Private nonprofit · University

Edward Waters University

Jacksonville, Florida · Large city

85.0%
Admit rate
$13,649
Avg net price
28%
Graduation rate
$34,782
Median earnings

Edward Waters University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Jacksonville, Florida (large city setting), enrolling 1,087 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). It has a African Methodist Episcopal religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,087 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 85% admitNCAA Division II with football · Southern Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceNear the coast

About Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville, colloquially nicknamed Jax, is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. On Black Hammock Island in the national Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, a University of North Florida team discovered some of the oldest remnants of pottery in the United States, dating to 2500 BCE. Throughout the year, many annual events are held in Jacksonville. In sports, the annual Gate River Run has been held annually since March 1977. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
17 miles
Nearest airport
10 miles to Jacksonville (JAX) · major hub

How Edward Waters University compares

Selectivity85.0%

More selective than 35% · #41 most selective of 49 in Florida

Graduation rate28%

Higher than 10% · #56 of 62 in Florida

First-year retention54%

Higher than 8%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$34,782

Higher than 7% · #52 of 60 in Florida

Average net price$13,649

Cheaper than 78% · #17 cheapest of 62 in Florida

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment1,087

Larger than 39%

Percentiles compare Edward Waters University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Florida.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,177students
  • Undergraduate1,08792%
  • Graduate908%

Undergraduates by gender

1,087undergrads
  • Women50346%
  • Men58454%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White5.2%
  • Black85%
  • Hispanic4.5%
  • Other or multiracial4.9%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,087
Graduate enrollment
90
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
75%
First-generation students
50%
Students over 25
14%
Median family income
$19,476
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$52,200
Endowment
$5,527,915

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 313 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Florida85%
  • Other U.S. states13%
  • International1.6%

Most first-years stay in state — Edward Waters University draws overwhelmingly from Florida.

2% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
85.0%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$16,366
Room & board
$8,571
Books & supplies
$0
Total cost of attendance
$26,617
Average net price
$13,649

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
28%
Graduated on time (4 years)
16%
First-year retention
54%
Transferred to another college
19%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$29,809
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$34,782
Median debt at graduation
Students with federal loans
68%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
10%

About 12% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
596
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
55%
Housing charge (year)
$3,788
Meal plan (year)
$4,222
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
492 (328 men · 164 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (9)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)131
Football122
Baseball73
Basketball68
Volleyball37
Soccer26
Softball21
Tennis8
Golf6

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
4.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
5
Property offenses (2022–2024)
12

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,177 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

5.7reported offenses a year
1.7 violent a year4.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
2.7
Motor vehicle theft
1.3
Rape
1.0
Aggravated assault
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$12,380
$30–48k
$12,113
$48–75k
$9,743
$75–110k
$21,661
$110k+
$20,865

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$45,235

$9,743/year × about 4.6 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

84%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$7,504
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 84% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $7,504. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 309 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$34,782
Typical debt at graduation
Debt vs. one year's pay
Out-earn a HS grad
32%
Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$33,682
Men
$35,240

Men out-earn women by $1,558 (5%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
92°F
Winter low
47°F
Annual rain
47.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.67.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Jacksonville Nas, FL US station (7.8 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Edward Waters University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Edward Waters University side by side →

Colleges near Edward Waters University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.