William Paterson University, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is an American public university in Wayne, New Jersey, United States, in the New York City metropolitan area. Founded in 1855, William Paterson is the second-oldest of the nine state colleges and universities in New Jersey. William Paterson offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees through its five academic colleges. During the fall 2017 semester, 8,838 undergraduate students and 1,414 graduate students were enrolled.William Paterson had the sixth-largest number of graduates of any institution of higher learning in New Jersey. In 2017, the university graduated more than 2,600 students. It is the third-most diverse public university in New Jersey, and nearly 30% of students are the first in their families to attend university.U.S. News & World Report in its 2018 edition of Best Colleges ranks the university as number 102 of Regional Universities North with an Overall Score of 49/100.0.