Widener vs Wilkes University

Widener University and Wilkes University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Widener, located in Chester, Pennsylvania, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Wilkes' 68%. With a larger student body, Widener provides a more diverse range of academic programs, including popular majors like Business, Engineering, and Nursing. Wilkes, situated in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, excels in the liberal arts and sciences, with notable programs in Biology, Psychology, and English. While Widener's student body is more racially and ethnically diverse, Wilkes has a slightly higher graduation rate (70% vs. 68%). Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Widener University	Wilkes University
Overview
Location	Chester, Pennsylvania	Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	85.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	84.5%	94.8%
Application fees	$35	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1080 - 1275	1040 - 1250
ACT range	N/A	20 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	30.0%
Students submitting ACT score		5.0%
Total number of applicants	5,719	4,019
Total number of admissions given out	4,834	3,809
Admitted students who chose to enroll	608	556
Yield rate	12.6%	14.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$61,748	$55,207
Average net price	$25,343	$30,155
Tuition	$48,724	$37,994
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,748 Meal plan: $7,060	Room/dormitory: $9,492 Meal plan: $6,206
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $32,036	96.0% Average amount $26,371
Students receiving federal student loan	75.0% Average amount $5,440	84.0% Average amount $5,594
Students taking out private loans	24.0% Average amount $12,154	32.0% Average amount $16,328

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,766 Men 41.9% Women 58.1%	2,232 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%
Graduate students	3,109 Men 28.1% Women 71.9%	3,044 Men 22.5% Women 77.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	40.5%	26.5%
International students	2.0%	2.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,400	1,184
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New Jersey Maryland Delaware New York	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Connecticut

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Legal Profession Public Administration and Social Service Business Psychology	Education Health Professions Liberal Arts Engineering Business
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	68.4%	61.4%
Dropout rate	7.7%	11.2%
Transferred out	23.5%	26.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,072 Year 2: $69,023 Year 3: $78,834 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $70,872 Year 2: $72,274 Year 3: $77,715 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,994 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $74,855 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $74,433 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $49,168 Year 2: $50,606 Year 3: $72,346 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,959 Year 2: $63,275 Year 3: $70,157 Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,088 Year 2: $60,320 Year 3: $69,444 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $50,960 Year 2: $55,632 Year 3: $65,158 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,724 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $63,971 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,130 Year 2: $59,640 Year 3: $63,186	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $126,057 Year 2: $133,171 Year 3: $124,927 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $107,920 Year 2: $110,559 Year 3: $119,036 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,305 Year 2: $53,984 Year 3: $65,444 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,200 Year 2: $53,219 Year 3: $64,060 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,705 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $63,832 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,105 Year 2: $65,035 Year 3: $63,464 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,835 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $59,300 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,977 Year 2: $49,631 Year 3: $56,693 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,044 Year 2: $53,099 Year 3: $55,573 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,218 Year 2: $44,776 Year 3: $55,534

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