Private nonprofit · University
Widener University
Chester, Pennsylvania · Large suburb
- 70.9%
- Admit rate
- $25,759
- Avg net price
- 68%
- Graduation rate
- $70,920
- Median earnings
Widener University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Chester, Pennsylvania (large suburb setting), enrolling 2,951 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Widener University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 70.9%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1080–1290
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.40
Enter a test score to see where you land against Widener University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Widener University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The original indigenous name of Chester was Mecoponaca, which means "the stream along which large potatoes grow". About 27.3% of families and 33.1% of the total population were below the poverty line, including 47.7% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 12 miles to Philadelphia, PA
- To the ocean
- 1 mile
- Nearest airport
- 6 miles to Philadelphia (PHL) · major hub
How Widener University compares
More selective than 62% · #26 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania
Higher than 52%
Higher than 75% · #40 of 116 in Pennsylvania
Higher than 57%
Higher than 84% · #20 of 116 in Pennsylvania
Cheaper than 26% · #69 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania
Lower than 11%
Lower than 68%
Larger than 69%
Percentiles compare Widener University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Pennsylvania.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate2,95152%
- Graduate2,73848%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,78861%
- Men1,16339%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White51%
- Black29%
- Hispanic9.7%
- Asian4.1%
- Other or multiracial6.4%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,951
- Graduate enrollment
- 2,738
- Student–faculty ratio
- 11 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 33%
- First-generation students
- 30%
- Students over 25
- 10%
- Median family income
- $77,624
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $80,811
- Endowment
- $117,539,742
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 894 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Pennsylvania67%
- Other U.S. states32%
- International0.8%
A regional draw: about 67% of first-years come from Pennsylvania, the rest from elsewhere.
1% 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
- 70.9%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1080–1290
- SAT average
- 1180
- SAT reading
- 550–650
- SAT math
- 530–640
- ACT composite
- —
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.40
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $55,730
- Room & board
- $16,530
- Books & supplies
- $1,408
- Total cost of attendance
- $70,621
- Average net price
- $25,759
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)
- 68%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 61%
- First-year retention
- 78%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $63,375
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $70,920
- Median debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Students with federal loans
- 72%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 61%
About 8% 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
- 1,400
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 47%
- Housing charge (year)
- $8,200
- Meal plan (year)
- $7,330
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Middle Atlantic States Athletic Corporation
- Varsity athletes
- 633 (397 men · 236 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 (12)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.9 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 32
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 17
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (5,713 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.
$22,514/year × about 4.2 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.
Widener University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $34,005. 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 533 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)
- $70,920
- Typical debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 38%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 76%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.8 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 $15,573 (24%) 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
- 89°F
- Winter low
- 27°F
- Annual rain
- 41.6″
- Annual snow
- 23.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Marcus Hook, PA US station (4.6 mi from campus).
What Widener 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 Widener University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Widener University side by side →
Norwich University
Northfield, Vermont · Distant rural · 36 mi to Burlington
- Students
- 2,428
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1190
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $66k
St. John Fisher University
Rochester, New York · Large suburb · 6 mi to Rochester
- Students
- 2,565
- Admission
- 66%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1214
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $67k
Mount St. Mary's University
Emmitsburg, Maryland · Distant rural · 48 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 1,768
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1176
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $64k
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, Washington · Large suburb · 32 mi to Seattle
- Students
- 2,401
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1168
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $67k
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois · Large suburb · 16 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 3,006
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1151
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $61k
St. Joseph's University-New York
Brooklyn, New York · Large city · 3 mi to New York
- Students
- 3,144
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1190
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $64k
Colleges near Widener University
All-State Career School
Essington, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 886 students
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,613 students
Venus Beauty Academy
Aston, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 56 students
Pennsylvania Institute of Technology
Media, PA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 810 students
Neumann University
Aston, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,533 students
Williamson College of the Trades
Media, PA · Private nonprofit · Associate · 322 students
Empire Beauty School-Springfield
Springfield, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 188 students
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine
Media, PA · Public · Bachelor's · 1,223 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.












