Let’s read them together for William Paterson University of New Jersey, in Wayne, New Jersey. By the end, you will not know whether it is “the” university for your child. No one can tell you that from an article. But you will understand what kind of institution it is, where money is tight, where there is room, and what questions you need to ask, with your own financial aid letter in hand, before deciding anything.
What kind of school it is, in brief
William Paterson is a public, four-year university, and its highest reported level is the doctorate. That does not mean your child’s program goes that far; it means the institution as a whole offers everything from bachelor’s degrees to advanced graduate programs. If your child is interested in a path that continues from undergraduate to graduate study in their field, ask about it by program. The general figure does not tell you whether that connection exists for the specific major they want.
The Carnegie system, which classifies the nation’s universities by what they do, places it among master’s universities with larger programs, medium-sized and primarily residential: when that information was recorded, between one in four and half of its undergraduate students lived in institution-owned housing. In another classification, it also appears among schools that receive many transfer students. If your child is thinking of coming here after studying somewhere else, ask in writing which courses will count and which will not. That label tells you there is a flow of transfer students, not how many credits survive the move.
One more thing is worth stating clearly: William Paterson has none of three specific federal designations—it is not a historically Black university, a tribal university, or a land-grant institution. That says nothing about which communities it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly: what cultural centers exist today, what student organizations are active, and better yet, talk with someone who already studies there.
Where it is. Wayne, New Jersey, Passaic County, within the New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area. Its Census locale code places it in a suburb: within the urbanized area but outside the heart of the city. If your child plans to live at home and commute every day, do not trust the map: drive the route yourself on a weekday at the exact time of their classes.
The community’s actual size
In the official fall count, William Paterson had 9,426 students enrolled. It is neither a small school nor an enormous one; it falls squarely in the middle band of its comparison group. But that number hides something important: it is divided between 6,546 undergraduates and 2,880 graduate students. If your child is entering a bachelor’s program, the number that matters to them is 6,546, not the total. A large part of that bigger figure consists of people who already completed one degree and returned for another.
And here is a figure worth emphasizing calmly: among undergraduate students, 34 out of every 100 were reported as Hispanic or Latino. That is more than one in four, placing the university in the highest quartile among selective public four-year schools reporting this information. Put simply: being Latino here would not be the exception.
But be careful about what that number does not say. Counting how many students there are is not the same as serving that community. The figure does not say whether counseling is available in Spanish, whether targeted tutoring is offered, or whether those students complete their degrees at the same rate as everyone else. And it is the percentage for the entire school, not for the specific major that interests your child.
Other features of that community: there are more women than men among undergraduates (61 out of every 100), nearly a third of undergraduate students are between 25 and 64 years old—this is no longer just a campus of 18-year-olds fresh out of high school—and among entering students, 89 out of every 100 came from the same state of New Jersey. Most of their classmates will be neighbors, not outsiders.
How the academic year works and what prior credit it accepts
The calendar is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. Nothing unusual there.
What is worth knowing is that the university reported accepting credit from AP exams, as well as what IPEDS calls “credit for life experiences”—learning acquired through independent study, adult courses, work experience, portfolios, prior licenses, and other routes, including credit for military training. It also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit, both within and outside a formal dual-enrollment program.
But reporting that does not mean the university will automatically award your child credit. We do not know what AP scores it requires, how many credits it awards, or whether those credits will count toward the specific major your child wants. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for time or money savings until you have it in hand.
As for majors: between July 2022 and June 2023, the university awarded 1,847 bachelor’s degrees across 23 families of academic programs. The largest was health professions, accounting for 28 out of every 100 degrees—no other area surpassed it, but it did not dominate the whole picture either. The offerings are broad, not concentrated in just one area. And the reported student-faculty ratio is 17 to 1, a middle-range figure, neither among the lowest nor the highest at similar schools. That number does not tell you the actual size of a first-year classroom; it only describes an institution-wide ratio.
The university also reports specific structured pathways: study abroad, undergraduate research, a complete program that can be taken only in the evenings or on weekends, and pathways to teacher certification, including state approval for initial certification. It is worth asking by name if any of these applies to what your child wants to study.
Getting in is likely. Enrolling is another decision
Here is one of the most important figures in this entire article, and I want to give it to you directly: of the students who applied for admission to William Paterson in the 2023 cycle, the university accepted 93 out of every 100. That is a very high admission rate, on the more accessible side among selective public four-year schools in its comparison group.
That does not mean the university reviews nothing. It marked four elements as required: the high school transcript, grade point average, completion of its required college-preparatory coursework, and an English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. The SAT and ACT are not required—they are optional—and among students who enrolled, only 1 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores. Other elements, such as the essay or letters of recommendation, are not required but are considered if you submit them. And there is one factor your child cannot change through effort: the university reported that it considers whether a relative studied there. If that is not the case for your child, do not spend energy on it. Spend it on what is within their control.
Now comes the figure that truly needs to make you think: among admitted students, only 12 out of every 100 enrolled. Put another way, out of every 8 young people who receive a yes, about one ultimately comes here. The others had a place and did not take it.
Do not read that as a stain on the university. The federal record does not say why each person made the decision they made, and a low enrollment rate does not mean the school is bad. But it does mean this: what other people decided tells you nothing about what your child will be offered. Wait for your child’s letter with the net price—what the year will actually cost your family—before drawing any conclusion about whether this school stays on the list.
On transfers: for the cohort that entered in 2017, among full-time students, 26 out of every 100 transferred to another institution without graduating here. That is a considerable share, slightly above the midpoint among similar schools. At the same time, the university receives many transfer students from other institutions: 952 in the most recent fall. There is movement in both directions. One technical detail that is extremely valuable when you compare graduation rates later: a student who transfers and finishes at another school does not count as a William Paterson graduate, even if they complete their degree elsewhere.
The sticker price and what families actually pay
At William Paterson University of New Jersey, among first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and paid the in-state or in-district rate, 213 had EFC records showing family income below $30,000; their average net price was $15,420. Within the same population, 90 had EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000; their average net price was $17,978. Another 77 had EFC family income above $110,000; their average net price was $23,237. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band and the average for the highest-income band is $7,817. The student count was 213 in the lowest-income band and 77 in the highest-income band. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $16,999.
Among the 519 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, this school falls in the most expensive quartile for the lowest-income families. That does not mean you should rule it out. It means you should request the aid letter before deciding.
The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at this public institution, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships; it also uses that rate. If your family lives outside the state or district, the calculation is different. Ask about it before applying.
The aid that actually arrives, and what students borrow
Among degree-seeking students, 67 out of every 100 received some form of aid that does not have to be repaid—scholarships, grants, or money from the federal government, the state, or the university itself. The average amount of that aid, counting only those who received it, was $9,468 per year. And 45 out of every 100 received a Pell Grant, the federal aid specifically for low-income families.
Be careful not to mix these two figures: the percentage—who receives aid—and the average—how much recipients receive—do not share the same denominator and should not be multiplied by each other. When your child’s aid letter arrives, separate it by hand into three piles: what does not have to be repaid, what must be repaid with interest, and what must be earned through work. Many letters mix them into a single column to make the offer look more generous than it is.
On loans: among undergraduate students, 42 out of every 100 received a federal loan in the reported academic year, with an average of $6,525 for each student who borrowed that year. That is a middle-range share, neither among the highest nor the lowest at comparable schools.
And here is a truth I cannot soften: that percentage describes other families, not yours. What your child would need to borrow can be determined only from their own financial aid letter. Wait for that letter before ruling out the school and before committing to it. That average also does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, credit card debt, or total debt accumulated by graduation—it covers only one year of federal loans in the student’s name.
The university also reports a tuition installment payment plan and participation in a Promise-type program. It is worth asking about the details of both if monthly cash flow is a real concern for your family.
Campus life, athletics, and support
William Paterson does have its own housing, with a reported student capacity of 1,486 on or off campus, and meal plans with a fixed number of meals per week in its largest option. Not all first-time students are required to live there—but the existence of housing does not guarantee an available bed when your child requests one. Ask in writing for the annual rate, the housing application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or your child will enter a waiting list.
In athletics, the university competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA, reporting specific membership in football, basketball, and baseball. If your child’s plan includes playing, write directly to the coach of that sport: ask whether there is space on the team, which division they compete in, and whether that sport offers scholarships. Get confirmation in writing.
On ROTC: the university did not mark any ROTC opportunity in its most recent report. That does not prove there is no nearby option—it only means that field was not marked. If that particular scholarship matters to your family, ask about it directly before assuming it is unavailable.
Distance education is present at both levels, undergraduate and graduate. In the fall count, among undergraduate students, 32 out of every 100 took all their classes online—a high share compared with similar schools. But this describes the entire undergraduate population together, not your child’s specific major. One major may be almost entirely online while the one next to it is almost entirely on campus; ask by program name.
The library operates with paid staff, and its annual spending exceeds the federal threshold of $100,000. It has physical and digital materials and participates in interlibrary lending. That is a floor, not a guarantee that it has the specific databases your child’s major requires—that also needs to be asked by name.
Reported services include combined academic and career counseling, student employment services, on-campus child care, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, a dedicated point of contact for military families, and a published web address for disability services.
How many stay, and how many finish?
This is probably the hardest block of numbers to digest, and I would rather give it to you directly.
Of the cohort that entered in fall 2022, 73 out of every 100 were still enrolled here or had already graduated one year later. That is a decent figure, but slightly below the midpoint of similar schools reporting this information. This number does not separate those still studying from those who graduated early, and it also does not tell you what happened to those who did not return—transferring to another school is not the same as leaving higher education, and both count the same in this figure.
On graduation: among students who entered in 2017 to pursue a bachelor’s degree full time, 48 out of every 100 graduated from here within six years. At four years, the figure drops to 29 out of every 100—nineteen points lower, and four years is exactly the timeframe most families budget for. Compared with similar schools, this six-year share falls below the midpoint of the group.
Put bluntly: at six years, it is nearly half and half between those who have a degree from here and those who do not. The report counts outcomes, not the reasons behind each story. Before deciding, ask what specific support the university offers to help students finish on time and how long the major that interests your child actually tends to take. If it takes more than four years, the total cost changes—and that also needs to be requested in writing.
A broader look, at eight years and with a larger cohort that includes both first-time and transfer students: 60 out of every 100 had earned some degree or certificate from this school. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 59 out of every 100—virtually the same, just three points below the group without Pell. A share of 18 out of every 100 appears with unknown enrollment status at the final reporting point; that does not mean they dropped out, only that the report could not determine where they were.
What this article cannot tell you
We do not know what happens to William Paterson graduates afterward: this source contains no data on employment, earnings, or debt at the time of graduation. That belongs to a separate investigation using other sources.
Putting the pieces together
You now know an important part of the picture: what kind of institution William Paterson is, what it costs on paper, what it actually costs according to family income, who stays and who leaves, and what specific questions you need to ask before signing anything.
This piece is solid, but it is only one piece. It is missing what your child wants to study and what they have already built to get this far. It is missing what your family can truly afford, month by month, and what you are willing to commit. From those three pieces together—the university, the student, the family—comes a plan that no article can build for you.
If you are just beginning to consider this school, ask your child to research the exact program that interests them, not just the university’s name. If your child is already applying, gather written answers to the questions about AP credit, housing, and athletic scholarships before the deadline. And if the admission letter has already arrived, do not decide anything until you also have the financial aid letter with the real net price—the number specific to your situation, not the average for other families.
It is not your job to live your child’s college experience. It is your job to understand the money, ask the uncomfortable questions in time, and stand beside them while they decide the rest.
Note on sources: The information in this article comes from official reports that educational institutions submit to the United States Department of Education through the IPEDS system, as well as from Carnegie classifications of higher education, corresponding to different years and academic cycles as indicated in each section. Best College Aid does not represent William Paterson University of New Jersey or any government agency; this article is independent informational material.