# Widener University

Private nonprofit college in Chester, PA. IPEDS ID 216852.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/widener-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/widener-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 71% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $25,759 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 68%; beats 66% of PA colleges and 76% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $70,920; beats 83% of PA colleges and 86% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $24,567

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $21,200 |
| 30-48k | $22,275 |
| 48-75k | $22,514 |
| 75-110k | $25,900 |
| 110k+ | $32,296 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.15 years on average (56% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $70,920 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in PA (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $21,200 | $87,980 | 2.5 years |
| 30-48k | $22,275 | $92,441 | 2.6 years |
| 48-75k | $22,514 | $93,433 | 2.7 years |
| 75-110k | $25,900 | $107,485 | 3.1 years |
| 110k+ | $32,296 | $134,028 | 3.8 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $70,621
- Tuition and fees: $55,730
- Housing and meals: $15,530; books: $1,408

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 550–650; SAT math: 530–640; ACT: not reported (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 7,167 applicants, 6,022 admitted, 894 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 71%, ACT not reported (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 84%, ACT not reported (IPEDS Admissions)

### Common Data Set 2024-25 (Fall 2024)
- Very important: none; important: none; considered: none
- Early decision: not reported; early action: not reported; waitlist: not reported
- Average high school GPA of enrolled first-years: 3.52
- Aid (full-time first-years): average 80% of need met; 114 of 834 with need fully met; merit aid to students without need: 94 students, average $33,052
- Source: https://www.widener.edu/sites/default/files/2025-09/CDS_2024-2025-WU.pdf

## Majors (56 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | $70,817 | $98,777 | $26,739 |
| Nursing | $83,528 | $98,272 | $27,000 |
| Computer Science | $51,536 | $96,427 | $27,000 |
| Electrical Engineering | $82,611 | $95,901 | $26,500 |
| Chemical Engineering | $71,160 | $91,145 | $27,000 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $68,762 | $89,794 | $27,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $65,515 | $88,358 | $27,000 |
| Civil Engineering | $69,289 | $80,117 | $27,000 |
| Psychology, Other | not reported | $79,923 | $27,000 |
| Finance | $62,672 | $78,817 | $26,980 |
| Accounting | $65,071 | $77,426 | $27,000 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other | $42,408 | $73,790 | $27,000 |
| Biology | $35,142 | $73,535 | $26,999 |
| Business Administration | not reported | $62,434 | not reported |
| Psychology | $37,224 | $61,205 | $27,000 |
| Criminal Justice | $31,663 | $60,555 | $27,000 |
| Social Work | not reported | $59,654 | $30,750 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | not reported | $58,159 | not reported |
| Hospitality Management | $37,861 | $56,345 | $23,250 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $44,840 | $54,136 | $27,000 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | not reported | $53,906 | not reported |
| Journalism | $22,058 | $53,724 | not reported |
| Political Science | not reported | $52,765 | $27,000 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Communications | $30,732 | not reported | not reported |
| Information Science / Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Special Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Legal Support Services | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| English | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Writing | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biochemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Social Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Anthropology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International Relations | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sociology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Studio Art | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Health Administration | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Business | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Business Economics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International Business | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Management Science / Analytics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Marketing | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| History | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Nursing → Registered nurse: median wage $101,180 (Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD), $96,430 (PA), $97,550 (U.S.)
- Mechanical Engineering → Mechanical engineer: median wage $104,410 (Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD), $97,920 (PA), $104,110 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).