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Private nonprofit · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Edward Waters University

Students comparing Edward Waters University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Jacksonville, Florida1,087 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 40HBCUPrivate nonprofitSmall enrollment

The short answer

Edward Waters University: U.S. News ranks it #47 on Regional Colleges (South) (2026); Niche ranks it #1161 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,087 undergraduates, admits 85.0% of applicants, and posts a 28.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $16,366; aid recipients pay $13,649 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $34,782.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
85.0%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$13,649

45% below the $24,937 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$34,782

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
28.2%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
Not reportedNot reported by Edward Waters University in the most recent federal collection.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedEdward Waters University reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Edward Waters ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Colleges (South)#47of 131Regional colleges (South)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) DollarsNot ranked by this source
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#1161of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Edward Waters's position moves 9 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a moderate spread; the ranking you look at changes the answer somewhat. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Edward Waters

Edward Waters University is a private nonprofit institution in Jacksonville, Florida. Federal data show 53.8% first-year retention and a 18:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $13,649 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $24,937 sticker cost against $13,649 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Edward Waters University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$16,366

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
75.4%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$8,571

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $24,937 a year, but the average family pays $13,649 — a 45% difference. 75.4% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Edward Waters's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    18:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    53.8%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    1,087

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Edward Waters: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $16,366 and on-campus room and board is $8,571, for a published total of $24,937 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $13,649.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 85.0%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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