PA · Medium private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #537 nationally
Data snapshot · Updated
Azimuth puts Widener University in the 63rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Who it’s a good fit for
Widener University is a private nonprofit university in Chester, Pennsylvania, where Health Professions, Business, and Engineering lead the degree mix. Return is well above average.
Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes more of that gain to the factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market — than to what it cannot explain.
Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. Affordability is below the levels seen at many peers, and the spread between what the lowest and highest income bands pay is modest.
Pell students complete at a rate that is below the overall cohort, and mobility is modestly below average. The admission rate is within a few points of the median for comparable institutions.
A student drawn to the health professions should know that the largest program, Nursing, is also the best-paid one.
Widener University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]
Widener University is a private nonprofit university in Chester, Pennsylvania, enrolling 2,951 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the middle of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (63rd percentile).
The shape is a school where return is the strongest and affordability the weakest, with access and mobility between them. The university admits 70.9% of applicants, a rate close to the 71.2% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size.
Of students who start full time, 78.4% return for a second year, against a peer median of 83.4%. The six-year graduation rate is 68.3%, compared to a peer median of 68.8%.
An estimated 10.1% of undergraduates arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year rate describes the first-time full-time cohort and not the full student body. The four pillars are spread apart.
Return (87th percentile) sits well above the others, while affordability (20th percentile) trails. Access (59th percentile) and mobility (43rd percentile) occupy the middle ground.
Return is the clearest strength in Widener University’s Azimuth profile, while affordability warrants the closest cost review. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth places return in the 87th percentile, access in the 59th percentile, and mobility in the 43rd percentile.
Affordability sits in the 20th percentile, the weakest pillar. Strong return results and weak affordability results point to a profile where earnings merit attention alongside the price families may face.
At Widener University, 32.8% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, a measure of financial access at the private nonprofit university. For access, Azimuth places Widener University at #595 among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Pell recipients finish at 57.8% within six years, 10.5 percentage points below the overall rate (68.3%), and that distance is what the access pillar captures. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth ranks Widener University #838 for mobility. Graduates earn about $7,347 more than the model expects for similar students.
At Widener University, the published annual cost is $70,621 (an average across living arrangements), but aid changes the price sharply for recipients. Tuition and fees are $55,730, and room and board are $16,530.
Across aid recipients, average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $25,759, after average aid savings of $44,862 against the published cost. That figure describes an average across recipients, not a quote for any one household.
Among comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $27,371, and Widener University's average is $1,612 below it. Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 20th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The slightly lower post-aid price relative to peers sits alongside a low national affordability placement.
Widener University has a published cost of attendance of $70,621 (an average across living arrangements), so the price after aid is central to its affordability picture. For families in the lowest family-income band, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $21,200; it is $22,275 for the lower-middle band, $22,514 for the middle band, $25,900 for the upper-middle band, and $32,296 for the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,096. Azimuth ranks the university #1,133 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 64% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, with average aid savings of $44,862 against the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the is $25,759, which is $1,612 below the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Published tuition and fees are $55,730, and room and board are $16,530. The overall price sits slightly below its peer comparison, though family income still changes the average cost substantially.
Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $27,000, and 97.3% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is $2,801 above the $24,199 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing for parent borrowers is $33,146.
Your family income
Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.
Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$22,514
After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.
Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.
Borrowing and repayment at Widener University
At Widener University, federal loan use is widespread: 97.3% of federal aid recipients borrow. For borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $27,000.
The peer median among comparable institutions (same type and size) is $24,199, leaving Widener’s median $2,801 above it. Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population with median borrowing of $33,146.
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 83% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $51,002 in cumulative borrowing per borrower. The figures include 82% of graduates with federal loans, averaging $24,102. Of graduates, 41% held private loans averaging $52,663.
The return picture at Widener University is led by earnings that beat both the peer median and the model's expectation. Among federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled, the median four years after completion is $80,946, a figure in the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
That is $12,696 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $7,347 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 77th percentile.
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, stretch from $59,144 on the downside to $98,272 on the upside, with $80,946 as the typical outcome. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $27,000 in federal loans.
That is $2,801 above the $24,199 median for comparable institutions. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month, while strong earnings and above-peer debt pull in opposite directions.
Parent PLUS borrowers, a population separate from student federal-loan borrowers, had median borrowing of $33,146. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month.
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
Estimated student payment · monthly
$307/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$421/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.
At Widener University, graduates earn about $7,347 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places its return pillar in the 87th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between graduates' earnings and the model expectation for similar students, sits in the 77th 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 $6,337.
The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $1,010. Azimuth puts median earnings for federally aided completers working and not enrolled—$80,946 four years after completion—in the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a peer median, the middle value, of $68,250; the university's is $12,696 above it. Above-peer earnings and point the same way.
Early earnings are a clear strength at Widener University: federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $80,946 four years after completion. Azimuth places the measure in the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, drawing on an earnings cohort of 1,370 completers.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, offers another view of the result. Graduates earn about $7,347 more than the model expects for similar students.
Earnings scenarios based on the program mix put typical earnings at $80,946, with a downside scenario of $59,144 and an upside scenario of $98,272. An estimated 28.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.
The median and modeled results both point to a comparatively strong earnings picture.
Widener University posts earnings that sit above both its comparable-institution benchmark and the model’s expectation. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings reach $80,946 four years after completion, in the 89th percentile.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $68,250, leaving the university $12,696 above it. Graduates earn about $7,347 more than the model expects for similar students.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sit in the 77th percentile. Azimuth ranks Widener University #185 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $59,144 on the downside to $98,272 on the upside. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $6,337.
The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $1,010. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,346.
Nursing is the largest program, with 201 degrees awarded and median earnings four years after completion that match the upside scenario. Its program median is 1.10x the national median for its field.
The largest-program pattern spans health, psychology, and biology rather than a single field.
Earnings differ across earnings scenarios and across program medians. The downside earnings scenario is $59,144, and the upside scenario is $98,272; both are scenarios estimated from the program mix rather than observed groups.
Graduates of Widener University exceed the model's earnings expectations while borrowing somewhat more than the peer median. The median federal debt among completers who borrowed, $27,000, sits above the peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size), $24,199, by $2,801.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. Graduates earn about $7,347 more than the model expects for similar students.
What aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, the average net price, is $25,759. By family-income band, the average net price is $21,200 for the lowest-income band, $22,275 for the next band, $22,514 in the middle band, $25,900 in the upper-middle band, and $32,296 for the highest band.
For a typical aid recipient, grants and scholarships cover about 64% of the sticker price. The earnings outlook and the price after aid both favor the return picture, while debt that exceeds the peer median is the counterweight.
What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$6,337
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$1,010
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$7,347
These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.
Widener University admitted 70.9% of applicants, the same as the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). The rate summarizes the share admitted from the reported applicant pool, rather than an admission threshold or an individual forecast.
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 9,349 first-year applicants and 6,631 admitted applicants.
SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
70.9%
25th percentile
1060
Median
1200
75th percentile
1283
CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
Widener University’s largest program pairs a substantial degree count with earnings near the top of its program mix. Four years after completion, Nursing records median earnings of $98,272 across 201 degrees awarded.
Mechanical Engineering is also on the higher-earning side, at $88,358 with 30 degrees awarded. The more moderate figures are Biology, with $73,535 and 31 degrees awarded, and Psychology, at $61,205 across 48 degrees awarded.
These fields show that earnings differ materially across Widener’s larger programs.
Health Professions accounts for 35.7% of bachelor’s degrees awarded at Widener University, making it the largest program family. Published earnings cover 16 bachelor’s fields, showing a wide range across the largest programs. Field choice matters because these outcomes vary substantially.
Health Professions accounts for 35.7% of bachelor's degrees awarded at Widener University, with Business next at 18.7% and Engineering at 16.5%. The largest single programs are Nursing at 201 degrees awarded, Psychology at 48, and Business Administration and Management at 47.
The university has 16 programs with published four-year earnings data. Nursing is both the largest program and the highest-earning one.
Graduates earn a median of $98,272 four years after completion, a benchmark ratio of 1.10x against the national median for its field. The next highest-earning programs are much smaller.
Computer Science graduates earn $96,427 from 11 degrees awarded, and Electrical Engineering graduates earn $95,901 from 9 degrees awarded. Graduates of Psychology, the second-largest program, earn $61,205.
The pattern is one of concentrated strength in health professions and engineering, with the largest program also the highest-earning. Across all fields, 24.2% of degrees are in STEM.
Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 201 degrees awarded
$98,272
Psychology, General 48 degrees awarded
$61,205
Business Administration, Management and Operations 47 degrees awarded
$62,434
Biology, General 31 degrees awarded
$73,535
Mechanical Engineering 30 degrees awarded
$88,358
Accounting and Related Services 29 degrees awarded
$77,426
Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.
Pell recipients complete within six years at 57.8%, below the overall rate by 10.5 percentage points. Azimuth places the mobility pillar in the 43rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students: Graduates earn about $7,347 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that measure in the 77th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Widener University enrolls 2,951 undergraduates and admits 70.9% of applicants, making entry a central part of its access picture. Pell Grants reach 32.8% of undergraduates, and the estimated share of entrants outside the first-time, full-time group is 10.1%.
Azimuth assigns the university’s access pillar to the 59th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Its enrollment scale, Pell participation, and transfer estimate describe access through several entry points.
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 Widener University.
Admissions peerDeSales University77.1% admitted+
Comparison with Widener University
Measure
Widener University
DeSales University
Peer earnings · 4 years
$80,946
$74,078-$6,868 vs Widener University
Average annual net price
$25,759
$31,643+$5,884 vs Widener University · higher cost
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.
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.
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.
Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.
Source fields: ADM_RATE
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.
Source fields: RET_FT4
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.
Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.
Source fields: PCTPELL
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
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