Wagner College

Private · Moderately Selective · NY

Photo: Lekrahj (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationNY · Northeast

SettingUrban

Undergrads1,651

Student:faculty11:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate59.1%

6-yr grad rate65.1%

Drop-out rate16.6%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$53k

Out-of-state tuition$53k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity44.2%

Gender diversity61.1%

International8.3%

IdentityLutheran Church in America

Overview

A private college on a hilltop in Staten Island with views of New York Harbor and lower Manhattan, best known for theatre and musical theatre with a real Broadway pipeline, alongside nursing and business.

Academics

The theatre program's connections to New York's professional theatre scene are a genuine draw, with alumni working on and off Broadway. The "Wagner Plan" builds experiential, project-based learning into general-education requirements across all majors, pairing coursework with fieldwork or community-based projects each year.

Campus & student life

A green, residential hilltop campus that feels distinct from the rest of Staten Island and from Manhattan, with the Staten Island Ferry putting Manhattan internships and culture within reach without the college being physically embedded in the city.

Getting in

Theatre applicants typically audition alongside the general application, and the college is known for taking arts applicants' artistic potential seriously alongside academics.

After graduation

Theatre alumni have a visible presence in New York professional theatre, and nursing and business graduates benefit from the same easy access to city employers and hospitals.

Worth knowing

The combination of a genuinely residential, green campus with easy ferry access to Manhattan is unusual — Wagner offers a quieter college setting without giving up city access.

wagner.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate88%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1190–1290 · ACT 23–28

Test policyoptional

Rec letters2

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying