College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Saint Peter's University

NJMedium private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #417 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Saint Peter's University #417 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Saint Peter's University is a private nonprofit university in Jersey City, New Jersey, where Business and Biological Sciences account for the largest shares of degrees. Affordability is well above average.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes more of that to a remainder it cannot explain than to the factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market.

Return is above average. The net price picture varies across the income scale.

What families in the lowest band pay on average is close to what those in the middle bands pay, and the spread to the highest band is there. Pell students complete below the overall rate, and access is well above average.

The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, and the best-paid program — Nursing — is not the largest one.

Saint Peter's University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
90.3%
Six-year completion[2]
58.3%
Four-year earnings[3]
$64,352

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$9,952
Median student debt[4]
$20,500
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$21,923

Saint Peter's University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Saint Peter's University is a private nonprofit university in Jersey City, New Jersey, enrolling 2,135 undergraduates. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the university sits in the upper third of the field (the 72nd percentile).

Saint Peter's University admits 90.3% of applicants, against a median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). First-year students enrolled full time return at a rate of 71.8%, against a peer median of 83.4%.

The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 58.3%, against a peer median of 68.8%. An estimated 38.0% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students.

Affordability is the strongest of the four (the 83rd percentile), and mobility is the weakest (the 31st percentile). Return and access fall between them, at the 66th and 75th percentiles.

The spread is wide, with the university sitting in a different part of the distribution for price than for mobility.

Affordability is the strongest pillar in the Azimuth profile for Saint Peter's University, sitting at the 83rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Access follows at the 75th percentile, and return is close behind at the 66th percentile. Mobility is the weakest of the four, at the 31st percentile.

52.0% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Those students complete at 51.3%, 7.0 percentage points below the rate for the entering cohort as a whole.

Azimuth ranks Saint Peter's University #362 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks the university #1,015 for mobility. Graduates earn about $14,094 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Saint Peter's University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#417

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 31
Access & reach
National percentile: 75
Affordability
National percentile: 83
Return on investment
National percentile: 66

Top-ranked majors

  1. Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods#17
  2. Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing#100
  3. Criminal Justice and Corrections#103

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Saint Peter's University briefing

Saint Peter's University cost & financial aid[6][7]

The published cost of attendance at Saint Peter's University is $50,272 (an average across living arrangements). Tuition and fees are $42,552 and room and board are $17,794.

For the average aid recipient, grants and scholarships reduce the sticker price by $38,073, leaving an average net price of $12,199. That net price is $15,172 below the $27,371 median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #248 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. A low net price and a high aid share point the same way for aid recipients: the published figure is not what they pay.

The published cost of attendance at Saint Peter's University is $50,272 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #248 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $10,783, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $9,952, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $21,829. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,046.

Aid covers about 76% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The across all aid recipients is $12,199, which is $15,172 below the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $20,500 in federal student loans. That is $3,699 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions.

69.5% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $21,923.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$9,952

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Saint Peter's University

Borrowers who complete a degree at Saint Peter's University leave with a median of $20,500 in federal student loans. That is $3,699 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

69.5% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Parents who take on separate Parent PLUS loans hold a median of $21,923.

Affordability is the pillar that stands out most at Saint Peter's University, and the investment picture shows why. The median federal-loan borrower who completed leaves with $20,500, which is $3,699 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $64,352, which ranks at the 64th percentile.

That figure is $3,898 below the $68,250 peer median, but the earnings-beyond-expectations measure tells a different story. Graduates earn about $14,094 more than the model expects for similar students, a result at the 90th percentile.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $47,657 on the downside to $79,084 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $64,352. The return pillar sits at the 66th percentile, while affordability is at the 83rd percentile.

The median federal student debt at completion is below the peer median, and graduates earn about $14,094 more than the model expects for similar students.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $21,923. For student borrowers with the median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$20,500
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$21,923

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$233/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$279/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Saint Peter's University briefing

Saint Peter's University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Saint Peter's University sits in the 66th percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. For federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled, the median four years after completion is $64,352.

That is in the 64th percentile. The median sits $3,898 below the $68,250 figure for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $14,094 more than the model expects for similar students. The earnings-beyond-expectations result is in the 90th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,163. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $11,931. That leaves earnings below the peer median but above the model's expectation.

For Saint Peter's University, the median earnings four years after completion sit at $64,352, drawn from an earnings cohort of 600 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Azimuth places that figure in the 64th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $14,094 more than the model expects for similar students. That puts the gap at the 90th percentile.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, show a typical figure of $64,352. The downside earnings scenario is $47,657 and the upside is $79,084.

An estimated 28.1% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

At Saint Peter's University, the median earnings for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled four years after finishing stand at $64,352. That places the university at the 64th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The gap to the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) measures $3,898 below. Azimuth places the university at #498 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $14,094 more than the model expects for similar students. This result sits at the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,163. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $11,931.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $853. Degrees awarded at Saint Peter's University cluster in Business, Biological Sciences, and Security & Protective Services.

Estimated from the program mix, the downside earnings scenario is $47,657 and the upside is $79,084. An estimated 28.1% of graduates continue on to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The earnings scenarios show a wide range, from $47,657 on the downside to $79,084 on the upside. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.

Accounting follows at $72,212, and Marketing at $63,460. Earnings vary across programs within the wider range.

Affordability is the strongest pillar at Saint Peter's University, and the numbers bear that out. The average net price for aid recipients is $12,199, which is $15,172 below the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish leave with a median of $20,500 in federal student loans, $3,699 below the peer median of $24,199. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $21,923 in Parent PLUS loans. The return picture is mixed.

Graduates earn about $14,094 more than the model expects for similar students, but the median four-year earnings of $64,352 sit below the peer median. A low net price and above-expected earnings point the same way, even as raw earnings lag the peer group.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$2,163
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$11,931
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$14,094

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Saint Peter's University briefing

Saint Peter's University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Saint Peter's University admits 90.3% of applicants. The university's rate sits well above the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). Most applicants receive an offer.

Admissions
Admission rate
90.3%
Read the full admissions brief

04 / Saint Peter's University briefing

What are the largest majors at Saint Peter's University?[12]

The highest-earning program at Saint Peter's University is Nursing, where graduates earn a median of $100,199 four years after completion. That figure is well above the university-wide median, and the program awards 34 degrees a year.

The largest program is Business Administration and Management, with 67 degrees awarded and median earnings of $58,634. Azimuth ranks it #270 nationally within its field.

Biology and Computer and Information Sciences sit in the middle of the earnings range, at $61,502 and $61,013 respectively. Biology is the second-largest program, awarding 53 degrees, and Azimuth ranks it #119 nationally within its field.

Criminal Justice rounds out the larger programs at $56,438, with 46 degrees awarded and a national rank of #103.

Business accounts for 28.5% of bachelor's degrees awarded, with Biological Sciences second at 12.6%. The university has 8 nationally ranked programs.

Business Administration and Management is the largest single program at 67 degrees a year. Azimuth ranks it #270 within its field, with graduates earning $58,634 four years after completion.

The highest-earning program is Nursing, where graduates earn $100,199 four years after completion from 34 degrees awarded. Teacher Education holds the best national rank at #17, with 37 degrees awarded and median earnings of $62,040.

Biology is the second-largest program, with 53 degrees awarded, a national rank of #119, and median earnings of $61,502 four years after completion.

Saint Peter's University awards bachelor's degrees across 8 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 11 with published four-year earnings data. The program mix is anchored by Business, which accounts for 28.5% of degrees awarded, followed by Biological Sciences at 12.6% and Security & Protective Services at 9.5%.

The largest single programs are Business Administration and Management at 67 degrees awarded, Biology at 53, and Criminal Justice at 46. The highest-ranked program is Teacher Education, which Azimuth ranks #1 in New Jersey within its field.

Nursing is the next highest-ranked within its field, at #100 nationally and #10 in New Jersey. The highest-earning program is a smaller one.

Nursing graduates earn a median of $100,199 four years after completion, from 34 degrees awarded a year. Accounting is next at $72,212 four years after completion, with 31 degrees awarded.

Strength is concentrated in a few programs rather than spread across the mix. The largest programs sit in the middle of the earnings range, while the best-paid program is not among the largest. 15.2% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Business Administration, Management and Operations 67 degrees awarded
$58,634
Biology, General 53 degrees awarded
$61,502
Criminal Justice and Corrections 46 degrees awarded
$56,438
Computer and Information Sciences, General 39 degrees awarded
$61,013
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 37 degrees awarded
$62,040
Psychology, General 34 degrees awarded
$45,623

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Saint Peter's University briefing

What colleges are similar to Saint Peter's University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Saint Peter's University.

Admissions peerEast Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania92.1% admitted
Comparison with Saint Peter's University
MeasureSaint Peter's UniversityEast Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
Peer earnings · 4 years$64,352$56,971-$7,381 vs Saint Peter's University
Average annual net price$12,199$18,134+$5,935 vs Saint Peter's University · higher cost
Admission rate90.3%92.1%
Explore East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania →
Nearby alternativeRider UniversityNearby option · NJ
Comparison with Saint Peter's University
MeasureSaint Peter's UniversityRider University
Peer earnings · 4 years$64,352$63,250-$1,102 vs Saint Peter's University
Average annual net price$12,199$24,792+$12,593 vs Saint Peter's University · higher cost
Admission rate90.3%78.6%
Explore Rider University →
Higher-earnings alternativeSan Jose State University$89,614 earnings
Comparison with Saint Peter's University
MeasureSaint Peter's UniversitySan Jose State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$64,352$89,614+$25,262 vs Saint Peter's University
Average annual net price$12,199$13,760+$1,561 vs Saint Peter's University · higher cost
Admission rate90.3%84.6%
Explore San Jose State University →
Lower-cost alternativeCUNY Brooklyn College$3,103 average net price
Comparison with Saint Peter's University
MeasureSaint Peter's UniversityCUNY Brooklyn College
Peer earnings · 4 years$64,352$62,833-$1,519 vs Saint Peter's University
Average annual net price$12,199$3,103-$9,096 vs Saint Peter's University · lower cost
Admission rate90.3%58.4%
Explore CUNY Brooklyn College →
Similar profileClark UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Saint Peter's University
MeasureSaint Peter's UniversityClark University
Peer earnings · 4 years$64,352$63,965-$387 vs Saint Peter's University
Average annual net price$12,199$28,714+$16,515 vs Saint Peter's University · higher cost
Admission rate90.3%39.5%

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings