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Widener University-Main Campus
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Local News About Widener University-Main Campus
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Information Summary
Ranks 1112th for total enrollment
| Surrounding community | Large suburb (inside urban area but outside city, pop. over 250,000) |
|---|---|
| Highest offering | Doctoral degree |
| Full-time Enrollment | 2,918 |
| Total Enrollment | 4,465 |
| Calendar System | Semester |
| Years of college work required | N/A |
| Variable Tuition | |
| Application Fee Required | |
| Undergraduate Application Fee | $35 |
| Graduate Application Fee | $25 |
| First Professional Application Fee | N/A |
Demographics Main Campus and Surrounding Areas
Reported area around or near Chester, PA
| Total Population | 38,762 (38,762 urban / N/A rural) |
|---|---|
| Households | 13,596 (2.63 people per house) |
| Families | 8,611 (3.33 people per family) |
| Pop. — African American | 29,834 |
| Pop. — Asian | 307 |
| Pop. — Pacific Islander | 24 |
| Pop. — American Indian / Alaskan Native | 233 |
| Pop. — White (incl. Hispanic) | 7,674 |
| Pop. — Other | 1,330 |
Carnegie Foundation Classification
Doctoral/Research Universities
| Undergraduate | Professions plus arts & sciences, some graduate coexistence |
|---|---|
| Graduate | Doctoral, professional dominant |
| Undergraduate Population | Full-time four-year, selective, lower transfer-in |
| Enrollment | High undergraduate |
| Size & Setting | Medium four-year, highly residential |
Student Tuition Costs and Fees
What are the typical tuition costs and fees for attending Widener University-Main Campus?
Ranks 201st for total cost of attendance
| In District | In State | Out of State | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FT Undergraduate Tuition | $26,350 | $26,350 | $26,350 |
| FT Undergraduate Required Fees | $400 | $400 | $400 |
| PT Undergraduate per Credit Hour | $878 | $878 | $878 |
| FT Graduate Tuition | $21,328 | $21,328 | $21,328 |
| FT Graduate Required Fees | $250 | $250 | $250 |
| PT Graduate per Credit Hour | $622 | $622 | $622 |
| Total Cost of attendance — On-Campus | $38,618 | $38,618 | $38,618 |
| Total Cost of attendance — Off-Campus w/out Family | $37,726 | $37,726 | $37,726 |
| Total Cost of attendance — Off-Campus with Family | $31,804 | $31,804 | $31,804 |
Student Tuition Cost History and Trends
Three year history and trends on the cost of attending
| In District | In State | Out of State | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Published Tuition & Fees | $23,000 |
$23,000 |
$23,000 |
| Cost (regardless of residency) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Books & Supplies | $840 |
||
| On-Campus – Room & Board | $8,100 |
||
| On-Campus – Other Expenses | $1,620 |
||
| Off-Campus w/out Family – Room & Board | $7,650 |
||
| Off-Campus w/out Family – Other Expenses | $2,250 |
||
| Off-Campus with Family – Room & Board | $4,320 |
||
Admission Details
| Applicants | 4,158 (2,094 male / 2,064 female) |
|---|---|
| Admitted | 2,885 (1,480 male / 1,405 female) |
| Admission rate | 69% |
| First-time Enrollment | 750 (389 male / 361 female) |
| FT Enrollment | 740 (385 male / 355 female) |
| PT Enrollment | 10 (4 male / 6 female) |
Admission Criteria
What criteria does Widener University-Main Campus use for admissions?
| Open Admissions | |
|---|---|
| Secondary School GPA / Rank / Record | |
| College Prep. Completion | |
| Recommendations | |
| Formal competency demo | N/A |
| Admission test scores | |
| TOEFL | |
| Other tests | N/A |
Special Learning Opportunities
| Distance Learning | |
|---|---|
| ROTC — Army / Navy / Airforce | |
| Study Abroad | |
| Weekend College | |
| Teacher Certification |
Athletics - Association Memberships
| Sports / Athletic Conference Memberships | NCAA |
|---|---|
| NCAA / NAIA Football Conference | Middle Atlantic States Athletic Corporation |
| NCAA / NAIA Basketball Conference | Middle Atlantic States Athletic Corporation |
| NCAA / NAIA Baseball Conference | Middle Atlantic States Athletic Corporation |
| NCAA / NAIA Track & Field Conference | Middle Atlantic States Athletic Corporation |
Admission Credits Accepted
What types of credits does Widener University-Main Campus accept?
| Dual Credit | |
|---|---|
| Life Experience | |
| Advanced Placement (AP) |
SAT Test Admission
Rank 1042nd for 75pctl scores
| Applicants submitting SAT results | 99% |
|---|---|
| Verbal scores (25/75 %ile) | 440 / 520 |
| Math scores (25/75 %ile) | 440 / 550 |
| Cumulative scores (25/75 %ile) | 880 / 1070 |
Student Services
| Remedial Services | |
|---|---|
| Academic / Career Counseling | |
| PT Cost-defraying Employment | |
| Career Placement | |
| On-Campus Day Care | |
| Library Facility |
Student Living
| First-time Room / Board Required | |
|---|---|
| Dorm Capacity | 1,772 |
| Meals per Week | 19 |
| Room Fee | $4,800 |
| Board Fee | $4,840 |
Student Financial Aid Details
How many students use Financial Aid, and how much do they use?
| Average | Users | % of Attendees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Grant Aid | $4,341 | 158 | |
| State & Local Grant Aid | $3,051 | 220 | |
| Institutional Grant Aid | $10,662 | 654 | |
| Student Loan Aid | $4,170 | 568 | |
| Any financial aid type | 661 |
Student Enrollment Demographics
How many students are enrolled at Widener University-Main Campus?
| Men | Women | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
Non Resident Alien | 1 | 6 | 7 |
Black Non-Hispanic | 163 | 427 | 590 |
Hispanic | 28 | 53 | 81 |
Asian / Pacific Islander | 59 | 68 | 127 |
American Indian / Alaskan Native | 8 | 5 | 13 |
White Non-Hispanic | 1,252 | 1,772 | 3,024 |
Race Unknown | 279 | 344 | 623 |
| Total | 1,790 | 2,675 | 4,465 |
Student Completion / Graduation Demographics
How many students complete Widener University-Main Campus?
Faculty Compensation / Salaries
| Tenure system | |
|---|---|
| Average FT Salary | $63,925 ($68,344 male / $59,715 female) |
| Number of FT Faculty | 248 (121 male / 127 female) |
| Total Benefits | $5,207,591 |
Widener University-Main Campus Summary
Widener University is a private, metropolitan university located in Chester, Pennsylvania. Approximately 3,000 undergraduates and 3,500 graduate students attend Widener among its eight degree granting schools. The Carnegie Foundation classifies Widener as a Doctoral/Research University and a Community Engagement Institution. Founded in 1821 as a preparatory school for boys in Wilmington, Delaware, the institution now known as Widener University moved to Pennsylvania in 1862, and was granted collegiate powers and privileges via universal charter by the Pennsylvania legislature in April of that year. In 1972, the name Widener College was adopted after the prominent Widener family of Philadelphia, and the Corps of Cadets disbanded (an Army ROTC program still exists). In recognition of its comprehensive offerings, Widener College became Widener University in 1979. Today, Widener is a four-campus university offering more than 80 programs of study. Founded in 1866 after the school moved to Chester, the 108 acre Main Campus consists of 97 buildings and serves all undergraduate day students as well as University College students. Some classes for University College students and graduate business students are also held here. Starting in 2004, the Exton Campus is the newest Widener campus, located in a business park 25 miles from the Main Campus. It primarily serves University College students and contains Widener’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) which provides continuing education programs for retired adults. Widener’s comprehensive offerings range from liberal arts to professional programs and include over 50 undergraduate majors and more than 30 graduate programs of study. Widener boasts a undergraduate student to faculty ratio of 12:1 with 93% of the faculty having doctorates or the highest degree in their field. The university is comprised of the following schools: In 2006, Washington Monthly magazine ranked Widener number 52 out of all national universities in the country. The U.S. News and World Report’s 2008 Best Graduate Schools ranks several of Widener’s graduate programs: clinical psychology → #145, health care management → #49, nursing → #141, physical therapy → #173, and social work → #140. The Carnegie Foundation classifies Widener as a Doctoral/Research University whose undergraduate population is highly residential and selective. Cooperative education A co-op program is available as an option for all undergraduate students within the School of Engineering and School of Business Administration as well as computer science majors in the College of Arts and Sciences. Honors program The Honors Program consists of approximately 200 undergraduate students and provides smaller, seminar courses that fulfill the university’s general education requirements. Widener’s Greek organizations include: Widener is one of only 22 colleges that is a member of Project Pericles, an organization promoting social responsibility and addressing civic apathy among students. Widener opened a Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center in 2006 to provide consulting and educational programs to local small businesses and entrepreneurs. Named the Widener Partnership Charter School, the school utilizes the university’s programs in education, social work, nursing and clinical psychology. This collaboration involves the participation of Widener faculty and students to not only provide educational support but also provide additional assistance outside of school through counseling and health services.
Summary content courtesy of Wikipedia.
Widener University-Main Campus Academics
Widener University is unique in its study options. In addition, when any student is looking for some counseling or other types of support, Adult (re-entering) student services, Alcohol/Substance Abuse Counseling, Campus Ministries/Chaplain, Career Counseling, Economically Disadvantaged Student Services, Employment Service, Financial Aid Counseling, Freshman Orientation Program, Health Services, On-Campus Daycare, Personal Counseling, Veterans Counselor and Women’s Services can help. For example, the university has a Accelerated Program, Distance Learning, Double Major, Honors Program, Independent Study, Internships, ROTC, Air Force, ROTC, Army, ROTC, Navy, Student-Designed Major, Study Abroad, Teacher Certification and Weekend College. The university has disability services as well, so be sure to inquire about them if needed. There’s never a reason to feel alone in your studies either, since there are academic support services like Extensive Undergraduate Evening or Early Morning Classes, Learning Center, Pre-Admission Summer Program, Reduced Course Load, Remedial Instruction, Study Skills Assistance, Tutoring and Writing Center.
The following are the types of degrees and majors offered at Widener University.
- Mathematics:
- Mathematics – General
- Education:
- Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Science Teacher Education, Special Education
- School of Visual and Performing Arts:
- Fine/Studio Arts
- History:
- History – General
- Security and Protective Services:
- Law Enforcement Administration
- Physical Sciences:
- Chemistry, Physics
- Public Administration and Service:
- Social Work
- Business, Management, & Marketing:
- Accounting, Business Administration/Management, Business/Managerial Economics, Finance/Banking, Financial Planning, Hospitality Administration/Management, Human Resources Management, International Business, Management Information Systems, Operations Management
- Foreign Language and Literature:
- French, Spanish
- Health and Clinical Sciences:
- Health Services – General, Nursing (RN), Predentistry, Premedicine, Prenursing, Preveterinary Medicine, Radiologic Technology/Medical Imaging
- Communications & Journalism:
- Communications/Rhetoric
- English Language and Literature:
- Creative Writing, English, English Language & Literature – General
- Social Sciences:
- Anthropology, Economics, International Relations, Political Science/Government, Sociology
- Computer Science:
- Computer Science, Computer/Information Sciences – General, Information Sciences/Systems
- Psychology:
- Psychology – General
- Popular majors:
- thirty-four percent business per marketing, sixteen percent health professions, nine percent engineering, eight percent psychology, eight percent social sciences, seven percent security and protective services, six percent education
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences:
- Biochemistry, Biology
Further, for international students, the application fee is 35.
Widener University-Main Campus Admissions
This school requires an application fee consisting of thirty-five dollars regular application fee, thirty-five dollars out-of-state application fee, Free online application fee and point zero . Admission policy is currently Percent applicants admitted: 81% and Percent of students who return for sophomore year: 66%. Remember that this can change at any time. Transfer student are not ignored. For example, there were six hundred and seventy-two total number of transfer students who applied and four hundred and nineteen total number of transfer students who were admitted.
For priority students, financial aid applications are due no later than the 15th of February. The regular application due date was not reported. Will you make it in time? Make sure to know when all the due dates and deadlines take place. In the same way, if you wish to apply with priority status make sure you application is in by the 15th of February. SAT and ACT score reports are very important, so you will want to check on the specific dates with the university. Besides, It is also very important to submit financial aid applications as quickly as possible, make sure to check with the university about the specific date for this year. the SAT subject section score due date was not reported.
Widener University-Main Campus Athletics
The following sports can be found here:
- Men’s NCAA Division III and Men’s Intercollegiate Baseball
- Men’s NCAA Division III, Women’s NCAA Division III, Men’s Intercollegiate, Women’s Intercollegiate, Men’s Intramural and Women’s Intramural Basketball
- Men’s NCAA Division III, Women’s NCAA Division III, Men’s Intercollegiate and Women’s Intercollegiate Cross_country
- Men’s NCAA Division III and Men’s Intercollegiate Football
- Men’s NCAA Division III and Men’s Intercollegiate Golf
- Men’s NCAA Division III, Women’s NCAA Division III, Men’s Intercollegiate, Women’s Intercollegiate, Men’s Intramural and Women’s Intramural Soccer
- Women’s NCAA Division III, Women’s Intercollegiate, Men’s Intramural and Women’s Intramural Softball
- Men’s Intercollegiate and Women’s Intercollegiate Track_and_field
- Men’s NCAA Division III and Women’s NCAA Division III Track_indoor
- Men’s NCAA Division III and Women’s NCAA Division III Track_outdoor
- Women’s NCAA Division III, Women’s Intercollegiate, Men’s Intramural and Women’s Intramural Volleyball
Widener University-Main Campus Financial Aid
If you are not a need based student, non-need distribution for financial aid is determined by Academics, Leadership, Music/Drama and ROTC. Financial aid forms are FAFSA. Financial aid distribution is at fifty-six percent scholarships per grants and forty-four percent loans per jobs. Similarly, need based financial aid distribution is determined through Academics and State/District Residency. Financial aid for students is readily accessible at this school.
Widener University-Main Campus Students
The school’s size is approximately two thousand, four hundred and ninety-three degree-seeking undergrads, six hundred and forty-nine first-time degree-seeking freshmen and one thousand, seven hundred and seven graduate enrollment. Furthermore, it is part of an Suburban setting, Large town (10,000 – 49,999) and Residential campus. Again, the student body consists of sixty percent in-state students, forty percent out-of-state students, zero percent part-time students, fifty-two percent women, forty-eight percent men, less than one percent american indian per alaskan native, two percent asian per pacific islander, sixteen percent black per non-hispanic, three percent hispanic, sixty-nine percent white per non-hispanic, one percent non-resident alien, nine percent race per ethnicity unreported, eleven percent in top 10th of graduating class, thirty-two percent in top quarter of graduating class, sixty-seven percent in top half of graduating class, twenty-two percent had h.s. gpa of 3.75 and higher, thirteen percent had h.s. gpa between 3.5 and 3.74, sixteen percent had h.s. gpa between 3.25 and 3.49, seventeen percent had h.s. gpa between 3.0 and 3.24, twenty-two percent had h.s. gpa between 2.5 and 2.99 and ten percent had h.s. gpa between 2.0 and 2.49. Widener University offers Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral and First Professional degrees. The university is a Private, University, Four-year, Coed, where 81 percent of the applicants were admitted, Regionally accredited and College Board member.
This school features the Suburban setting, Large town (10,000 – 49,999) and Residential campus. Again, the university has many unique facilites such as astronomical observatory, athletics complex, rock climbing wall, natural turf fields, restaurant lab, executive seminar facility, child development center, recording studio, education lab, commercial graphics lab, physical therapy lab, private art gallery. On the whole, the school is located 10 miles from Philadelphia, 10 miles from Wilmington, Delaware.













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3 months ago
Periodically, I write comments about my experiences at Widener University. I was a graduate student at this pathetic excuse for a university. By the way, I graduated with an A- Average with very little effort. My bitterness comes from the fact that it is a school that does not treat students with respect. I can particularly say this about the School of Education. The bottom line is money at Widener should be their motto. The school charges a lot, but gives you very little in return. Furthermore, if you rub a teacher the wrong way, for any reason, let me warn you that he/she will go to any extent to get even with you. They will spread very untrue rumors and more. In addition to this problem, the courses are far from the best. The Special Education Department and the Foreign Language Department are deplorable. I would equate the department heads of these two departments with teeny boppers who like to bully people who have brains because they are threatened by people who know more than they do, or students that are aware of the fact that they are irresponsible. If you want a good education, go to a state college like the College of New Jersey. Just take note of the rating of that college compared to Widener. Good luck if you choose Widner because you will need it!!!