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.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,135 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 90% admitNCAA Division I without footballCold wintersNear the coast

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

Selectivity90.3%

More selective than 23% · #33 most selective of 43 in New Jersey

Graduation rate58%

Higher than 58% · #18 of 47 in New Jersey

First-year retention72%

Higher than 36%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$57,815

Higher than 62% · #20 of 38 in New Jersey

Average net price$12,199

Cheaper than 84% · #13 cheapest of 46 in New Jersey

Median debt at graduation$20,500

Lower than 72%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment2,135

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

3,444students
  • Undergraduate2,13562%
  • Graduate1,30938%

Undergraduates by gender

2,135undergrads
  • 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)

All students
48%
Low-income (Pell)
53%
First-generation
52%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)125
Soccer57
Baseball46
Swimming34
Basketball28
Volleyball20
Softball16
Golf9

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.

3.0reported offenses a year
2.0 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault
1.3
Burglary
0.7
Murder
0.3
Fondling
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

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
$10,783
$30–48k
$10,643
$48–75k
$9,952
$75–110k
$13,569
$110k+
$21,829

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
$42,473

$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.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$25,197
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$56,485
Men
$60,811

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

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.54.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Harrison, NJ US station (4.5 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 Saint Peter's University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Saint Peter's University side by side →

Colleges near Saint Peter's 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.