of-state is steeper but still cheaper than private alternatives.
Best for students who want a mid-sized public university with decent faculty access, solid academics without the cutthroat competition of flagship schools, and a campus that actually feels like a college community. It's not prestigious enough to impress on a resume alone, but it's a solid education at a fair price.