Wilkes University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It enrolls 1,985 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
57/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes48
Value32
Affordability38
Selectivity33
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Wilkes University admits 90.6% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.
Acceptance Rate
90.6%
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1020 – 1250
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
22 – 29
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Wilkes University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
12.8 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $27,743 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$43,496
Room & Board (on-campus)
$16,166
Room & Board (off-campus)
$10,280
Books & Supplies
$400
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,193
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,193
Total Cost of Attendance
$56,765
Application fee: $40 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$25,062
$30,001 – $48,000
$23,440
$48,001 – $75,000
$26,432
$75,001 – $110,000
$27,843
Over $110,000
$31,638
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$4,75010%percentile
$7,50025%percentile
$26,000Medianpercentile
$27,00075%percentile
$32,50090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $22,428
↓ $3,572
No Pell $19,500
↓ $6,500
Dependent students $21,250
↓ $4,750
Independent students $20,250
↓ $5,750
Female students $20,250
↓ $5,750
Male students $20,500
↓ $5,500
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,560, less than completers ($26,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
62% of students who start here finish within six years, and 72% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
62%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
72%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $63,454 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$63,454
Earning > $25K
87%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$55,700
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$61,900
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$48,500
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$55,800
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$64,800
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $6,200, about 10% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
14.2 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Excellent. 94% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,985 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 35% are the first in their family to go to college.
Total Enrolled
1,985
Part-Time
5%
First-Generation
35%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 66.3%1,316
Hispanic 11.6%231
International 8.4%166
Black 6.0%119
Other 3.8%75
Asian 3.0%59
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Wilkes University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Wilkes University offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
51 distinct programs across
19 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 13 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
13:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$144M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$85,498
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
162 instructional faculty across 5 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
32
20%
$109,713
Associate Professors
67
41%
$87,058
Assistant Professors
45
28%
$73,967
Instructors
1
1%
$59,000
No Rank
17
10%
$65,851
Pros & Cons of Wilkes University
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Wilkes University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Best for:
Based on the data, Wilkes University is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.
Frequently Asked Questions about Wilkes University
The questions families ask most about Wilkes University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Wilkes University hard to get into?
Not especially. Wilkes University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 90.6%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Wilkes University?
90.6% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Wilkes University?
Aim for 1250 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 1020 and 1250 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Wilkes University?
Aim for 29 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 22 and 29 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Wilkes University cost?
Budget around $27,743 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Wilkes University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $63,454 a year against a net price of $27,743, about 2.3 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Wilkes University known for?
Mostly Nursing, Teaching Specific Subjects, Nursing. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Wilkes University graduates earn?
About $63,454 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Wilkes University accredited?
Yes. Wilkes University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Wilkes University?
1,985 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Wilkes University?
62% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Wilkes University a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Wilkes University located?
Wilkes University is located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
What programs does Wilkes University offer?
51 different programs, most commonly Nursing, Teaching Specific Subjects, Nursing. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Wilkes University?
13 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Related Colleges in Pennsylvania
Other colleges in Pennsylvania share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Nursing
Business Administration
Education, General
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