Roberts Wesleyan University
About
Roberts Wesleyan University is a private Christian university in Chili, New York, near Rochester, New York, United States. It was the first educational institution established for Free Methodists in North America. Roberts is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. In the fall of 2023, Roberts Wesleyan enrolled 1621 students in undergraduate, graduate, adult degree completion and doctoral programs.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 2.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 72 Title IV programs, 15 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 56 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing15 · 20.8%
- No Data56 · 77.8%
- Failing1 · 1.4%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Programmatic accreditations · 12
Action history · 15
- Jun 2025Renewal of AccreditationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Oct 2024Grant Substantive Change: OtherMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Jun 2024Grant Substantive Change: OwnershipMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Jun 2024Grant Substantive Change: OtherMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Dec 2023Initial AccreditationAmerican Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTD) - Programs leading to a Doctoral Degree
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 501 students received $2.7M in Pell grants, alongside $13.4M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 642 borrowers who entered repayment, 6 (0.9%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Roberts Wesleyan
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 11
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus2
Includes 1 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- Updyke Hall1 fireCookingDamage $0-$99
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Roberts Wesleyan vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Roberts Wesleyan selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectRoberts Wesleyan University | 67% | — | 1,960 | $23,461 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Cedarville University | 73% | 65.3% | 6,318 | $25,022 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Eastern Nazarene College | 39% | 59.0% | 60 | $17,733 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs |
Eastern University | 60% | 90.8% | 8,727 | $25,885 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Geneva College | 61% | 79.0% | 1,366 | $21,043 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs |
Gordon College | 69% | 69.2% | 1,595 | $24,817 | Baccalaureate |
Grove City College | 83% | 72.3% | 2,383 | — | Baccalaureate |
Houghton University | 67% | 88.7% | 1,200 | $21,148 | Baccalaureate |
Malone University | 45% | 75.9% | 1,256 | $22,881 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs |
Messiah University | 75% | 79.0% | 3,373 | $27,686 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Spring Arbor University | 63% | 51.5% | 2,441 | $20,899 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Taylor University | 74% | 73.5% | 2,548 | $24,327 | Baccalaureate |
| Peer group median | 67% | 73.5% | 2,172 | $23,461 |
Reports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planVision 2030 Strategic PlanRoberts Wesleyan University has launched the Vision 2030 Strategic Plan, aiming to position itself as New York's leading university for character education. The strategic framework is built upon four pillars: being anchored in Christian faith, offering customized educational pathways, preparing students to be ready to lead, and fostering flourishing communities. The university is committed to integrating faith with learning, developing students’ personal and spiritual dimensions, and offering immersive, career-enhancing experiences to produce graduates ready to make significant contributions to society.roberts.edu
Notable alumni of Roberts Wesleyan (15)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Timothy D. Bellavia
- Daniel BennettMusic
- Michael CunninghamAthletics
- Adam Earnheardt
- Juan Pablo Galavis
- David F. GanttPolitics
- Richard GoddardAthletics
- Izzy Groves
- Brian KolbPolitics
- Laurel Libby
- Kevin W. Mannoia
- Malcolm ShawAthletics
Frequently asked questions about Roberts Wesleyan University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Roberts Wesleyan.
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