Masters Colleges & Universities: Small ProgramsPublicHBCULand-grant

West Virginia State University

Institute, West Virginia·Public, 4-year or above·Southeast·wvstateu.edu
6-yr Graduation
39%
-3.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Total enrollment
3,246
peer median 3,322
Avg net price
$10,191
-$710 vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
6,163
6,163 candidates competed
Admitted
5,914
96.0% acceptance rate
Enrolled
326
5.5% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
39%-3.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
4-year graduation
30%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
39%
Full-time retention
57%

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 35 Title IV programs, 9 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 25 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
35
Passing
9
25.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
2.9% of portfolio
Fail rate
2.9%
+2.3pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

35programs
  • Passing9 · 25.7%
  • No Data25 · 71.4%
  • Failing1 · 2.9%

Severity spectrum

Critical
1
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
2
Safe
7
No data
25

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

10
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-30.2%
$22,764 vs $32,604
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+16.1%
$37,866 vs $32,604
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+23.6%
$40,303 vs $32,604
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+27.5%
$41,571 vs $32,604
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+30.1%
$42,434 vs $32,604
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+34.7%
$43,924 vs $32,604
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+43.0%
$46,622 vs $32,604
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+44.2%
$47,026 vs $32,604

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

9
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
76%
$31,444 debt · $41,571 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
75%
$28,500 debt · $37,866 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
72%
$29,000 debt · $40,303 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
53%
$23,305 debt · $43,924 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
52%
$22,038 debt · $42,434 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
47%
$21,875 debt · $46,622 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
45%
$22,532 debt · $50,063 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
43%
$21,500 debt · $50,169 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1927Next review Aug 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 2

Action history · 1

  1. Oct 2015Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$8,962
$30–48k$11,652
$48–75k$12,283
$75–110k$13,633
$110k+

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$10,191
-$710vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs median $10,901
Federal loans
15.7%
In-state tuition
$9,049
Out-of-state
$14,623

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 800 students received $4.4M in Pell grants, alongside $5.9M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
800
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$4.4M
$4,390,281 total
Direct Loans
$5.9M
1,221 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.8M
518 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.9M
510 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$670K
54 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.3M
122 loan awards
Grad PLUS$201K
17 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 675 borrowers who entered repayment, 33 (4.8%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
4.8%
+2.5pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
675
Defaulted
33
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
14.9%
2017
12.9%
2018
12.8%
2019
4.8%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at West Virginia State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs31
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

283 total completions
01Business
5017.7%
02Education
4817.0%
03Security/Protective
3913.8%
04Liberal Arts
3713.1%
05Parks/Recreation
2910.2%
06Health Professions
227.8%
07Public Admin
207.1%
08Biological Sciences
165.7%
09Communication
113.9%
10Psychology
113.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
3,246
12-mo unduplicated
4,312
Undergraduate
4,138
Graduate
174

Gender split

Men
41%1,753
Women
59%2,559

Race / ethnicity composition

White
55.7%
Unknown
18.4%
Black
13.2%
Two or more
5.2%
Non-resident
3.9%
Hispanic
3.0%
Asian
0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
372
206 M · 166 W
Women athletes
44.6%
Athletic aid
$3.2M
Total student aid
Budget
$5.7M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.9M
$1.3M
Recruiting expense
$16K
$21K
Head-coach salaries
$53K
$38K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
58 M · 57 W
$155K
Football
115 M ·
$1.9M
Basketball
19 M · 20 W
$855K
Baseball
38 M ·
$426K
Soccer
· 27 W
$459K
Volleyball
· 27 W
$366K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.53
2 offenses · 3,785 students

3-year trend

1.652 yrs ago1.461 yr ago0.53Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
13
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
8
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
1
Aggravated assault
1

By location

2total
  • On campus2

Includes 2 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
2
Dating violence
1
Stalking
3 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs03
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
13.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
94

West Virginia State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions West Virginia State selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectWest Virginia State University
39%3,246$10,191Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Shepherd University
51%96.8%3,339$12,391Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Fairmont State University
44%98.6%3,305$9,055Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Christopher Newport University
72%86.0%4,454$22,197Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
University of South Carolina Aiken
40%78.5%4,022$11,611Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Savannah State University
28%46.1%3,193$8,683Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Peer group median42%86.0%3,322$10,901

Frequently asked questions about West Virginia State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about West Virginia State.

What is the graduation rate at West Virginia State University?

West Virginia State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 39% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend West Virginia State University?

West Virginia State University reports a total enrollment of 3,246 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at West Virginia State University?

The average net price at West Virginia State University is $10,191 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at West Virginia State University?

West Virginia State University's yield rate is 5.5%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is West Virginia State University located?

West Virginia State University is located in Institute, West Virginia 25112-1000.

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