Wilkes University

Location and Contact Information

84 West South Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766
USA
Main Tel: (570) 408-5000
Web Site

The campus is in a small city.

Overview

Wilkes University was established in 1933, and is situated in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a branch campus of the Bucknell University, and became independent in 1940.

The campus is covers nearly 27 acres, and includes numerous residential halls and buildings. The academic programs of the schools are divided among the following colleges:

  • College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
  • College of Science and Engineering
  • Nesbitt College of Pharmacy and Nursing
  • Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership

Wilkes University has an active student life and boasts numerous on-campus clubs and organizations and has more than 15 national honor societies. The college enrolls undergraduate students from more than 15 states and 4 foreign countries. Their sports teams are nicknamed the Colonels.

Highlights (vs. Other Schools)

  • Many students concentrating in education and teaching.
  • Superior share of faculty on tenure track.
  • Large number of students.
  • High faculty salary.
  • Many mature (40+ year old) students.
  • Large number of programs of study offered.

School characteristics:

  • The school is private, not-for-profit.
  • Academic calender: Semester.
  • Carnegie classification: Masters Colleges and Universities I.

Features of note:

  • The school offers a faculty tenure system.
  • There are one or more libraries on-campus.
  • Campus housing is available.
  • Students have meal (board) plans.
  • Students may study abroad.
  • Distance learning is available.
  • Weekend study is an option.
  • Part-time classes are available.
  • ROTC.

Tuition and Financial Aid (2009-2010)

ItemCost
State Tuition and fees$ 26,010
Room$ 6,680
Board$ 4,420
Books and supplies$ 1,100
Other$ 2,300

Financial Aid

Wilkes University participates in US Title IV financial assistance programs.

In 2009-2010, 97% of students received financial aid of some sort.

Grants% of
Students
Average
Amount
Any Grant96%$15,058
Institutional Grant96%$12,321
Federal Grant29%$4,431
Pell Grant29%$3,406
Other Federal Grant26%$1,206
State or Local Grant41%$3,311

Loans% of
Students
Average
Amount
Student Loan83%$8,062
Federal Loan82%$6,092
Other Loan16%$10,402

(Please refer to BrainTrack's financial aid articles section for background information.)

Similar Schools

Based on proprietary BrainTrack computer comparisons against all other US colleges, these schools appear to be most similar to Wilkes University:

Click a column header to sort.

 SchoolLocationEnrollment
1Le Moyne CollegeSyracuse, NY3,479
2Sacred Heart UniversityFairfield, CT5,958
3Canisius CollegeBuffalo, NY4,916
4Saint John Fisher CollegeRochester, NY3,832
5Nazareth CollegeRochester, NY3,250
6Saint Xavier UniversityChicago, IL5,337
7Niagara UniversityNiagara University, NY4,254
8Point Loma Nazarene UniversitySan Diego, CA3,390
9Cabrini CollegeRadnor, PA3,580
10University of New EnglandBiddeford, ME4,267

Degrees Awarded (in 2009-2010)

DegreeTotal
Earned
Different
Programs
Master1,07914
Bachelor49140
Doctorate (Professional Practice)611

Faculty

Tenure (2009-2010):

Full-Time Faculty  Total
With tenure  79
Without tenure; working toward tenure  51
Without tenure; tenure not available  18

Students

Student enrollment was 5,901 in 2009-2010 (4,692 full-time equivalent).

About 48% of the freshmen class in 2009-2010 was male and women were 52% of the class.

Undergrads are 25% of enrolled students and graduate students are 75%.

Students under 25 years old represent 44% of the student body. About 15% of the school is at least 40 years of age.

Among freshmen students, 99% are full-time and 1% are part-time.

Admissions Summary (2009-2010)

ApplicantsAdmitted
Men73%
Women77%
All75%

SAT Test Scores:

SATMiddle 50%
Verbal460-570
Math460-600
Writing450-560

Room and Board

Wilkes University provides on-campus housing for 954 of its 4,692 (full-time) students (as of 2009-2010).

Students may purchase a meal plan which includes 19 meals weekly.

Athletics

School sports include football, basketball, baseball, and track. The school is in the Middle Atlantic States Athletic Corporation for major sports.

International Study

About 1% of freshmen are from countries other than the US.

The TOEFL exam is not required for international applicants.

Graduate School Focus

Wilkes University offers graduate (post-Bachelor) studies. The highest degree offered is the Doctorate (Research/Scholarship & Professional Practice).

Graduate offerings include continuing professional education.The school's Graduate School Carnegie Classification is Postbaccalaureate With Arts & Sciences (Education Dominant).

Programs of Study

(Number of degrees in 2009-2010 in parentheses)

ART STUDIES (0 awarded)

  • Art/Art Studies

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT (131 awarded)

  • Accounting
  • Business Administration and Management
  • E-Commerce/Electronic Commerce
  • Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (8 awarded)

  • Computer and Information Sciences
  • Information Science/Studies

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS (6 awarded)

  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts

EDUCATION AND TEACHING (965 awarded)

  • Biology Teacher Education
  • Education
  • Elementary Education and Teaching
  • Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship
  • English/Language Arts Teacher Education
  • History Teacher Education
  • Music Teacher Education
  • Special Education and Teaching
  • Teacher Education/Profess Development, Subject Areas

ENGINEERING (74 awarded)

  • Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
  • Engineering/Industrial Management
  • Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering

FINE ARTS (0 awarded)

  • Fine/Studio Arts

LIBERAL ARTS (148 awarded)

  • Creative Writing
  • Economics
  • English Language and Literature
  • French Language and Literature
  • History
  • International Relations and Affairs
  • Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Political Science and Government
  • Sociology
  • Spanish Language and Literature

MATHEMATICS (10 awarded)

  • Mathematics

MEDIA (33 awarded)

  • Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric
  • Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia

MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION (0 awarded)

  • Hospital and Health Care Facilities Administration/Management
  • Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration

MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNOLOGY (1 awarded)

  • Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist

MEDICINE (61 awarded)

  • Pharmacy (PharmD [USA], PharmD or BS/BPharm [Canada])

MUSIC (0 awarded)

  • Music Performance

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE (71 awarded)

  • Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY (0 awarded)

  • Philosophy

SCIENCE (59 awarded)

  • Biochemistry
  • Biology/Biological Sciences
  • Chemistry
  • Geology/Earth Science
  • Physics

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT (22 awarded)

  • Criminal Justice/Safety Studies

THERAPY AND COUNSELING (42 awarded)

  • Psychology