William Paterson Among Region's Best Universities For Social Mobility: U.S. News

WAYNE, NJ — William Paterson University is one of the region's top schools in terms of social mobility, according to U.S. News & World Report. The media outlet ranked WPU 21st in the category among 175 regional universities in the northern United States.

U.S. News released its 2023 "Best Colleges" rankings Monday. The outlet measured social mobility based on how well each institution graduates students with exceptional financial needs. WPU ranked 38th in the category in the 2021 list and 26th in last year's.

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Additionally, William Paterson tied for sixth in the same list of 175 institutions for “campus ethnic diversity,” which identifies colleges where "students are most likely to encounter undergraduates from racial or ethnic groups different from their own."

People of color comprise about 60 percent of WPU's student body. The university has been designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution since 2015 and has been named a Minority-Serving Institution.

"I am proud of the achievements of our students, faculty, and staff, which are reflected in our largest gains in recent years in being recognized as a leading regional public university.,” said President Richard J. Helldobler. "Most importantly, they can be seen in our continued climb up the social mobility rankings, which are the truest measure of the life-changing power of a William Paterson degree."