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At William Paterson, every undergraduate student is assigned a dedicated Student Success Team, including a professional advisor, a financial aid counselor, a career coach, and by sophomore year, a faculty mentor in their major. This personalized team will guide each student through financial aid questions, internship opportunities, career planning, and more—from the start of college right through graduation.
First-year students also benefit from Will. Power. 101, a unique program that includes weekly student success workshops, taught by professional advisors, providing personal direction to help students navigate college. No other New Jersey school offers a comparable resource.
William Paterson University is proud to be designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and a Minority-Serving Institution (MSI).
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When it comes to finding a successful career, outcomes are everything. Our graduates go on to pursue an incredible variety of in-demand professions, with more than 82% saying they secured a first destination career outcome within six months of graduation. See how William Paterson helps students achieve their goals and transition from classroom to career.
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See below for important dates and deadlines in the application timeline. Freshman decisions are processed on a rolling basis.
In addition to traditional financial aid and work study programs, we offer a variety of merit and need-based scholarships and programs to make it easier for students to pay for college. See what we have to offer and find the right financial solutions for you.
2000+grants & scholarships are awarded to our students each year, totaling over$56 million
Check out our wide array of combined bachelor’s and master’s programs that help students complete an advanced degree in a quicker timeframe.
At WP, undergraduates have access to advanced facilities—from our simulated financial trading floor and nursing labs to our HD-TV broadcast studios, high-tech science equipment, and more.
Our residence halls include Skyline Hall, a new eco-friendly building for sophomores and above, offering a welcoming community for students to live at the heart of the entire on-campus experience.
Our spacious academic buildings have bright and comfortable group study areas for collaborating with professors and fellow students on research and other projects, as well as specialized smart classrooms featuring the latest digital technology.
One of the most diverse colleges and universities in New Jersey, we’re committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive community that fosters strong relationships and drives change.
The epicenter of campus culture, supporting an intersectional environment where individuals of all cultures are understood, included, and valued.
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We’re creating a climate of justice, equity and inclusion on campus. And it starts with knowledge, understanding, and empathy.
An affirming space that promotes awareness of the cultural wealth and resiliency of Latina/o/x identity, experiences and voices.
Students in William Paterson University's Criminology and Criminal Justice, Sociology, and Social Work programs starting in Fall 2026 will have access to a new virtual reality training system designed to enhance their classroom learning with immersive, scenario-based experiences.
The University recently acquired the WrapReality virtual reality platform, which allows students to engage in realistic simulations, making it one of the pioneers in utilizing this technology for student success across the country. The VR system supports William Paterson's emphasis on experiential learning by giving students hands-on practice with situations they may encounter in careers across law enforcement, corrections, social work, law, and related fields. The technology will be integrated into coursework to provide students with opportunities to practice communication, ethics, critical thinking, decision-making, and de-escalation skills in a controlled learning environment, says Professor Colleen Eren, who directs the University’s Criminology and Criminal Justice program.
"The Criminal Justice, Criminology, and Social Work programs at William Paterson have strong academic components. We teach students social science theory, how to understand and apply empirical research. But we also want to give students the kind of applied knowledge that will set them apart in their chosen professions and keep them excited about learning,” Eren says.
Students will find themselves, among dozens of VR simulations guided by their professors, entering prisons and interacting with incarcerated people—both those seeking to harm and those seeking to improve themselves, conducting constitutional traffic stops, investigating and mediate domestic violence situations, facing active shooters on a school campus, teaching individuals with substance abuse disorders how to resist relapse, de-escalating potential violent confrontations with aggressive civilians, and confronting officers engaged in unethical policing practices.
The addition of the new training system reflects William Paterson's ongoing commitment to experiential learning and the use of innovative technologies that support student success.
Learn more about the University’s bachelor’s degree program in Criminology and Criminal Justice here.
