Cost to Attend William Paterson is Low, Scorecard Shows

The cost to attend William Paterson University is low compared to its national counterparts, a new website that tracks college affordability shows.

The website, created after President Barack Obama called for colleges to be held accountable for “cost, value and quality,” gives families and prospective students critical information to make decisions on college choices.

The average William Paterson undergraduate pays slightly more than $11,000 a year to attend the state university. The cost of tuition for the average undergraduate increased 14.6 from 2007 to 2009, the website shows.

Families typically borrow $17,500 in federal loans per undergraduate student. Students pay back about $200 a month for the 10 years after they receive an undergraduate degree, which is almost exactly the average.

Less than 10 percent of students default on their federal student loans within the first three years they begin to repay them.

Nearly half, 46 percent, of full-time students earned a bachelor’s degree from the university in six years and a third of students transferred to another institution.

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