The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) vs William Paterson

The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) and William Paterson University (WPU) are two distinct public universities in New Jersey, each offering unique educational experiences. TCNJ, located in Ewing, boasts a lower acceptance rate of 52% compared to WPU's 78%, indicating a more selective admissions process. TCNJ's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate population of over 6,000 students, while WPU has a more intimate community of around 4,000 undergraduates. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with TCNJ excelling in STEM fields and WPU known for its strong liberal arts and education programs. TCNJ's graduation rate stands at 79%, while WPU's is slightly lower at 68%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two esteemed institutions. Explore the table to discover which university
The College of New Jersey logo

The College of New Jersey

William Paterson University of New Jersey logo

William Paterson University of New Jersey

Overview

Location Ewing, New Jersey Wayne, New Jersey
Campus setting Suburb: Large Suburb: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 92.0% 67.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 62.0% 83.3%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $75

Graduate: $75
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $50
SAT range 1170 - 1350 N/A
ACT range 25 - 32 N/A
Students submitting SAT score 42.0%
Students submitting ACT score 7.0%
Total number of applicants 10,393 9,171
Total number of admissions given out 6,442 7,636
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,476 995
Yield rate 22.9% 13.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $35,837

Out of state: $48,144
In state: $29,636

Out of state: $38,374
Average net price $13,269 $15,762
Tuition
In state: $13,603

Out of state: $25,910
In state: $13,778

Out of state: $22,516
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $9,706

Meal plan: $4,046
Room/dormitory: $8,062

Meal plan: $4,672
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

48.0%
Average amount $10,531
73.0%
Average amount $10,710
Students receiving federal student loan 40.0%
Average amount $5,217
49.0%
Average amount $5,171
Students taking out private loans 9.0%
Average amount $16,857
6.0%
Average amount $12,281

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 6,959
Men 43.3% Women 56.7%
7,219
Men 40.9% Women 59.1%
Graduate students 630
Men 20.2% Women 79.8%
2,150
Men 24.6% Women 75.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Moderate
Out-of-state students 5.7% 5.7%
International students 0.8% 1.3%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Large Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 3,218 2,605
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from New Jersey Pennsylvania New York Maryland Delaware New Jersey New York Maryland Pennsylvania Connecticut

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Education
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Business
  • Education
  • Health Professions
  • Psychology
  • Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio 13:1 14:1
Institutional accreditation Middle States Commission on Higher Education Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 86.9% 56.0%
Dropout rate 3.2% 33.1%
Transferred out 9.2% 7.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,094
  • Year 2: $70,009
  • Year 3: $84,723
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $72,953
  • Year 2: $75,946
  • Year 3: $79,839
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,294
  • Year 2: $64,581
  • Year 3: $75,229
Engineering Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $58,866
  • Year 3: $72,488
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,124
  • Year 2: $68,219
  • Year 3: $70,528
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $64,493
  • Year 3: $70,181
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $50,470
  • Year 2: $56,797
  • Year 3: $69,170
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,949
  • Year 2: $58,402
  • Year 3: $64,382
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,144
  • Year 2: $62,632
  • Year 3: $63,542
Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $57,154
  • Year 2: $58,568
  • Year 3: $60,548
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $75,485
  • Year 2: $76,946
  • Year 3: $82,170
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,661
  • Year 2: $64,493
  • Year 3: $73,341
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,945
  • Year 2: $65,238
  • Year 3: $72,250
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,792
  • Year 2: $68,079
  • Year 3: $71,545
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $48,054
  • Year 2: $51,482
  • Year 3: $66,449
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $54,414
  • Year 2: $52,607
  • Year 3: $64,085
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,998
  • Year 2: $56,738
  • Year 3: $61,464
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $46,852
  • Year 2: $49,491
  • Year 3: $54,948
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $44,724
  • Year 2: $46,087
  • Year 3: $54,359
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $36,941
  • Year 3: $53,191

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Fairfield University Fairfield University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs The University of Tampa The University of Tampa
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Frostburg State University Frostburg State University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Assumption University Assumption University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Truman State University Truman State University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Plymouth State University Plymouth State University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Berkeley College-Woodland Park Berkeley College-Woodland Park
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Caldwell University Caldwell University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Drew University Drew University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Felician University Felician University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Rowan University Rowan University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs New Jersey City University New Jersey City University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Kean University Kean University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Montclair State University Montclair State University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Ramapo College of New Jersey Ramapo College of New Jersey
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Rider University Rider University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Rutgers University-Camden Rutgers University-Camden
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Saint Peter's University Saint Peter's University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Seton Hall University Seton Hall University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Stockton University Stockton University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Thomas Edison State University Thomas Edison State University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson University of New Jersey
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Le Moyne College Le Moyne College
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Marist College Marist College
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Farmingdale State College Farmingdale State College
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs SUNY Buffalo State SUNY Buffalo State
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs State University of New York at New Paltz State University of New York at New Paltz
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs SUNY Oneonta SUNY Oneonta
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs SUNY College at Oswego SUNY College at Oswego
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs SUNY College at Potsdam SUNY College at Potsdam
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs University of Pittsburgh-Bradford University of Pittsburgh-Bradford
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs University of Scranton University of Scranton
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs University of Mary Washington University of Mary Washington
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs Western Washington University Western Washington University
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
The College of New Jersey TCNJ vs DeVry University-Pennsylvania DeVry University-Pennsylvania
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs University of Central Arkansas University of Central Arkansas
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Southern Connecticut State University Southern Connecticut State University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Bowie State University Bowie State University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Salisbury University Salisbury University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Berkeley College-Woodland Park Berkeley College-Woodland Park
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Caldwell University Caldwell University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Centenary University Centenary University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Drew University Drew University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Felician University Felician University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Georgian Court University Georgian Court University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Rowan University Rowan University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs New Jersey City University New Jersey City University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Kean University Kean University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Montclair State University Montclair State University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Rabbinical College of America Rabbinical College of America
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Ramapo College of New Jersey Ramapo College of New Jersey
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Rider University Rider University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Saint Peter's University Saint Peter's University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Seton Hall University Seton Hall University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Stockton University Stockton University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Thomas Edison State University Thomas Edison State University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Berkeley College-New York Berkeley College-New York
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs SUNY College at Potsdam SUNY College at Potsdam
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Winston-Salem State University Winston-Salem State University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester University of Pennsylvania
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Rhode Island College Rhode Island College
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Radford University Radford University
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
William Paterson University of New Jersey William Paterson vs Florida Gulf Coast University Florida Gulf Coast University