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William Paterson University of New Jersey: Rankings, Cost & Majors

134 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
90% Acceptance Rate

William Paterson University of New Jersey is a public institution in Wayne, New Jersey enrolling 6,614 undergraduates. It accepts 90% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 44%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #427 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 8%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is William Paterson University of New Jersey Ranked?

William Paterson University of New Jersey ranks #427 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 8%.

#427 Best Colleges in Nation
#15 Best Colleges in NJ
William Paterson University of New Jersey ranking badge

2027 Rankings

In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.

William Paterson University of New Jersey was awarded 134 badges in the 2027 rankings.

Overall Quality

William Paterson University is ranked #427 out of 5,159 schools in the nation for overall quality on College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 10% of all schools in the nation.

William Paterson University also holds the #15 spot on the Best Colleges in New Jersey ranking.

See all of the rankings for William Paterson University of New Jersey.

Is It Hard to Get Into William Paterson U of New Jersey?

90% Acceptance Rate
91% Of Accepted Are Women

Acceptance Rate

With an acceptance rate of 90%, William Paterson University of New Jersey is easier to get into than many other schools. But that doesn’t mean you can slack off on your application. Make sure to treat this school like any other when submitting requested materials and documents.

Learn more about William Paterson University of New Jersey admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at William Paterson University of New Jersey?

18 to 1 Student to Faculty
98% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

The student to faculty ratio at William Paterson University of New Jersey is about average at 18 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at William Paterson University of New Jersey is 98%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  98 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at William Paterson University of New Jersey?

74% Freshmen Retention
44% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate of 74% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like William Paterson University of New Jersey enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.

Freshmen Retention Rate  74 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at William Paterson University for first-time, full-time students is 44%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  44 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at William Paterson University of New Jersey.

How Diverse Is William Paterson University of New Jersey?

6,614 Undergraduate Students
64.9% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
61.8% Percent Women

In the current academic year, there are 6,614 undergraduates at William Paterson University.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at William Paterson University of New Jersey.

How Much Does William Paterson University of New Jersey Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
43% Take Out Loans
$26,472 Total Student Loans

The overall average net price of William Paterson University is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for William Paterson University

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$16,171 $18,287 $18,505 $22,862 $24,917

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of William Paterson University, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At William Paterson University, approximately 43% of students took out student loans averaging $6,618 a year. That adds up to $26,472 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 7.5%. Although this is lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, you’ll still want to keep this in mind when taking out student loans. Get more details about paying for William Paterson University of New Jersey.

How Much Do William Paterson U of New Jersey Graduates Earn?

$57,780 Avg Salary of Grads
High Earnings Boost

Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from William Paterson U of New Jersey with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $57,780 in their early years. That’s great news for William Paterson U of New Jersey students since it is 17% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Average Salary for William Paterson University of New Jersey Graduates

See which majors at William Paterson University of New Jersey make the most money.

Where Is William Paterson University of New Jersey Located?

New Jersey State
6,614 Undergraduate Students
Suburb Campus Setting

William Paterson University of New Jersey is a public institution found in Wayne, New Jersey. Wayne is a good match for students who enjoy the safety and convenience of the suburbs. Get more details about the location of William Paterson University of New Jersey.

Location of William Paterson University of New Jersey

Get in touch with William Paterson U of New Jersey can be found below.

Contact Details
Address: 300 Pompton Rd, Wayne, NJ 07470
Phone: 9737202000
Website: www.wpunj.edu
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Paterson_University
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mywpu
Twitter: twitter.com/WPUNJ_EDU

What Majors Does William Paterson University of New Jersey Offer?

25 Majors With Completions
7,886 Undergraduate Degrees

During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 25 majors graduated from William Paterson University of New Jersey. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 3,943 NA
Nursing 726 $86,640
Business Administration & Management 549 $63,945
General Psychology 236 $30,863
Educational Administration 226 $56,661
Teacher Education Grade Specific 187 $56,199
Accounting 183 $46,547
Criminal Justice & Corrections 148 $32,604
Special Education 107 $59,576
Health Sciences & Services 96 $36,302

Learn more about the majors offered at William Paterson University of New Jersey along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does William Paterson University Offer Online Classes?

71% Take At Least One Class Online
33% Take All Classes Online

4,724 students took at least one online class at William Paterson University of New Jersey.

Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.

Learn more about online learning at William Paterson University of New Jersey.

Interested in comparing William Paterson University? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

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