Widener University Acceptance Rate, Admissions & Graduation

What kind of school it is, in one honest sentence

Widener is a private, nonprofit, four-year university that offers programs through the doctoral level. The federal system that classifies U.S. colleges and universities places it among doctoral and professional universities, and within its undergraduate profile identifies it as a selective-admissions school. That does not mean it is difficult to get into—you will see the exact number later—but rather that it reviews certain things before saying yes.

It also classifies Widener as “highly residential”: at the time of that report, at least half of its degree-seeking undergraduate students lived in housing owned, controlled, or affiliated with the university, and at least 80 out of every 100 studied full time. If your child is going to live on campus, that is a real fact about the kind of life they will have there. But remember something simple: living on campus is not included in tuition. Room and board are charged separately, and they almost never appear alongside the price of the degree in the same brochure. Ask for those costs separately, including the meal plan, before comparing this school with any other.

Widener is in Chester, in Delaware County, within the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metropolitan area. Its census code places it in a suburb: within the urbanized area, but outside the principal city. If your child plans to live at home and commute every day, do not rely on what the map says. Drive that route yourself on a weekday, at the time your child would have class.

One more thing to complete the initial picture: Widener is not listed as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Those are three distinct designations with different histories, and of the 3,012 colleges and universities in this census, 138 have at least one of the three. Widener’s absence from that list says nothing about which communities it serves today or how your child will feel there. Ask directly: which cultural centers and student organizations exist right now?

The actual size of the community your child would join

In the most recent official count, Widener had 5,610 enrolled students. It is neither a small school nor an enormous one; it falls within the 5,000 to 9,999 range, and compared with the other 941 selective private schools in this census, it is on the larger side: between one and three out of every ten of those schools have more students.

But that 5,610 hides something important. It is split almost evenly between 2,811 undergraduate students and 2,799 graduate students. If your child is beginning an undergraduate degree, the number that matters is not the total; it is 2,811. Much of what makes this university large is the presence of people who have already completed a bachelor’s degree and are continuing their studies there.

Within that undergraduate population, there are more women than men: 60 out of every 100. Students ages 25 to 64 are a minority, just 10 out of every 100. And something worth stating plainly, without embellishment: Hispanic or Latino students make up 8 out of every 100 undergraduates. It is a small minority, and compared with the 941 selective private schools in this census that report the data, Widener ranks below the group’s midpoint.

Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, nor would having many make it good by itself. The figure only describes who is enrolled today. If your child will be one of those few, the family’s questions are direct: which student groups exist, is there anyone in the office who speaks Spanish, and what does a Latino student who is already there say about what that experience is like every day?

How academic life is structured

The year is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks. That means consistent dates for everyone, without calendar surprises.

Widener stated that it accepts credit for AP exams as well as what the government calls “credit for life experience”—learning through independent study, adult courses, work experience, portfolios, licenses or certifications, and military or professional opportunities. It also reports accepting credit for military training and enrolling high school students in college courses for credit. All of this is real, but it comes with a warning worth taking seriously: the university’s statement that it accepts AP credit does not tell you what score it requires, how many credits it grants, or whether those credits count toward your child’s specific degree. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before building a budget that depends on those savings.

In the most recently reported year, Widener awarded 664 bachelor’s degrees across 22 program families. But the distribution is uneven: health professions accounted for 246 of those 664 degrees, or 37 out of every 100. Compared with 942 similar schools, Widener ranks in the top quarter for the number of program families represented in its bachelor’s-degree offerings. It is a broad selection on paper, but with a clear center of gravity in health. If your child is interested in a different field, it is worth verifying exactly how developed that particular program is, because 22 program families do not necessarily mean 22 robust majors: a row may report zero degrees for that year.

As for the relationship between students and faculty, the official ratio is 11 full-time students for every full-time-equivalent faculty member. It is a low ratio, below the midpoint among the 941 comparable schools. But take note: this figure is an institutional average. It does not indicate the actual size of a first-year class or guarantee more personal attention. IPEDS does not explain how it was calculated or report actual class sizes.

The paths the university says are open

Widener reports offering study abroad, undergraduate research outside the classroom, a complete program that can be taken entirely in the evenings or on weekends, and several teacher-certification pathways, including the option to complete that preparation there or at another institution, with state approval for initial certification. These are reported opportunities, not promises of outcomes. If any of them matter to your child, that is precisely the kind of question to ask by name in the admissions office before deciding.

Getting in: what they require and how likely they are to say yes

Here is a number that surprises many families: Widener’s undergraduate application fee is $0.

As for what they review for admission, they identified three of nine possible considerations as required—the high school transcript, the high school GPA, and the English proficiency exam for those to whom it applies. Two other items are not required, but they do consider them if you submit them: completion of the required college-preparatory curriculum and letters of recommendation. If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish, ask now whether the English exam applies and what would qualify them for an exemption. It is the kind of thing families discover late if they do not ask in time.

And now the central figure: of 7,167 first-year applicants in the most recent cycle, 6,022 received an offer of admission. That is 84 out of every 100. Compared with 942 selective private schools, Widener is on the more accessible side: seven out of every ten of those schools, or more, admit an equal or smaller percentage of applicants.

Put plainly, Widener receives thousands of applications and still says yes to the great majority. Your child has a real reason to apply. They also have a reason to submit a complete application on time, because that 84 comes from a single cycle, not a fixed rule of the institution. When it is your child’s turn, check the figure again for the applicable year.

Here is a fact almost no one expects: out of every 100 admitted students, only 15 enrolled. The other 85 had a place and did not take it. Compared with similar schools, this percentage falls right in the middle, neither high nor low. Do not read it as a mark against the school—the federal record does not say why each person made their decision—and do not let it tell you anything about your own decision either. What others did does not predict what you will be offered. What matters is waiting for the letter with the actual net price, the amount you will truly pay, and deciding with that information in hand.

As for standardized tests, neither the SAT nor the ACT is required. If your child submits scores, they will be considered; if not, the application proceeds just the same. Among those who did submit SAT scores—only 11 out of every 100 enrolled students—the middle half scored between 530 and 640 in reading and writing, and between 520 and 620 in mathematics. Those figures describe students who enrolled and submitted scores, not all applicants, and they do not prove that the scores influenced the admission decision. That 530 is not a minimum that must be reached, nor is that 640 a guarantee of anything.

One more fact worth keeping in mind if the conversation at home includes the word “transfer”: of the class that entered in 2017 as full-time bachelor’s-degree-seeking students, 29 out of every 100 transferred to another school without completing their degrees at Widener. That is a high share compared with similar schools. The report does not say why they left, and leaving does not mean they did poorly—but if you later see a graduation rate, remember that someone who transfers is not counted as a Widener graduate, even if they complete their degree elsewhere.

The net price, without embellishment

At Widener University, among 80 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $25,328. Among 70 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $28,722; among 193 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $34,560. For dependent students, the range combines their parents’ income with their own.

The difference between the average for the lowest-income range (80 students) and the average for the highest-income range (193 students) is $9,232. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $30,720.

Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, Widener ranks in the most expensive quarter for the lowest-income families. That does not mean it should be ruled out. It means you need to request the financial aid letter before deciding.

An average does not show how different the individual cases within that range were; these data do not support saying that some families were far below or above the published figure. The income ranges in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships.

The aid they report giving and the debt students report taking on

Almost everyone receives something here: 90 out of every 100 degree-seeking students receive some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid, and among them the annual average was $31,874. That is real money, but it is not a price: the average includes some who received much more and others who received much less. The federal Pell Grant, reserved for low-income families, went to 25 out of every 100 students.

As for loans, 73 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan in the most recently reported year. That is a high share compared with similar schools—seven out of every ten of those schools, or more, had fewer students with loans. Among those who did borrow, the annual average was $7,109. If your child borrowed a similar amount each year during the four years of the degree, the total would be around $28,436, not including interest.

A hard truth is useful here, without cushioning it: financing with debt is common at this school, not the exception. That does not determine whether your child will need it—that depends on their aid letter and what the family can pay out of pocket—but if a loan appears in the offer, request an estimate of the monthly payment before signing anything. And keep in mind that the $7,109 average is only for a federal loan in the student’s name for one year: it does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes end up signing for, debt from banks, or the cumulative total from all four years. That full calculation is not in this report, and it is exactly the one you need to make before deciding.

The university also reports offering a tuition installment payment plan, in case that helps spread the expense across the year.

Campus life, sports, and support

Widener has its own housing, with a reported capacity of 1,400 students on or off campus, and confirms that not all first-year students are required to live there—which does not indicate whether a particular program may require it. It also offers meal plans, but the number of meals per week varies by plan. The existence of housing does not guarantee that a bed will be available; request the year’s rate, the deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or there is a waiting list, all in writing.

As for ROTC, the only branch confirmed in writing is the Army. The Navy and Air Force are not marked, which does not mean they are unavailable, only that they are not confirmed in this report.

Widener competes in intercollegiate sports and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported participation in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. This does not indicate the division in which each sport competes or whether athletic scholarships are available: ask the coach of the sport that interests your child directly, and get the answer in writing.

It also offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, although it is a minority mode of study: only 6 out of every 100 undergraduate students take all their classes remotely; the other 94 take at least one course in person.

The library has employed staff, physical and digital collections, and interlibrary lending—its spending exceeds the $100,000 threshold recorded by the government. That is only a floor; it does not guarantee that specialized databases exist for your child’s field. Ask about those by name.

Reported services include combined academic and career counseling, employment support for current students and graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program for veterans, a dedicated point of contact for military families, and a services page for people with disabilities.

Those who stay, those who leave, and those who finish

Here are the three most important figures in this section, and they are worth reading carefully because each tells you something different.

First-year retention: of 533 full-time bachelor’s-degree-seeking students who entered, 417 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. That is 78 out of every 100—an outcome in the middle of the group compared with similar schools. This figure combines two different groups: those who are still there and those who have already graduated. And an important clarification: not returning is not the same as dropping out. Someone who transferred to another university and is still studying there is counted the same in this figure as someone who left higher education entirely.

Graduation within six years: of a cohort of 770 first-time, full-time students who entered in 2017, 489 graduated from Widener within six years. That is 64 out of every 100—above the midpoint among comparable schools. At four years, the figure drops to 56 out of every 100, eight points lower. What happened to the others among those 770? The report breaks it down: 225 transferred to another institution, 5 remained enrolled without finishing, and 51 were marked as “no longer enrolled”—a category that does not explain why and may include those who graduated after the official time limit.

At eight years: expanding the window and the cohort to 1,188 students who entered between 2015 and 2016, 66 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from Widener. Here a difference appears that is worth naming plainly: among students who received a Pell Grant, the figure was 59 out of every 100—ten points below the figure for those who did not receive one. A family’s qualifying for Pell today does not determine its child’s outcome, but if it applies, this is a legitimate question to ask the admissions office: what specific support exists for these students—an assigned counselor, emergency aid, whether the grant is renewed every year—and request the answer in writing.

What this piece cannot tell you

There are no data here about what happens after graduation: no salaries, employment figures, or amount of debt remaining upon departure. That requires another source, and if it matters to you—and it probably does—it is worth researching separately before deciding.

Putting the pieces together

This is official information, not promotional material, and you can use it to ask sharper questions when the time comes to speak with the admissions or financial aid office.

But this piece alone does not decide anything. It does not include what your child wants to study or what they have built to reach this point. It does not include what your family can truly afford, not on paper but in the bank account. When you bring these three things together—what the university is, what your child wants, and what you can afford—that is when a real plan begins to emerge. This piece was the first stretch of the road. You will walk the rest yourselves.

Note on sources: the information in this article comes from data reported by Widener University to the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), for the periods indicated in the text. Best College Aid does not represent Widener University or any government agency; this piece is for informational purposes.