---
title: Wilkes University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Wilkes-Barre, PA
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Wilkes University

Wilkes-Barre, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $63,454 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $42,451 – $95,134 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $20,500 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $8,560 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 63% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $56,765 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 82% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.32× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $35,454 | derived |

**63% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $20,500 (≈ 32% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $24,313 to $126,057 across 23 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Doctoral Degree | $126,057 | $37,070 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration. | First Professional Degree | $107,920 | $66,000 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Master's Degree | $106,744 | $41,390 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $84,689 | $38,188 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $64,105 | $24,990 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $61,200 | $27,000 |
| Engineering, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $60,305 | $25,662 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $56,705 | $39,600 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language. | Master's Degree | $55,877 | not reported |
| Education, General. | Master's Degree | $54,977 | not reported |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $54,835 | $27,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Master's Degree | $53,044 | not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Master's Degree | $50,596 | $16,045 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,218 | $25,500 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,445 | $25,000 |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,958 | $25,625 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,785 | $26,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,978 | $26,000 |
| Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,877 | not reported |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,809 | $26,000 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,581 | $26,000 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,521 | $26,885 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,313 | $27,000 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Wilkes University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?216931

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/wilkes-university-pa.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`