William Paterson University is one of just 100 predominantly bachelor’s degree-granting institutions in the nation that have been nominated to apply for the U.S. Department of Education’s Postsecondary Success Recognition Program.
The program is part of USDOE’s “Raise the Bar: Attaining College Excellence and Equity” initiative, which reflects its commitment to ensuring that students of all backgrounds, ages, disability statuses, and income levels can succeed in any postsecondary pathway they choose.
William Paterson was one of nine schools in the state nominated, joining:
- Drew University
- Felician University
- Kean University
- Montclair State University
- New Jersey City University
- New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Rutgers-New Brunswick
- Saint Peter’s University
WPU President Richard Helldobler certainly is glad his school is.
“We are proud to be included among the fine institutions eligible for this meaningful distinction,” he said. “At William Paterson, we are indeed ‘raising the bar’ by changing systems to remove barriers to success and unlock our students’ full potential. Coming on top of our innovations in student support and further gains in the social mobility of our graduates, this nomination affirms our role as a ‘Powerhouse of Progress’ for our students and our state.”
The USDOE identified the institutions using publicly available data to measure performance on key indicators related to equitable access, success, and post-college outcomes at public and non-profit institutions across the country. These metrics consider the extent to which institutions:
- Enroll low-income students and students of color in their state;
- Help those students graduate or transfer successfully;
- Prepare them to enter the career of their choice and enjoy upward mobility, including recouping their costs and earning a premium over high school graduates in their state.
Of these 100 institutions, 75 percent are minority-serving institutions or eligible for the Strengthening Institutions Program, which focuses on institutions serving large proportions of low-income students.
Helldobler said WPU is proud of its status as a majority-minority institution, designated as both a minority-serving Institution and a Hispanic-serving Institution with nearly 60 percent students of color. More than 40 percent of its students are the first in their families to attend college. The University is ranked No. 54 nationwide on the CollegeNet 2024 Social Mobility Index and No. 22 for social mobility in the Regional Universities-North category of U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 edition of Best Colleges.
