Private nonprofit · University

Wilberforce University

Wilberforce, Ohio · Fringe rural

#3 best value in Ohio
40.5%
Admit rate
$5,567
Avg net price
12%
Graduation rate
$38,298
Median earnings

Wilberforce University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Wilberforce, Ohio (fringe rural setting), enrolling 822 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). It has a African Methodist Episcopal religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 822 undergradsFringe ruralSelective · 41% admitNAIA Division ICold winters

About Wilberforce, Ohio

Wilberforce is a census-designated place in Greene County, Ohio, United States. After Wilberforce University was established in 1856, the community was also named for the English statesman William Wilberforce, who worked for the abolition of slavery and achieved the end of the slave trade in the United Kingdom and its empire. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
17 miles to Dayton, OH
To Great Lakes shore
129 miles
Nearest airport
22 miles to James M. Cox Dayton (DAY)

How Wilberforce University compares

Selectivity40.5%

More selective than 89% · #7 most selective of 65 in Ohio

Graduation rate12%

Higher than 3% · #71 of 73 in Ohio

First-year retention74%

Higher than 43%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,298

Higher than 11% · #66 of 74 in Ohio

Average net price$5,567

Cheaper than 98% · #3 cheapest of 73 in Ohio

Median debt at graduation$26,468

Lower than 20%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment822

Larger than 32%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

838students
  • Undergraduate82298%
  • Graduate162%

Undergraduates by gender

822undergrads
  • Women46356%
  • Men35944%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • Black100%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
822
Graduate enrollment
16
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
74%
First-generation students
47%
Students over 25
10%
Median family income
$17,329
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$65,700
Endowment
$7,100,500

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 204 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Ohio48%
  • Other U.S. states52%

A regional draw: about 48% of first-years come from Ohio, the rest from elsewhere.

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
40.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$16,448
Room & board
$8,564
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$25,676
Average net price
$5,567

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)
12%
Graduated on time (4 years)
6%
First-year retention
74%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$35,146
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$38,298
Median debt at graduation
$26,468
Students with federal loans
97%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
26%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
6%
First-generation
26%

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
400
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
49%
Housing charge (year)
$4,400
Meal plan (year)
$3,300
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Varsity athletes
115 (63 men · 52 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 (5)

Basketball36
Baseball34
Cross Country19
Volleyball14
Gymnastics12

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
6

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (838 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
1.0 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
2.0
Fondling
1.0

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
$5,630
$30–48k
$5,313
$48–75k
$5,211
$75–110k
$5,217
$110k+
$5,226

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
$25,032

$5,211/year × about 4.8 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.

79%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,490
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 79% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,490. 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 171 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)
$38,298
Typical debt at graduation
$26,468
Debt vs. one year's pay
69%
Out-earn a HS grad
42%

Typical debt would take roughly 6.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

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
$40,214
Men
$36,164

Women out-earn men by $4,050 (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
83°F
Winter low
23°F
Annual rain
43.3″
Annual snow
20.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Xenia 6 Sse, OH US station (7.3 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 Wilberforce University

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

Colleges near Wilberforce 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.