Edward Waters University

Private · Moderately Selective · FL

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationFL · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads1,087

Student:faculty14:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate16.1%

6-yr grad rate28.2%

Drop-out rate46.2%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$16k

Out-of-state tuition$16k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity94.8%

Gender diversity47%

International0.1%

IdentityHBCU · African Methodist Episcopal

Overview

Edward Waters University, in Jacksonville, is Florida's oldest historically Black institution of higher learning, founded by the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1866 to educate freed slaves. It remains a small, close-knit, faith-rooted HBCU with a strong sense of historical identity and community.

Academics

Business, criminal justice, and education are the most established programs, aligned with career paths that serve the surrounding Jacksonville community. The AME church affiliation continues to shape campus culture and expectations around chapel and service.

Worth knowing

As one of the smaller HBCUs nationally, Edward Waters offers a notably close, family-like campus environment, and its historical role as Florida's first institution of its kind is a point of ongoing institutional pride and identity.

ew.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate85%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying