Wilkes University
About
Wilkes University is a private university in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It has over 2,200 undergraduates and over 2,200 graduate students. Wilkes was founded in 1933 as a satellite campus of Bucknell University, and became an independent institution in 1947, naming itself Wilkes College, after English radical politician John Wilkes after whom Wilkes-Barre is named. The school was granted university status in January 1990. It is classified among "Doctoral/Professional Universities" (D/PU) and accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
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 15.7-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 81 Title IV programs, 21 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 59 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing21 · 25.9%
- No Data59 · 72.8%
- Failing1 · 1.2%
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.
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 · 5
Action history · 10
- Apr 2024Renewal of AccreditationCommission on English Language Program Accreditation · English Language
- Apr 2021Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels
- Jan 2021Renewal of AccreditationAccreditation Council for Pharmacy Education · Pharmacy (PHAR) - Professional degree programs
- Nov 2020Renewal of AccreditationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Apr 2020Grant Substantive Change: DegreeMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
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, 829 students received $4.8M in Pell grants, alongside $40.7M 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 1,124 borrowers who entered repayment, 17 (1.5%) 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 Wilkes
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 · 14
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 campus6
- Public property1
Includes 4 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
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Wilkes vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Wilkes 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectWilkes University | 63% | — | 5,381 | $27,743 | Doctoral/Professional |
| 72% | 81.9% | 2,940 | $12,547 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 69% | 70.5% | 4,696 | $22,130 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 72% | 67.7% | 5,017 | $24,739 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 70% | 68.9% | 9,196 | $23,847 | R2 Research | |
| 66% | 89.9% | 5,275 | $23,003 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 59% | 97.8% | 3,456 | $21,145 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 85% | 44.5% | 12,938 | $36,660 | R2 Research | |
| 79% | 82.8% | 5,243 | $29,561 | R2 Research | |
| 66% | 60.4% | 2,713 | $27,171 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 57% | 95.7% | 6,015 | $30,282 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 85% | 40.1% | 11,946 | $29,278 | R1 Research | |
| 50% | 98.1% | 7,047 | $22,775 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 68% | 71.3% | 6,944 | $25,447 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 68% | 70.9% | 5,713 | $25,759 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 85% | 55.6% | 6,965 | $49,965 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| Peer group median | 69% | 70.9% | 5,547 | $25,603 |
Institutions like Wilkes
Explore the federal data for institutions in Wilkes's comparison group.
- Doctoral/ProfessionalMichigan
Andrews University
Grad rate72%Admit rate81.9%Enrollment2,940Net price$12,547View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalArkansas
Harding University
Grad rate69%Admit rate70.5%Enrollment4,696Net price$22,130View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalTennessee
Lipscomb University
Grad rate72%Admit rate67.7%Enrollment5,017Net price$24,739View data - R2 ResearchGeorgia
Mercer University
Grad rate70%Admit rate68.9%Enrollment9,196Net price$23,847View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalPennsylvania
Robert Morris University
Grad rate66%Admit rate89.9%Enrollment5,275Net price$23,003View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsTexas
St. Mary's University
Grad rate59%Admit rate97.8%Enrollment3,456Net price$21,145View data - R2 ResearchTexas
Texas Christian University
Grad rate85%Admit rate44.5%Enrollment12,938Net price$36,660View data - R2 ResearchDistrict of Columbia
The Catholic University of America
Grad rate79%Admit rate82.8%Enrollment5,243Net price$29,561View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalTennessee
Union University
Grad rate66%Admit rate60.4%Enrollment2,713Net price$27,171View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalConnecticut
University of Hartford
Grad rate57%Admit rate95.7%Enrollment6,015Net price$30,282View data - R1 ResearchNew York
University of Rochester
Grad rate85%Admit rate40.1%Enrollment11,946Net price$29,278View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalTexas
University of the Incarnate Word
Grad rate50%Admit rate98.1%Enrollment7,047Net price$22,775View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalCalifornia
University of the Pacific
Grad rate68%Admit rate71.3%Enrollment6,944Net price$25,447View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalPennsylvania
Widener University
Grad rate68%Admit rate70.9%Enrollment5,713Net price$25,759View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalNew York
Yeshiva University
Grad rate85%Admit rate55.6%Enrollment6,965Net price$49,965View data
Wilkes Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The mission of the Office of Institutional Research is to advance institutional effectiveness through data analysis, compliance reporting, and support for university assessment, informed decision-making, and planning processes.
Visit IR office page- Dr. Brian BogertDirector
- Carol MurrayResearch Associate
- Julia PanzittaAssociate Director
Common Data Set
Wilkes's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.
Selectivity & Admissions
Admissions funnel
C18,528 applied → 8,014 admitted (94.0%) → 560 enrolled.
Selectivity
C1Accessible — 94.0% acceptance rate.
Admit rate by gender
C1Admit rate varies by gender.
SAT range (middle 50%)
C9Middle 50% SAT 1065–1280 (median 1215).
ACT range (middle 50%)
C9Middle 50% ACT 19–28 (median 26).
High-school class rank
C10Share of enrolled first-years by HS class-rank band.
What matters in admission
C7Relative importance of each admission factor.
Affordability & Value
Cost of attendance
GTotal sticker cost of attendance is $67,658 (2025-2026).
Sticker vs. net price
G+HSticker $67,658 → about $35,486 net for aided students after the average need-based grant ($32,172); 82% of demonstrated need is met.
Where grant aid comes from
H129% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.
Graduate debt
H4/H579% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $49,859 on average.
Outcomes & Equity
Graduation & retention
B6-year graduation rate 59%; first-year retention 68%.
Equity: Pell graduation gap
B4Pell-grant recipients graduate 15 pts below the overall rate (44% vs 59%).
Academic Experience
Class-size distribution
I357% of classes have under 20 students; 2% have 50+.
Faculty profile
IKey faculty indicators.
Student Body & Diversity
Undergraduate race/ethnicity
B2Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.
International students
B25% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).
Undergrad vs graduate
B12,055 undergraduates and 3,434 graduate students.
Transfer Path
Transfer admissions
D1409 transfer applicants → 301 admitted (73.5%) → 105 enrolled — more selective than first-year admission.
Source publications
Reports & documents (6)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DashboardDashboardtoday.wilkes.edu
- Data definitionCommon Data Set | Wilkes UniversityThe Wilkes University Common Data Set is part of an initiative aimed at standardizing data reporting in higher education to improve information accuracy and ease the data reporting process. This page offers access to common data sets for recent years, and serves as a resource for institutional research information at Wilkes University.wilkes.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookWilkes University Fact Book2026The Wilkes University Fact Book is a publication provided by the Office of Institutional Research at Wilkes University. It offers various reports for different academic years, from 2017-2018 to 2025-2026. The page provides links to view these reports in PDF format, as well as additional resources such as the Common Data Set, Academic Department Data Book, and Survey Research Repository. The Fact Book likely includes institutional data and key metrics about the university, though specific metrics from the text are not detailed.wilkes.edu
- GlossaryInstitutional Research | Wilkes UniversityThe Institutional Research Office at Wilkes University is dedicated to enhancing institutional effectiveness through data-driven support and reporting. Its mission focuses on compliance, assessment, and informed planning. The office values collaboration, continuous improvement, integrity, quality, and focuses on impacting student success. It is primarily responsible for mandatory reporting, creating key data resources, supporting administrative decision-making, and conducting relevant survey research.wilkes.edu
- Strategic planInnovate. Engage. Thrive.2023Wilkes University's strategic plan, Innovate. Engage. Thrive., spans from 2023 to 2028 and focuses on leveraging the university's strengths and opportunities in a post-pandemic environment. The plan includes six thematic goals aiming to enhance academic and student success, community engagement and service, innovation, financial resilience, and infrastructure optimization. This strategic direction was endorsed by the University's Board of Trustees in June 2023 and builds on the achievements of the previous 'Bridge to the Future' plan.wilkes.edu
Notable alumni of Wilkes (22)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Ruthlane Uy Asmundson
- Ann Bartuska
- Jackson Berkey
- Gabriel J. Campana
- Catherine Chandler
- Jesse Choper
- Brian F. Curran
- Karen Devine
- William Evanina
- Donora Hillard
- Marlon JamesLiterature
- Daniel Klem
Frequently asked questions about Wilkes University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Wilkes.
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About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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