William Paterson University of New Jersey is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Wayne, New Jersey. It enrolls 6,614 students (a large 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
63/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes31
Value64
Affordability69
Selectivity21
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
William Paterson University of New Jersey admits 90.1% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.
Acceptance Rate
90.1%
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
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 William Paterson University of New Jersey is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
17.3 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 $18,745 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. 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 (in-state)
$15,704
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$25,344
Room & Board (on-campus)
$16,240
Room & Board (off-campus)
$13,678
Books & Supplies
$1,600
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,166
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$5,002
Total Cost of Attendance
$28,476
Application fee: $50 (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
$16,171
$30,001 – $48,000
$18,287
$48,001 – $75,000
$18,505
$75,001 – $110,000
$22,862
Over $110,000
$24,917
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.
$4,50010%percentile
$7,50025%percentile
$22,334Medianpercentile
$27,00075%percentile
$35,50090%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 $16,250
↓ $6,084
No Pell $15,000
↓ $7,334
Dependent students $15,174
↓ $7,160
Independent students $17,769
↓ $4,565
Female students $16,250
↓ $6,084
Male students $15,000
↓ $7,334
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $9,500, less than completers ($22,334), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
58% of students who start here finish within six years, and 73% 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
58%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
73%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $57,780 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$57,780
Earning > $25K
80%
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
$45,700
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$53,600
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$46,300
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$48,500
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$51,300
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $7,900, about 15% 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 ↑
18.9 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 81% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 6,614 students, a large student community. Worth knowing: 44% are the first in their family to go to college.
Total Enrolled
6,614
Part-Time
21%
First-Generation
44%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 34.1%2,253
White 29.6%1,958
Black 21.7%1,433
Asian 6.8%451
International 2.6%170
Other 2.5%164
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at William Paterson University of New Jersey. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
William Paterson University of New Jersey offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
77 distinct programs across
23 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 17 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.
Student : Faculty
17:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$13,937
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$37M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$113,230
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
252 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
155
62%
$129,818
Associate Professors
65
26%
$102,388
Assistant Professors
27
11%
$86,157
Instructors
4
2%
$72,349
No Rank
1
0%
$81,620
Pros & Cons of William Paterson University of New Jersey
No college is right for everyone. Here is where William Paterson University of New Jersey is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Best for:
Based on the data, William Paterson University of New Jersey is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.
Frequently Asked Questions about William Paterson University of New Jersey
The questions families ask most about William Paterson University of New Jersey, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is William Paterson University of New Jersey hard to get into?
Not especially. William Paterson University of New Jersey admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 90.1%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at William Paterson University of New Jersey?
90.1% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does William Paterson University of New Jersey cost?
Budget around $18,745 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 William Paterson University of New Jersey worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $57,780 a year against a net price of $18,745, about 3.1 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 William Paterson University of New Jersey known for?
Mostly Nursing, Business Administration, Psychology. 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 William Paterson University of New Jersey graduates earn?
About $57,780 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 William Paterson University of New Jersey accredited?
Yes. William Paterson University of New Jersey is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend William Paterson University of New Jersey?
6,614 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at William Paterson University of New Jersey?
58% 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 William Paterson University of New Jersey a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is William Paterson University of New Jersey located?
William Paterson University of New Jersey is located in Wayne, New Jersey.
What programs does William Paterson University of New Jersey offer?
77 different programs, most commonly Nursing, Business Administration, Psychology. 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 William Paterson University of New Jersey?
17 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Related Colleges in New Jersey
Other colleges in New Jersey 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.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
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