Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania · Also known as Wilkes · Website
$63,454
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$63,454
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Wilkes University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania with 1,985 undergraduates and 3,305 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $27,743 a year (tuition and fees $43,496). It admits 91% of applicants and 63% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $63,454 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $26,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$27,743
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$43,496
US median $11,837
Admission rate
91%
US median 78%
Completion rate
63%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$26,000
About $276 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$63,454
Rank 587 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $27,743
- Tuition and fees
- $43,496
- Cost of attendance
- $56,765
- Students with a need-based grant
- 34%
- Students with federal loans
- 72%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $25,062
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $23,440
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $26,432
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $27,843
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $31,638
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $32,356 in 2015-16 to $43,496 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 91%
- Average SAT
- 1,136
- SAT reading, middle
- 575
- SAT math, middle
- 570
- ACT, middle
- 24
- Undergraduates
- 1,985
- Graduate students
- 3,305
- Part-time students
- 4.6%
- Women
- 52%
- Students per teacher
- 13
- Completion rate
- 63%
- Retention rate
- 72%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 71
- Endowment
- $67.2M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 587 of 5,094 US colleges and 52 of 270 in Pennsylvania (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | PA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $27,743 | $19,970 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $43,496 | $19,182 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 91% | 81% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 63% | 66% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 72% | 78% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $26,000 | $17,500 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $54,128 | $42,275 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $63,454 | $49,700 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 72% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 80% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
71 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineMaster's | Master's | 229 | $41,390 | $118,515 | $127,350 | $120,193 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasOnlineMaster's | Master's | 191 | $16,045 | $59,372 | $59,548 | $63,707 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 138 | $24,990 | $77,226 | $92,034 | $88,910 |
| Educational/Instructional Media DesignOnlineMaster's | Master's | 82 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and AdministrationProfessional | Professional | 66 | $66,000 | $98,089 | $137,560 | $138,348 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 60 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,072 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionMaster's | Master's | 47 | Withheld | $85,253 | $104,444 | $71,685 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 46 | $39,600 | $61,435 | $95,365 | $103,485 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 45 | $26,000 | $40,508 | $57,020 | $68,257 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesOnlineMaster's | Master's | 38 | $36,000 | $33,352 | $37,334 | $55,035 |
| Education, OtherOnlineMaster's | Master's | 37 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 31 | $27,000 | $63,062 | $79,326 | $92,135 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | $26,000 | $29,007 | $48,033 | $50,706 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 29 | Withheld | $61,012 | $65,331 | $59,916 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionOnlineDoctoral | Doctoral | 26 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $100,573 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign LanguageOnlineMaster's | Master's | 20 | Withheld | $62,713 | Withheld | $65,767 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineProfessional | Professional | 18 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | $27,000 | $38,513 | $57,332 | $57,214 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | $26,000 | $45,853 | $52,234 | $47,382 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | $25,000 | $41,758 | $72,961 | $83,343 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | $27,000 | $60,098 | $70,039 | $81,171 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | $26,885 | $36,271 | Withheld | $56,359 |
| CriminologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $63,293 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: Pennsylvania on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Pennsylvania
- Homes: Homes for sale in Pennsylvania
Questions and answers
How much does Wilkes University cost?
$27,743 a year is the average net price at Wilkes University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $43,496, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $56,765. Families earning under $30,000 pay $25,062 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Wilkes University?
91% of applicants are admitted to Wilkes University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,136 and the middle ACT score is 24. The median admission rate of colleges in Pennsylvania is 81%.
How much do Wilkes University graduates earn?
$63,454 a year is the median pay of former Wilkes University students who work, 10 years after they started ($54,128 after 6 years). That ranks 587 of 5,094 US colleges and 52 of 270 in Pennsylvania. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral) at $150,107.
How much student debt do Wilkes University graduates have?
$26,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Wilkes University graduates, about $276 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 72% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Wilkes University?
63% of first-time, full-time students at Wilkes University finish within 6 years. 72% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Wilkes University?
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (229 master's graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (191 master's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (138 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 71 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.