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Wilberforce, OH · Private · 822 undergraduates · rural

Wilberforce University

Moderately selective

Wilberforce’s most distinctive draw is a historic private HBCU education with work experience built into the degree model.

Campus image / Publicly hosted campus image

Institutional profile

Established Strong in affordability, and solid in academic standing.
Academic Solid Affordability Strong Career Emerging Mobility Steady Experience Emerging
Academic standing Solid
Affordability Strong
Career outcomes Emerging
Mobility Steady
Student experience Emerging
Admission
52.7% admitted

12,661 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Varies across five income ranges

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
32.2%

$38,298 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Wilberforce University apart

Academic design

The liberal-arts university offers a focused set of undergraduate programs while requiring students to connect classroom study with structured cooperative employment.

Campus pattern

The campus sits in southwest Ohio near Xenia and Dayton, producing a smaller, tradition-centered HBCU environment.

Career & value signal

Its mandatory cooperative-education program requires students to complete qualifying work experiences before graduation, making career exposure an institutional requirement.

Can I get in?

52.7% admitted

Start with the academic record, then make the intended direction and school-specific fit concrete.

Recent applicant pool

12,661

About 53 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 52.7%
Entering class

Academic range

ACT middle 50%15–21
1125

Of admitted students, 1% submitted an SAT, and 2% submitted an ACT. Almost nobody admitted here sent a score, which leaves the SAT and ACT ranges standing on a handful of files.

Academic benchmarkModerately selective

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Wilberforce University, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Wilberforce University weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

The liberal-arts university offers a focused set of undergraduate programs while requiring students to connect classroom study with structured cooperative employment.

02

Make institutional fit specific

Wilberforce’s most distinctive draw is a historic private HBCU education with work experience built into the degree model.

03

Use the application route carefully

Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and assemble each required item once.

Fall applicationMay 1
Regular Decisionrolling
Application routeInstitution application

$25 application fee

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$26,740
Average annual cost after aid$6,000
Affordability profileStrong

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Wilberforce University

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.

Complete within 8 years32.2%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one71.7%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$38,298

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Business Administration, Management and Operations

Recent graduates20
Median earnings

Public Health

Recent graduates9
Median earnings

Communication and Media Studies

Recent graduates7
Median earnings

Political Science and Government

Recent graduates5
Median earnings

Criminal Justice and Corrections

Recent graduates4
Median earnings

What is campus life like?

Wilberforce University beyond the classroom

The campus sits in southwest Ohio near Xenia and Dayton, producing a smaller, tradition-centered HBCU environment.

Academics

A defining academic feature

The liberal-arts university offers a focused set of undergraduate programs while requiring students to connect classroom study with structured cooperative employment.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

The campus sits in southwest Ohio near Xenia and Dayton, producing a smaller, tradition-centered HBCU environment.

Career & value

Where the degree can lead

Its mandatory cooperative-education program requires students to complete qualifying work experiences before graduation, making career exposure an institutional requirement.

822 undergraduatesMidwestrural settingCampus housing available