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Our history as a former military college has given Widener a strong foundation, and has created a lasting set of values that are reflected in the university's mission statement today.
As a first-choice university, Widener is a dynamic, inclusive academic community, transforming students into scholars, leaders, and globally engaged citizens.
These values are a guiding force for the entire campus community and are infused into the curriculum through opportunities like life-changing study abroad experiences, hands-on internships or co-ops, and the development of strong leadership skills.
Widener Values
We put Widener’s values—experiential learning, leadership, and career preparation—at the center of every program we offer. These values are reflected in rigorous academic expectations and high-impact educational practices that promote student engagement and learning.
Whether they’re going for a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree, students have experiences that are directly derived from our educational philosophy that encourages them to have community-based experiences at home and abroad.
Hands-on learning in small classes
Enrolling at Widener enables students to learn more than just the facts; they engage in experiential learning projects where classroom knowledge is applied to real-world issues, often through service-learning courses. Over 75% of Widener students participate in service or volunteer activities. It’s no wonder why Widener ranks among Newsweek’s top 20 service-minded colleges.
Transformative leadership opportunities
Every academic program affords students multiple experiences to develop competency, character, and courage as part of their leadership development, including the option to pursue a minor in leadership studies. Widener’s co-curricular and extra-curricular programming is also designed to help students develop characteristics associated with professional and civic leadership and earn a leadership certificate along the way.
Real-world on-the-job experience
Our internships and co-op education programs consistently get high marks from students and employers alike. In fact, Widener offers one of the rare co-op programs in the area in which students can gain a year of paid work while still completing their degree in four years.
Widener’s core values help our graduates make their mark in the world.
Founded in 1821 as a preparatory school for boys in Wilmington, Delaware, the institution now known as Widener University moved to Pennsylvania in 1862.
It was known from 1892 to 1972 as Pennsylvania Military College, though it had officially become PMC Colleges in 1966 when a nonmilitary, coeducational component was added. Graduate programs were also introduced in 1966.
In 1972 the name Widener College was adopted after the prominent Widener family of Philadelphia and the Corps of Cadets disbanded (an Army ROTC program still exists).
The School of Law was acquired in 1975, which was split in 2015 to become two separate law schools one on the university's Delaware campus and another in Harrisburg.
In recognition of its comprehensive offerings, Widener College became Widener University in 1979. Today, Widener is a three-campus university offering more than 80 programs of study.
For a comprehensive history of the university, please visit the Wolfgram Library digital archive.
Accreditations
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)
- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
- American Bar Association
- Accreditation Commission for Program in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA)
- American Psychological Association
- Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare Management Education
- Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
- Council on Social Work Education
- National Association for Education of Young Children
- National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
- Pennsylvania Board of Nurse Examiners
- Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board of the Supreme Court
- Pennsylvania Department of Education
- Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare
- Bureau of Child Welfare
- Pennsylvania Private School Board
In compliance with federal law, Widener University will provide, upon request, copies of documents pertinent to the university’s accreditations, approvals, or licensing by external agencies or governmental bodies.
On-Campus Housing
When you live on campus, you get much more than just a place to sleep and meet new people.
Widener's smoke-free, wireless campus has guaranteed housing to suit a variety of interests and living styles. Our residence halls range from traditional, double-person rooms to apartments, suite-style living arrangements, and small themed houses.
Each area of campus housing is unique and provides various features designed to enhance your experience including: study rooms, lounges, multipurpose rooms, and numerous programming spaces. In addition, campus housing is a short walking distance—15 minutes or less—from academic buildings, faculty offices, the dining hall, our state-of-the-art Pride Recreation Center, and other campus resources.
Living Learning Communities
As a freshman, you have the opportunity to live in one of our specialized living learning communities, which offer an amazing alternative to traditional on-campus living arrangements.
We have individual communities for nursing, engineering, business, and honors students, as well as one focused on civic engagement and global leadership.
Counseling Center
Access counseling, psychotherapy, education, assessment, and psychiatric services so you can enjoy mental and emotional health.
Interfaith Center
Attend a service, meditate, participate in a student-run prayer meeting, or learn about local places of worship.
International Student Services
Get help with your visa, attend international club meetings, and connect with other international students at Widener.
Sexual Misconduct Resources
Find campus and community resources to report and gain support in the event of an incident of sexual misconduct.
Graduates’ Success
- The Wall Street Journal ranks Widener in the top 25% in the country among all the national universities and elite liberal arts institutions.
- Payscale's 2018-2019 College Salary Report ranked Widener among the top 21% of universities nationwide on the basis of alumni median salary.
- The U.S. Department of Education's annual College Scorecard ranked Widener 11th out of the top Philadelphia-area schools based on median post-graduate salary of young alumni. Widener's median was more than $18,000 above the national average.
Student Satisfaction
- Widener students’ satisfaction with their education is six percentage points higher than the norm at four-year private colleges and universities in the Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory.
- In a recent survey, 90% of Widener seniors rated their overall Widener experience as "excellent" or "good."
University Honors
- Widener’s Social Work program was ranked as the number 1 online social work graduate program by graduateprograms.com.
- Widener University ranks among the top 10 schools in Pennsylvania for online learning according to TheBestSchools.org.
- Widener received a 2018 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.
- U.S. News & World Report has listed Commonwealth Law School as a nationally ranked top law school in its "Best Graduate Schools 2018" guidebook.
- Widener’s graduate physical therapy program was ranked among the nation’s top 40 by gradschools.com.
- U.S. News and World Report's "Best Undergraduate Engineering Program" ranking rated Widener’s undergraduate engineering program among universities nationwide without engineering doctoral programs.
- The National League for Nursing designated Widener’s School of Nursing as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education for 2017-2021.
- Widener undergraduates are 20% more likely to participate in high-impact educational practices and collaborative learning experiences, according to the National Survey of Student Engagement.
- International Jurist named Delaware Law School’s LLM degree to three impressive “best” lists: “Law School Experience,” “Career Opportunities,” and “Value.”
- The National Jurist magazine ranked Widener Law Commonwealth #5 in the country on its "Best Schools for Bar Exam Preparation" list.
- Widener was rated among the top 75 schools for planning by Financialplanning.com.
- Widener ranks ninth on a national list of the 15 best colleges and universities for online Master of Business Administration programs in health care management, according to TheBestSchools.org.
Serving the Community
- Widener has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll every year and recently was listed with distinction.
- Through the Youth Court Initiative, students from law, criminal justice, social work, and clinical psychology help youth understand the legal system and avoid the path to juvenile detention.
- The Medical Legal Partnership with Crozer-Keystone Health System and Nursing Legal Partnership illustrates an interdisciplinary approach to addressing the need for legal intervention that frequently accompanies social problems manifested through illness.
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