Public · University

William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, New Jersey · Large suburb

90.1%
Admit rate
$18,745
Avg net price
44%
Graduation rate
$57,780
Median earnings

William Paterson University of New Jersey is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Wayne, New Jersey (large suburb setting), enrolling 6,614 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicMidsize · 6,614 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 90% admitNCAA Division III with football · New Jersey Athletic ConferenceCold wintersNear the coast

About Wayne, New Jersey

Wayne is a township in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Schuyler reported his findings to the British and then convinced a group including Major Anthony Brockholst and Samuel Bayard to invest in the land he referred to as the Pompton Valley. The store is now out of business. The same store was featured in an episode of HBO's The Sopranos, along with several other locations in Wayne. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
19 miles to New York, NY
To the ocean
14 miles
Nearest airport
10 miles to Teterboro (TEB)

How William Paterson University of New Jersey compares

Selectivity90.1%

More selective than 24% · #32 most selective of 43 in New Jersey

Graduation rate44%

Higher than 29% · #27 of 47 in New Jersey

First-year retention74%

Higher than 42%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$57,780

Higher than 62% · #21 of 38 in New Jersey

Average net price$18,745

Cheaper than 56% · #23 cheapest of 46 in New Jersey

Median debt at graduation$22,334

Lower than 57%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment6,614

Larger than 82%

Percentiles compare William Paterson University of New Jersey with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New Jersey.

William Paterson University of New Jersey campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

9,909students
  • Undergraduate6,61467%
  • Graduate3,29533%

Undergraduates by gender

6,614undergrads
  • Women3,72256%
  • Men2,89244%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White30%
  • Black22%
  • Hispanic34%
  • Asian6.8%
  • Other or multiracial7.9%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
6,614
Graduate enrollment
3,295
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
47%
First-generation students
44%
Students over 25
32%
Median family income
$35,458
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$120,564
Endowment
$46,000,752

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 886 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From New Jersey89%
  • Other U.S. states6.2%
  • International4.6%

Most first-years stay in state — William Paterson University of New Jersey draws overwhelmingly from New Jersey.

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
90.1%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$15,704
Out-of-state tuition
$25,344
Room & board
$16,240
Books & supplies
$1,600
Total cost of attendance
$28,476
Average net price
$18,745

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)
44%
Graduated on time (4 years)
26%
First-year retention
74%
Transferred to another college
28%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$44,928
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$57,780
Median debt at graduation
$22,334
Students with federal loans
43%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
51%

About 18% 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
26%
Low-income (Pell)
47%
First-generation
47%

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
1,486
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
22%
Housing charge (year)
$9,252
Meal plan (year)
$5,750
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
New Jersey Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
306 (194 men · 112 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 (11)

Football91
Soccer52
Basketball34
Baseball32
Softball19
Volleyball16
Swimming15
Field Hockey13
Golf12
Swimming and Diving (combined)12
Tennis10

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
16
Property offenses (2022–2024)
11

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (9,942 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.

9.0reported offenses a year
5.3 violent a year3.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.0
Burglary
2.0
Fondling
1.7
Aggravated assault
1.7
Motor vehicle theft
1.7

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
$16,171
$30–48k
$18,287
$48–75k
$18,505
$75–110k
$22,862
$110k+
$24,917

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
$85,259

$18,505/year × about 4.6 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.

65%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$7,416
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 65% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $7,416. 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 801 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)
$57,780
Typical debt at graduation
$22,334
Debt vs. one year's pay
39%
Out-earn a HS grad
63%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.9 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
$55,418
Men
$61,328

Men out-earn women by $5,910 (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
86°F
Winter low
22°F
Annual rain
44.9″
Annual snow
28.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Little Falls, NJ US station (4.3 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 William Paterson University of New Jersey

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare William Paterson University of New Jersey side by side →

Colleges near William Paterson University of New Jersey

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.