Private nonprofit · College

Pillar College

Newark, New Jersey · Large city

#5 best value in New Jersey
Admit rate
$8,470
Avg net price
38%
Graduation rate
$45,577
Median earnings

Pillar College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Newark, New Jersey (large city setting), enrolling 498 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It has a Other religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 498 undergradsLarge cityCold wintersNear the coast

About Newark, New Jersey

Newark is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. Newark was settled in 1666 by Connecticut Puritans led by Robert Treat from the New Haven Colony. It was conceived as a theocratic assembly of the faithful, though this did not last for long as new settlers came with different ideas. Gothic architecture can be found at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart by Branch Brook Park, which is one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the United States. It is rumored to have as much stained glass as the Cathedral of Chartres. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
9 miles to New York, NY
To the ocean
3 miles
Nearest airport
3 miles to Newark Liberty (EWR) · major hub

How Pillar College compares

Graduation rate38%

Higher than 20% · #30 of 47 in New Jersey

First-year retention74%

Higher than 43%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,577

Higher than 26% · #34 of 38 in New Jersey

Average net price$8,470

Cheaper than 94% · #5 cheapest of 46 in New Jersey

Median debt at graduation$21,483

Lower than 65%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment498

Larger than 22%

Percentiles compare Pillar College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New Jersey.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

542students
  • Undergraduate49892%
  • Graduate448%

Undergraduates by gender

498undergrads
  • Women33667%
  • Men16233%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White59%
  • Black11%
  • Hispanic28%
  • Asian0.8%
  • Other or multiracial1.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
498
Graduate enrollment
44
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
70%
First-generation students
59%
Students over 25
53%
Median family income
$18,259
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$47,385
Endowment
$298,423

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$25,900
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$38,047
Average net price
$8,470

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)
38%
Graduated on time (4 years)
0%
First-year retention
74%
Transferred to another college
8%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$37,885
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$45,577
Median debt at graduation
$21,483
Students with federal loans
42%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
27%

About 38% 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
No
Application fee
$50

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%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (556 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.

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
$15,139
$30–48k
$7,114
$48–75k
$3,181
$75–110k
$4,411
$110k+

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
$17,496

$3,181/year × about 5.5 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.

88%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$13,705
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 88% — get grant money from Pillar College itself, averaging $13,705, which softens the sticker price.

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 110 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)
$45,577
Typical debt at graduation
$21,483
Debt vs. one year's pay
47%
Out-earn a HS grad
59%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

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
$43,149
Men
$47,826

Men out-earn women by $4,677 (11%) 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
87°F
Winter low
25°F
Annual rain
50.4″
Annual snow
28.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.54.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Harrison, NJ US station (1.1 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 Pillar College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Pillar College side by side →

Colleges near Pillar College

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.