Private nonprofit · University

Wilkes University

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania · Small city

90.6%
Admit rate
$27,743
Avg net price
63%
Graduation rate
$63,454
Median earnings

Wilkes University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania (small city setting), enrolling 1,985 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,985 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 91% admitNCAA Division III with football · Landmark ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Wilkes University's admitted students.

Admit rate
90.6%
SAT (mid 50%)
1020–1250
Avg GPA (est.)
3.25

Enter a test score to see where you land against Wilkes University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Wilkes University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Wilkes-Barre is a city in Pennsylvania, which functions as both the administrative hub and the primary population center of Luzerne County. For thousands of years, nomadic bands of hunter-gatherers used the Wilkes-Barre area for hunting, fishing, foraging, and toolmaking. Wilkes-Barre has a Downtown Riverfront Park system that contains 91 acres of open space. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
16 miles to Scranton, PA
To the ocean
96 miles
Nearest airport
11 miles to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AVP)

How Wilkes University compares

Selectivity90.6%

More selective than 22% · #74 most selective of 111 in Pennsylvania

SAT average1136

Higher than 42%

Graduation rate63%

Higher than 65% · #52 of 116 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention72%

Higher than 35%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$63,454

Higher than 75% · #32 of 116 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$27,743

Cheaper than 22% · #78 cheapest of 112 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$26,000

Lower than 24%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment1,985

Larger than 57%

Percentiles compare Wilkes 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

5,290students
  • Undergraduate1,98538%
  • Graduate3,30562%

Undergraduates by gender

1,985undergrads
  • Women1,06254%
  • Men92346%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White66%
  • Black6.0%
  • Hispanic12%
  • Asian3.0%
  • Other or multiracial13%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,985
Graduate enrollment
3,305
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
34%
First-generation students
35%
Students over 25
7%
Median family income
$62,518
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$88,632
Endowment
$67,211,296

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 513 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Pennsylvania75%
  • Other U.S. states20%
  • International4.5%

Most first-years stay in state — Wilkes University draws overwhelmingly from Pennsylvania.

5% 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
90.6%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1020–1250
SAT average
1136
SAT reading
530–630
SAT math
490–620
ACT composite
22–29
Average GPA (estimated)
3.25

Cost

In-state tuition
$43,496
Room & board
$16,166
Books & supplies
$400
Total cost of attendance
$56,765
Average net price
$27,743

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)
63%
Graduated on time (4 years)
54%
First-year retention
72%
Transferred to another college
25%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$54,128
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$63,454
Median debt at graduation
$26,000
Students with federal loans
72%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
69%

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
54%
Low-income (Pell)
53%
First-generation
54%

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
1,135
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
57%
Housing charge (year)
$9,680
Meal plan (year)
$6,630
Application fee
$40
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Landmark Conference
Varsity athletes
536 (347 men · 189 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 (14)

Football117
Soccer65
Ice Hockey57
Lacrosse48
Baseball39
Wrestling37
Basketball30
Volleyball28
Golf26
Field Hockey24
Softball19
Tennis18
Swimming15
Cross Country13

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
6
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (5,381 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.

3.3reported offenses a year
2.0 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.3
Rape
1.0
Fondling
0.7
Aggravated assault
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
$25,062
$30–48k
$23,440
$48–75k
$26,432
$75–110k
$27,843
$110k+
$31,638

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
$111,703

$26,432/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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$24,262
average award, among those who get one

Wilkes University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $24,262. 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 464 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)
$63,454
Typical debt at graduation
$26,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
41%
Out-earn a HS grad
72%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.1 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
$59,021
Men
$67,435

Men out-earn women by $8,414 (14%) 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
85°F
Winter low
20°F
Annual rain
38.7″
Annual snow
45.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.14.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wilkes-Barre Intl AP, PA US station (10.5 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 Wilkes University

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

Colleges near Wilkes 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.