Private nonprofit · University
Saint Peter's University
Jersey City, New Jersey · Large city
- 90.3%
- Admit rate
- $12,199
- Avg net price
- 58%
- Graduation rate
- $57,815
- Median earnings
Saint Peter's University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Jersey City, New Jersey (large city setting), enrolling 2,135 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.
About Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark. In 1609, Henry Hudson, seeking an alternate route to East Asia on behalf of the Dutch East India Company, anchored his small vessel Halve Maen (English: Half Moon) at Sandy Hook, Harsimus Cove and Weehawken Cove, and elsewhere along what was later named the North River. Jersey City is a regional employment center and one of the largest in the state with over 100,000 private and public sector jobs, creating a daytime swell in population. Many jobs are in the financial and service sectors, as well as in shipping, logistics, and retail. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 4 miles to New York, NY
- To the ocean
- 2 miles
- Nearest airport
- 6 miles to Newark Liberty (EWR) · major hub
How Saint Peter's University compares
More selective than 23% · #33 most selective of 43 in New Jersey
Higher than 58% · #18 of 47 in New Jersey
Higher than 36%
Higher than 62% · #20 of 38 in New Jersey
Cheaper than 84% · #13 cheapest of 46 in New Jersey
Lower than 72%
Lower than 59%
Larger than 59%
Percentiles compare Saint Peter's University 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
- Undergraduate2,13562%
- Graduate1,30938%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,36464%
- Men77136%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White16%
- Black18%
- Hispanic43%
- Asian7.0%
- Other or multiracial17%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,135
- Graduate enrollment
- 1,309
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 52%
- First-generation students
- 48%
- Students over 25
- 10%
- Median family income
- $28,451
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $85,284
- Endowment
- $43,606,171
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 453 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From New Jersey85%
- Other U.S. states12%
- International3.3%
Most first-years stay in state — Saint Peter's University draws overwhelmingly from New Jersey.
3% 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
- 90.3%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $42,552
- Room & board
- $17,794
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $50,272
- Average net price
- $12,199
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)
- 58%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 48%
- First-year retention
- 72%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $42,470
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $57,815
- Median debt at graduation
- $20,500
- Students with federal loans
- 29%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 42%
About 10% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 654
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 31%
- Housing charge (year)
- $11,160
- Meal plan (year)
- $6,434
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I without football
- Varsity athletes
- 335 (187 men · 148 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 (8)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.8 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 6
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 3
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,572 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$9,952/year × about 4.3 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.
Saint Peter's University discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $25,197. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
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 390 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)
- $57,815
- Typical debt at graduation
- $20,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 35%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 62%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $4,326 (8%) 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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Harrison, NJ US station (4.5 mi from campus).
What Saint Peter's University graduates study — and earn
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 Saint Peter's University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Saint Peter's University side by side →
Dominican University
River Forest, Illinois · Large suburb · 10 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 2,561
- Admission
- 90%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1002
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $60k
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus
Teaneck, New Jersey · Large suburb · 13 mi to New York
- Students
- 2,627
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $57k
Saint Xavier University
Chicago, Illinois · Large city · 13 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 3,096
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $11k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $59k
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Winona, Minnesota · Distant town · 101 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 1,073
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $58k
Bay Path University
Longmeadow, Massachusetts · Large suburb · 3 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 1,108
- Admission
- 85%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1120
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $55k
Niagara University
Niagara University, New York · Large suburb · 19 mi to Buffalo
- Students
- 2,653
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1168
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $56k
Colleges near Saint Peter's University
P C Age-Jersey City
Jersey City, NJ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 106 students
Hudson County Community College
Jersey City, NJ · Public · Associate · 6,626 students
Eastern International College-Jersey City
Jersey City, NJ · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 495 students
Garden State Science and Technology Institute
Jersey City, NJ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 917 students
New Jersey City University
Jersey City, NJ · Public · Bachelor's · 3,681 students
Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, NJ · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 4,222 students
Institute of Culinary Education
New York, NY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 589 students
CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College
New York, NY · Public · Associate · 18,623 students
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.














