Doctoral/ProfessionalPrivate nonprofit

Widener University

Chester, Pennsylvania·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Mid East·widener.edu
6-yr Graduation
68%
+3.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
Total enrollment
5,713
peer median 4,732
Avg net price
$30,470
+$5.2k vs Doctoral/Professional
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
9,350
9,350 candidates competed
Admitted
6,632
70.9% acceptance rate
Enrolled
916
13.8% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
68%+3.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
4-year graduation
61%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
68%
Full-time retention
78%

Pell equity

17.0pp gap
Pell recipients
55%
Non-Pell
72%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 17.0-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 137 Title IV programs, 34 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 103 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
137
Passing
34
24.8% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

137programs
  • Passing34 · 24.8%
  • No Data103 · 75.2%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
33
No data
103

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.

34
Ethnic Cultural Minority Gender and Group Studies
Master's Degree · Area, Ethnic, Cultural, And Gender Studies
+23.5%
$63,673 vs $51,545
Ethnic Cultural Minority Gender and Group Studies
Doctoral Degree · Area, Ethnic, Cultural, And Gender Studies
+44.4%
$74,436 vs $51,545
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+49.6%
$87,889 vs $58,761
Political Science and Government
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+49.6%
$52,765 vs $35,274
Journalism
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+52.3%
$53,724 vs $35,274
Public Relations Advertising and Applied Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+52.8%
$53,906 vs $35,274
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+53.5%
$54,136 vs $35,274
Law
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
+53.7%
$83,799 vs $54,534

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

28
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Doctoral Degree · Psychology
169%
$163,685 debt · $96,854 earn
Law
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
159%
$132,980 debt · $83,799 earn
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
119%
$80,923 debt · $67,786 earn
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
111%
$97,399 debt · $87,889 earn
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
101%
$99,000 debt · $98,402 earn
Ethnic Cultural Minority Gender and Group Studies
Master's Degree · Area, Ethnic, Cultural, And Gender Studies
97%
$61,500 debt · $63,673 earn
Political Science and Government
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
51%
$27,000 debt · $52,765 earn
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
51%
$30,500 debt · $59,654 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Accredited since 1954Next review Jan 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 15

Action history · 10

  1. Jul 2025Initial Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  2. Oct 2024Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics
  3. Aug 2024Voluntary Withdrawal Received
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics
  4. Dec 2021Initial Accreditation
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTD) - Programs leading to a Doctoral Degree
  5. Apr 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Clinical Psychology (CLPSYD) - PsyD Doctoral programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$25,328
$30–48k$25,620
$48–75k$28,722
$75–110k$31,013
$110k+$34,560

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$30,470
+$5,201vs Doctoral/Professional median $25,269
Federal loans
73.5%
In-state tuition
$53,638
Out-of-state
$53,638

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 1,372 students received $8.0M in Pell grants, alongside $79.5M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,372
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$8.0M
$8,035,045 total
Direct Loans
$79.5M
7,068 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$7.2M
1,831 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$7.4M
2,176 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$32.1M
1,726 loan awards
Parent PLUS$9.2M
478 loan awards
Grad PLUS$23.6M
857 loan awards

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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 1,646 borrowers who entered repayment, 16 (0.9%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.9%
-1.4pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,646
Defaulted
16
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
4.0%
2017
4.8%
2018
2.6%
2019
0.9%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* 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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Widener

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs115
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,492 total completions
01Health Professions
41427.7%
02Legal Professions
34222.9%
03Public Admin
20813.9%
04Business
16611.1%
05Engineering
1258.4%
06Psychology
1117.4%
07Education
563.8%
08Biological Sciences
302.0%
09Computer Sciences
221.5%
10Security/Protective
181.2%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
5,713
12-mo unduplicated
6,270
Undergraduate
3,046
Graduate
3,224

Gender split

Men
34%2,110
Women
66%4,160

Race / ethnicity composition

White
58.7%
Black
23.2%
Hispanic
8.0%
Asian
4.0%
Unknown
2.8%
Non-resident
1.6%
Two or more
1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
528
330 M · 198 W
Women athletes
37.5%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$4.5M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$21K
$12K
Head-coach salaries
$47K
$39K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 12

Football
102 M ·
$527K
Track and Field (Indoor)
46 M · 42 W
$124K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
46 M · 42 W
$124K
Lacrosse
47 M · 26 W
$256K
Soccer
36 M · 30 W
$284K
Baseball
40 M ·
$190K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
4.43
24 offenses · 5,416 students

3-year trend

1.142 yrs ago2.041 yr ago4.43Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
43
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
20
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
4
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Aggravated assault
10
Burglary
4
Fondling
4
Motor vehicle theft
3
Rape
1
Arson
1
Robbery
1

By location

24total
  • On campus18
  • Public property6

Includes 7 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
2
Dating violence
10
Stalking
12 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race3
  • Sexual orientation1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons20
Drugs122
Liquor120

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
11.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
273

Widener vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Widener selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

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
SubjectWidener University
68%5,713$30,470Doctoral/Professional
Robert Morris University
66%89.9%5,275$25,747Doctoral/Professional
Wilkes University
63%90.6%5,381$27,700Doctoral/Professional
Gannon University
67%74.2%4,189$23,206Doctoral/Professional
La Salle University
58%96.6%3,153$21,409Doctoral/Professional
Point Park University
59%96.9%3,448$24,791Doctoral/Professional
Peer group median65%90.6%4,732$25,269

Frequently asked questions about Widener University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Widener.

What is the graduation rate at Widener University?

Widener University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 68% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Widener University?

Widener University reports a total enrollment of 5,713 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Widener University?

The average net price at Widener University is $30,470 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Widener University?

Widener University's yield rate is 13.8%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Widener University located?

Widener University is located in Chester, Pennsylvania 19013-5792.

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