# William Paterson University of New Jersey

Public college in Wayne, NJ. IPEDS ID 187444.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/william-paterson-university-of-new-jersey · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/william-paterson-university-of-new-jersey.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 90% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $18,745 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 44%; beats 23% of NJ colleges and 32% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $57,780; beats 42% of NJ colleges and 64% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $15,750

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $16,171 |
| 30-48k | $18,287 |
| 48-75k | $18,505 |
| 75-110k | $22,862 |
| 110k+ | $24,917 |

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

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.47 years on average (29% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $57,780 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $36,661 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NJ (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $16,171 | $72,284 | 3.4 years |
| 30-48k | $18,287 | $81,743 | 3.9 years |
| 48-75k | $18,505 | $82,717 | 3.9 years |
| 75-110k | $22,862 | $102,193 | 4.8 years |
| 110k+ | $24,917 | $111,379 | 5.3 years |

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

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $28,476 in-state; about $38,116 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $15,704 in-state, $25,344 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $15,990; books: $1,600

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: not reported; SAT math: not reported; ACT: not reported (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 7,754 applicants, 7,174 admitted, 883 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 90%, ACT not reported (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 93%, ACT not reported (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (45 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $92,257 | $101,328 | $24,000 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $42,552 | $76,282 | $26,750 |
| Accounting | $45,589 | $71,745 | $24,500 |
| Mathematics | $42,187 | $71,340 | $24,010 |
| Biology | $42,492 | $71,026 | $25,860 |
| Economics | $43,148 | $70,705 | $28,281 |
| Finance | $49,895 | $70,356 | $22,234 |
| Management Science / Analytics | $44,322 | $66,745 | $24,347 |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | $58,854 | $63,203 | $31,000 |
| Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders | $24,702 | $63,108 | $18,947 |
| Marketing | $37,740 | $61,156 | $25,500 |
| Criminal Justice | $35,864 | $58,108 | $25,000 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $31,382 | $55,592 | $29,189 |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | $32,581 | $54,607 | $26,750 |
| Communications | $31,870 | $53,589 | $26,439 |
| Sociology | $35,528 | $53,253 | $25,531 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | $39,228 | $51,502 | $26,000 |
| International Business | not reported | $49,470 | not reported |
| Psychology | $32,418 | $48,985 | $25,000 |
| Political Science | $37,801 | $48,101 | $26,000 |
| Health Sciences | $34,657 | $46,711 | $26,500 |
| Studio Art | $23,892 | $44,298 | $27,000 |
| English | $27,573 | $42,632 | $25,724 |
| Music | $26,621 | $39,553 | $26,875 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $40,613 | not reported | not reported |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $54,093 | not reported | $24,671 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Legal Studies / Paralegal | $30,326 | not reported | not reported |
| Biochemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biotechnology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Community Organization and Advocacy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Anthropology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geography | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Urban Studies / Affairs | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Pre-Med / Pre-Health | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Business Administration | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| History | not reported | not reported | $25,000 |

## Major to career
- Communications → Public relations specialist: median wage $84,130 (New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ), $80,130 (NJ), $74,750 (U.S.)
- Criminal Justice → Police officer: median wage $105,540 (New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ), $92,610 (NJ), $76,210 (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).