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Widener University

Widener University is a private campus in suburban Chester, PA.

What could it cost?

Start with net price after grants, then read the published costs. Each chart names its academic year and the students it covers.

Net price by family income

key chart

Average annual cost after grants for each family-income band. These group averages are not personal price quotes.

IPEDS Income brackets, 2022–23

family-income band

$25,328

family income
under $30k

$25,620

$30–48k

$28,722

$48–75k

$31,013

$75–110k

$34,560

over $110k

Average net price

$25,7592023–24Skip to data table

Average annual attendance cost after grants for the reported student group. Your own aid offer and costs may differ.

Average net price at Widener University rose from $22,902 (2008) to $25,759 (2023).

Average net price — data
Year	Net price
2008	$22,902
2009	$24,586
2010	$27,038
2011	$27,247
2012	$27,387
2013	$27,188
2014	$26,937
2015	$27,792
2016	$30,017
2017	$31,305
2018	$31,345
2019	$31,792
2020	$24,012
2021	$31,703
2022	$30,470
2023	$25,759

IPEDS 16 federal reports, 2008–2023

Total cost of attendance

$70,6212024–25Skip to data table

Estimated annual attendance budget before grants, including tuition, fees, housing, food and books. Not every expense is billed by the school.

Total cost at Widener University rose from $42,803 (2009) to $70,621 (2024).

Total cost of attendance — data
Year	Cost
2009	$42,803
2010	$44,518
2011	$46,238
2012	$48,452
2013	$50,294
2014	$51,753
2015	$53,511
2016	$55,342
2017	$57,523
2018	$59,484
2019	$61,834
2020	$62,831
2021	$57,605
2022	$64,456
2023	$68,305
2024	$70,621

IPEDS Academic-year cost 2009–2024

Tuition & fees

Skip to data table

Published tuition and fees before grants. Housing, food, books and other attendance costs are separate.

Tuition & fees — data
Year	Tuition & fees
2000	$17,950
2001	$19,300
2002	$20,450
2003	$21,500
2004	$23,000
2005	$24,970
2006	$26,350
2007	$28,630
2008	$30,450
2013	$38,028
2014	$39,830
2015	$41,224
2016	$42,870
2017	$44,166
2018	$45,948
2019	$47,328
2020	$48,575
2021	$49,706
2022	$51,639
2023	$53,638

IPEDS Published price 2000–01 to 2023–24 (not adjusted for inflation)

Cost, size & completion summary

Cost, size & completion

Widener University reports published tuition of $55,730 in this record. Widener University's $55,730 tuition excludes other attendance costs; aid can reduce the bill. Scorecard snapshot: 2026-06-10; historical charts show their own years.

Widener University reports 2,951 undergraduate students. Enrollment is a headcount, not a measure of teaching access.

68.3% of first-time, full-time bachelor's entrants completed at Widener University within six years (2026-06-10 release). This measure excludes other student groups.

Do students finish — and what comes after?

Graduation, debt and earnings cover different groups. Read each chart's entering class or fiscal period; they are not one group's journey.

Six-year graduation rate

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68.3%entered Fall 2018Skip to data table

The share of first-time, full-time bachelor's entrants who completed at this institution within six years. Other students are not included.

The six-year graduation rate at Widener University rose from 52.4% (entered 1991) to 68.3% (entered 2018).

A six-year rate can only describe a class that entered six or more years ago — by definition the last point on the line is that old.

Six-year graduation rate — data
Year	Graduated within 6 yrs
1991 cohort	52.4%
1992 cohort	45.2%
1993 cohort	50.7%
1994 cohort	61.4%
1995 cohort	57.5%
1996 cohort	59.5%
1997 cohort	58.8%
1998 cohort	60.4%
1999 cohort	56.8%
2000 cohort	59.7%
2001 cohort	51.6%
2002 cohort	55.6%
2003 cohort	56.6%
2004 cohort	48.1%
2005 cohort	54.2%
2006 cohort	55.4%
2007 cohort	56%
2008 cohort	53.2%
2009 cohort	57.2%
2010 cohort	56.7%
2011 cohort	57.1%
2012 cohort	63.3%
2013 cohort	65.3%
2014 cohort	65.3%
2015 cohort	68.4%
2016 cohort	67.9%
2017 cohort	63.5%
2018 cohort	68.3%

IPEDS Entering cohorts 1991–2018

Median debt at exit (completers vs non-completers)

Historical student groups

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Skip to data table

Median federal student loan debt when students left school, shown separately for those who completed and those who did not.

CompletedLeft without degree

Each point combines two years. Neighboring points share one year, so changes should be read with that overlap in mind.

These two-year windows closed before today's students borrowed — they describe past cohorts, not the current price of a degree.

Median debt at exit — data
Year	Completed	Left without degree
Left school in fiscal years 1997 and 1998 (FY1997/98)	$17,125	$5,188
Left school in fiscal years 1998 and 1999 (FY1998/99)	$17,125	$5,500
Left school in fiscal years 1999 and 2000 (FY1999/00)	$17,125	$7,472
Left school in fiscal years 2000 and 2001 (FY2000/01)	$17,125	$7,966
Left school in fiscal years 2001 and 2002 (FY2001/02)	$17,125	$5,250
Left school in fiscal years 2002 and 2003 (FY2002/03)	$17,125	$5,226
Left school in fiscal years 2003 and 2004 (FY2003/04)	$17,125	$5,500
Left school in fiscal years 2004 and 2005 (FY2004/05)	$17,125	$6,125
Left school in fiscal years 2005 and 2006 (FY2005/06)	$17,125	$5,313
Left school in fiscal years 2006 and 2007 (FY2006/07)	$17,125	$4,375
Left school in fiscal years 2007 and 2008 (FY2007/08)	$17,125	$4,375
Left school in fiscal years 2008 and 2009 (FY2008/09)	$18,134	$5,875
Left school in fiscal years 2009 and 2010 (FY2009/10)	$21,000	$6,500
Left school in fiscal years 2010 and 2011 (FY2010/11)	$23,641	$6,500
Left school in fiscal years 2011 and 2012 (FY2011/12)	$25,713	$6,500
Left school in fiscal years 2012 and 2013 (FY2012/13)	$27,000	$6,500
Left school in fiscal years 2013 and 2014 (FY2013/14)	$27,063	$6,250
Left school in fiscal years 2014 and 2015 (FY2014/15)	$28,000	$6,500
Left school in fiscal years 2015 and 2016 (FY2015/16)	$27,000	$6,850
Left school in fiscal years 2016 and 2017 (FY2016/17)	$27,000	$8,250
Left school in fiscal years 2017 and 2018 (FY2017/18)	$27,000	$8,750
Left school in fiscal years 2018 and 2019 (FY2018/19)	$27,000	$9,250
Left school in fiscal years 2019 and 2020 (FY2019/20)	$27,000	$8,250
Left school in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (FY2020/21)	$27,000	$9,300

NSLDS GRAD_DEBT_MDN / WDRAW_DEBT_MDN, merged FY periods · via College Scorecard

Earnings after entry

Historical student groups

Median annual earnings after entering college, for federally aided students who were working and not enrolled when measured.

Entered: academic years 2013–14 or 2014–15

$63,375

6 years after entry

Entered: academic years 2011–12 or 2012–13

$65,135

8 years after entry

Entered: academic years 2009–10 or 2010–11

$70,920

10 years after entry

Each figure covers a different group of students who entered college in the stated years. Earnings were measured in the same two years; these are not one group followed over time.

Measured in 2020–21, adjusted for inflation to 2022 dollars. Each figure pools two entering academic years.

Treasury Pooled entering cohorts · Scorecard 2020–21 historical file

What does the admissions record show?

Rates and score ranges describe a past admissions cycle. Submitted scores are not cutoffs or a prediction of admission.

Admissions snapshot & test policies

Widener University admitted 6,632 of 9,350 applicants in Fall 2024. The 70.9% rate describes that application pool.

70.9%

acceptance rate · Fall 2024 admissions cycle

rate trend $53,638 tuition · 2023–24 2,951 undergraduates · Fall 2024

Test-optional (considered) · Fall 2024

400SAT range (section 25th/75th sums): 1080–12901600

Not sure where you stand? Estimate your GPA →

Admissions

Widener University reported scores as considered but not required for the Fall 2024 admissions cycle. For Widener University’s enrolled SAT submitters, Reading and Writing was 550–650 and Math was 530–640 (25th–75th percentiles). The section-percentile sums 1080–1290 are not composite-score percentiles. These are not admission cutoffs.

Check current requirements with admissions.

Score	25th	50th	75th
SAT Reading & Writing	550	600	650
SAT Math	530	580	640

25th / 75th: a quarter of enrolled submitters scored below the first number, a quarter above the second. These are not cutoffs.

Only students who submitted scores are counted — at test-optional schools, many enrolled students aren't in this table.

Percentiles are among enrolled students who submitted scores (Fall 2024 admissions cycle).

In the Fall 2024 cycle, Widener University received 9,350 applications and admitted 6,632 (70.9%), with 916 enrolling.

Acceptance rate

70.9%Fall 2024Skip to data table

The share of applicants offered a spot — lower means more selective; read it alongside the score ranges below.

Acceptance rate — data
Year	Acceptance rate
Fall 2001	73.9%
Fall 2002	74.1%
Fall 2003	79.2%
Fall 2004	80.1%
Fall 2005	81.2%
Fall 2006	69.4%
Fall 2007	66.3%
Fall 2008	66.3%
Fall 2009	70.1%
Fall 2010	70.1%
Fall 2011	70.1%
Fall 2012	66.3%
Fall 2013	67.3%
Fall 2014	65%
Fall 2015	68%
Fall 2016	69.7%
Fall 2017	65.4%
Fall 2018	69.2%
Fall 2019	71.9%
Fall 2020	74.6%
Fall 2021	84.5%
Fall 2022	87.7%
Fall 2023	84%
Fall 2024	70.9%

IPEDS Fall cycles 2001–2024

SAT range (section sums, 25th–75th)

1080–1290Fall 2024 · submittersSkip to data table

Sums of the reading/writing and math percentiles among enrolled submitters — not percentiles of total SAT scores or admission cutoffs.

SAT range (section sums) — data
Year	25th	75th
Fall 2001	930	1160
Fall 2002	910	1130
Fall 2003	890	1120
Fall 2004	890	1100
Fall 2005	870	1090
Fall 2006	880	1070
Fall 2007	890	1090
Fall 2008	900	1090
Fall 2009	900	1100
Fall 2010	900	1110
Fall 2011	900	1110
Fall 2012	890	1070
Fall 2013	920	1130
Fall 2014	920	1130
Fall 2015	930	1120
Fall 2016	930	1130
Fall 2017	1020	1180
Fall 2018	1020	1200
Fall 2019	1040	1210
Fall 2020	1035	1210
Fall 2021	1080	1275
Fall 2022	1105	1290
Fall 2023	1050	1260
Fall 2024	1080	1290

IPEDS Fall 2001–2024, submitters only

ACT middle 50%

22–29Fall 2022 · submittersSkip to data table

The middle half of enrolled ACT submitters, using published composite-score percentiles — not admission cutoffs.

ACT middle 50% — data
Year	25th	75th
Fall 2014	19	24
Fall 2015	21	25
Fall 2016	21	26
Fall 2017	20	25
Fall 2018	20	26
Fall 2019	20	25
Fall 2020	20	26
Fall 2022	22	29

IPEDS Fall 2014–2022, submitters only

What is the campus like?

Enrollment counts a campus population; retention follows first-years returning. Their dates and populations are shown separately.

Undergraduate enrollment

2,951Fall 2024Skip to data table

Reported undergraduate enrollment. This count does not measure class size or teaching access.

Undergraduate enrollment at Widener University has wandered from Fall 2002 to Fall 2024 — up to 3,331 at the peak — but ends near where it began, at 2,951.

Undergraduate enrollment — data
Year	Undergraduates
Fall 2002	2,862
Fall 2003	2,752
Fall 2004	2,889
Fall 2005	2,879
Fall 2006	2,943
Fall 2007	3,100
Fall 2008	3,081
Fall 2009	3,138
Fall 2010	3,057
Fall 2011	3,092
Fall 2012	3,057
Fall 2013	3,188
Fall 2014	3,144
Fall 2015	3,244
Fall 2016	3,331
Fall 2017	3,224
Fall 2018	3,201
Fall 2019	3,054
Fall 2020	2,866
Fall 2021	2,729
Fall 2022	2,513
Fall 2023	2,765
Fall 2024	2,951

IPEDS Fall headcounts 2002–2024

First-year retention (full-time)

78%Fall 2023 cohortSkip to data table

The share of the reported first-time student group who returned the following year. This rate does not explain why others left.

First-year retention at Widener University has wandered from Fall 2003 to Fall 2023 — up to 85% at the peak — but ends near where it began, at 78%.

First-year retention — data
Year	Retention
Fall 2003 cohort	75%
Fall 2004 cohort	66%
Fall 2005 cohort	71%
Fall 2006 cohort	76%
Fall 2007 cohort	72%
Fall 2008 cohort	72%
Fall 2009 cohort	73%
Fall 2010 cohort	72%
Fall 2011 cohort	71%
Fall 2012 cohort	75%
Fall 2013 cohort	76%
Fall 2014 cohort	78%
Fall 2015 cohort	82%
Fall 2016 cohort	80%
Fall 2017 cohort	78%
Fall 2018 cohort	82%
Fall 2019 cohort	81%
Fall 2020 cohort	85%
Fall 2021 cohort	75%
Fall 2022 cohort	78%
Fall 2023 cohort	78%

IPEDS Full-time cohorts 2003–2023

More about Widener University

Faculty pay at Widener University averages $107,748 a year, annualized from reported monthly pay. Carnegie classes Widener University as a primarily residential campus of 2,951 undergraduates — and 78.4% of the reported first-time, full-time student group returned for a second year.

Widener University's SAT section-percentile sums are 1080–1290 — their midpoint is near the PA four-year benchmark. These are not total-score percentiles. Put your own practice estimate on Widener University's range with the SAT calculator, or bring a saved GPA from the grade tools.

Why some charts are marked “key chart”

key chart

Start with three useful questions: what costs were reported for families in your income band, how many first-time full-time students finished, and what federal debt borrowers held when leaving.

How Widener University compares

State and national medians cover active bachelor-primary institutions, mixing public and private schools. Tuition uses in-state rates at public schools. These are broad reference points, not a ranking of similar schools or your likely bill.

Scorecard dates identify the release snapshot, not a shared measurement year. Earnings describe federally aided students who were working and not enrolled ten years after entry; cohorts and populations differ from the admissions and tuition figures.

Acceptance rate

Fall 2024 admissions cycle · IPEDS

Widener University70.9%

Pennsylvania median81.7%

National median76.8%

Tuition

Scorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot · published tuition before aid

Widener University$55,730

Pennsylvania median$33,730

National median$19,591

Median earnings (10 yr)

Ten years after entry · Scorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot

Widener University's snapshot: calendar years and dollar basis unverified.

Widener University$70,920

Pennsylvania median$62,101

National median$53,781

View comparison data & dates

Widener University, Pennsylvania and national reference values
Metric & basis	Widener University	Pennsylvania median	National median
Acceptance rateFall 2024 admissions cycle · IPEDS	70.9%	81.7%	76.8%
TuitionScorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot · published tuition before aid	$55,730	$33,730	$19,591
Median earnings (10 yr)Ten years after entry · Scorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot	$70,920	$62,101	$53,781

Published earnings by bachelor's field of study

For Widener University, these are federal subject groups (CIP), not departments. Median is the middle annual income.

Widener University federal-aid recipients · graduated 2017–18 or 2018–19 · income measured 2022 or 2023 · inflation-adjusted to 2024 dollars. Definitions and limits.

View 23 fields & earnings

Bachelor's field of study (CIP category)	Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	$98,777
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	$98,272
Computer Science	$96,427
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering	$95,901
Chemical Engineering	$91,145
Biomedical/Medical Engineering	$89,794
Mechanical Engineering	$88,358
Civil Engineering	$80,117
Psychology, Other	$79,923
Finance and Financial Management Services	$78,817
Accounting and Related Services	$77,426
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other	$73,790
Biology, General	$73,535
Business Administration, Management and Operations	$62,434
Psychology, General	$61,205
Criminal Justice and Corrections	$60,555
Social Work	$59,654
Computer and Information Sciences, General	$58,159
Hospitality Administration/Management	$56,345
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods	$54,136
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	$53,906
Journalism	$53,724
Political Science and Government	$52,765

These 23 fields listed for Widener University measure earnings after completion. The $70,920 institution-level snapshot above measures earnings after entry; it is not the same cohort or a total for these fields. 33 additional Widener University fields have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.

Frequently asked questions

What test-score data does Widener University report?

Widener University's enrolled submitters had SAT section-percentile sums of 1080–1290 in Fall 2024. These are not total-score percentiles or a GPA requirement.

What is Widener University's acceptance rate?

70.9% in the Fall 2024 cycle — 6,632 admitted from 9,350 applicants.

How much does Widener University cost?

At Widener University, tuition is $55,730. Tuition is not the total cost of attendance; aid can reduce your bill.

What earnings data does Widener University report?

Median earnings ten years after entry: $70,920. Major figures measure four years after completion. Source and date limits.

Similar colleges in Pennsylvania

West Chester University of Pennsylvania — 78.4% admitted
Washington & Jefferson College — 80.6% admitted
York College of Pennsylvania — 73.7% admitted
University of Valley Forge — 61.2% admitted

Run your own numbers

Data: IPEDS ADM2024 (Fall 2024 admissions, provisional) · IPEDS HD2024/IC2024 directory · College Scorecard 2026-06-10 release (institution and field-of-study files; earnings from Treasury records). Retrieved 2026-09-01. Chart dates follow this institution's available observations; the release date is not an academic year or an earnings year. Some records end earlier than others. Field-of-study cohort dates are shown with the table. Read the date and population definitions.