Quad
Widener UniversityChester, PA · Private nonprofit

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (29% of graduates). 11 students for every faculty member, fewer than at 68% of colleges. 39% of faculty are full-time. Spends $14,606 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

563 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 53% of graduates; 44 programs in 18 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 51.380129% 162
    Graduates in this field earn $98,272 4 years out
  2. Psychology, General 42.01019.4% 53
    Graduates in this field earn $61,205 4 years out
  3. Biology/Biological Sciences, General 26.01015.9% 33
    Graduates in this field earn $73,535 4 years out
  4. Mechanical Engineering 14.19014.8% 27
    Graduates in this field earn $88,358 4 years out
  5. Business Administration and Management, General 52.02014.6% 26
    Graduates in this field earn $62,434 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Health professions, 26% → 33% of graduates since 2014–15 (186 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services$98,777 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $70,817

    4 years after completion$98,777
    National median: $68,559Above typical

    Median federal debt: $27,000 · 4 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$98,272 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $83,528

    4 years after completion$98,272
    National median: $88,910Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $82,888 · Non-Pell: $83,870(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $27,000 · 402 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Computer Science$96,427 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $51,536

    4 years after completion$96,427
    National median: $107,009Below typical

    Median federal debt: $27,000 · 25 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$95,901 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $82,611

    4 years after completion$95,901
    National median: $100,647Below typical

    Median federal debt: $26,500 · 19 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Chemical Engineering$91,145 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $71,160

    4 years after completion$91,145
    National median: $98,158Below typical

    Median federal debt: $27,000 · 24 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college11 to 1
11 to 1
← Fewer students per facultyfewer students per faculty member than 68% of 1,892More students per faculty →

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Class sizes

62%

of classes have fewer than 20 students; 2% have 50 or more

Under 20 students 20 or moreStudents per class section
Undergraduate class sections by number of students
StudentssectionsShare
2–916220%
10–1933342%
20–2926033%
30–39213%
40–4951%
50–99152%
100+00%

This counts class sections, not students: a lecture of 300 is one section, so a student is more likely to sit in a large class than the share of sections suggests. Labs and discussion sections are counted separately and left out here.

Programs & curriculum

  • Accelerated program
  • Distance learning
  • Double major
  • Dual enrollment
  • Honors program
  • Independent study
  • Internships
  • Liberal arts/career combination
  • Student-designed major
  • Teacher certification
  • Study abroad
  • Undergraduate research

Requires coursework in computer literacy, English composition, physical education, humanities, math, a natural science, and social science.

Full-time faculty39%
National median: 67%Below typical
Average faculty salary

$80,812

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other private nonprofit colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable.

Instruction spending per student$14,606
$14,606
← Lessmore than 72% of 1,199More →
Endowment per student$22,669
$22,669
← Lessmore than 37% of 1,065More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;Widener University Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2023;Widener University Common Data Set 2023–24, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)