2022 best colleges in West Virginia
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Net cost: The median annual cost of all students that receive any aid. This does not refer to the “sticker price”, the price listed by the college.
Earnings: The median earnings of all bachelor-level students 10 years after enrollment. This includes both students that do and do not graduate, across all majors.
Payback: The amount of time in years it takes to pay off the median net cost by the median earnings. For this calculation, the median earning of high school graduates (in the school’s home state) are deducted from the median earnings.
Degree premium: The difference between the school’s median earnings and the median earnings for all schools in the same state. This is called “Vs. state average” in school profiles below.
Ranking: The payback rate is divided by the degree premium (set as a percentage), the lower the number the higher the rank. (i.e. payback=1, degree premium 20% higher than state school median: 1/120% = .883.
West Virginia University
Morgantown, West Virginia
Admission rate: 84%
Grad rate: 60%
Net cost: $12,983
Payback: 2.0 Years
Earnings: $51,780
Vs. state average: + $4,706
Economic score: 1.80
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Admission rate: 98%
Grad rate: 50%
Net cost: $11,021
Payback: 2.1 Years
Earnings: $45,723
Vs. state average: - $1,351
Economic score: 2.19
Marshall University
Huntington, West Virginia
Admission rate: 90%
Grad rate: 49%
Net cost: $8,370
Payback: 2.1 Years
Earnings: $41,700
Vs. state average: - $5,374
Economic score: 2.34
Wheeling University
Wheeling, West Virginia
Admission rate: 77%
Grad rate: 63%
Net cost: $19,496
Payback: 3.2 Years
Earnings: $53,132
Vs. state average: + $6,058
Economic score: 2.87
University of Charleston
Charleston, West Virginia
Admission rate: 62%
Grad rate: 47%
Net cost: $22,284
Payback: 3.7 Years
Earnings: $48,303
Vs. state average: + $1,229
Economic score: 3.61
West Liberty University
West Liberty, West Virginia
Admission rate: 69%
Grad rate: 47%
Net cost: $13,793
Payback: 3.2 Years
Earnings: $41,370
Vs. state average: - $5,704
Economic score: 3.63
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Buckhannon, West Virginia
Admission rate: 66%
Grad rate: 50%
Net cost: $18,182
Payback: 3.9 Years
Earnings: $46,444
Vs. state average: - $630
Economic score: 3.92
Fairmont State University
Fairmont, West Virginia
Admission rate: 95%
Grad rate: 43%
Net cost: $10,161
Payback: 3.8 Years
Earnings: $35,930
Vs. state average: - $11,144
Economic score: 5.04
Davis & Elkins College
Elkins, West Virginia
Admission rate: 70%
Grad rate: 46%
Net cost: $17,388
Payback: 4.4 Years
Earnings: $39,510
Vs. state average: - $7,564
Economic score: 5.20
Appalachian Bible College
Mount Hope, West Virginia
Admission rate: 49%
Grad rate: 52%
Net cost: $14,019
Payback: 5.3 Years
Earnings: $35,949
Vs. state average: - $11,125
Economic score: 6.95
West Virginia State University
Institute, West Virginia
Admission rate: 89%
Grad rate: 43%
Net cost: $14,408
Payback: 5.5 Years
Earnings: $34,584
Vs. state average: - $12,490
Economic score: 7.55
Ohio Valley University
Vienna, West Virginia
Admission rate: 95%
Grad rate: 49%
Net cost: $17,988
Payback: 6.3 Years
Earnings: $37,131
Vs. state average: - $9,943
Economic score: 7.93
Potomac State College of West Virginia University
Keyser, West Virginia
Admission rate: N/A
Grad rate: 27%
Net cost: $8,635
Payback: 1.5 Years
Earnings: $51,780
Vs. state average: + $4,706
Economic score: 1.37
West Virginia University Institute of Technology
Beckley, West Virginia
Admission rate: 56%
Grad rate: 34%
Net cost: $10,569
Payback: 1.7 Years
Earnings: $51,780
Vs. state average: + $4,706
Economic score: 1.52
Concord University
Athens, West Virginia
Admission rate: 92%
Grad rate: 41%
Net cost: $9,007
Payback: 2.6 Years
Earnings: $37,985
Vs. state average: - $9,089
Economic score: 3.22
Bethany College
Bethany, West Virginia
Admission rate: 92%
Grad rate: 37%
Net cost: $18,298
Payback: 3.3 Years
Earnings: $46,114
Vs. state average: - $960
Economic score: 3.36
Bluefield State College
Bluefield, West Virginia
Admission rate: 91%
Grad rate: 41%
Net cost: $8,367
Payback: 3.1 Years
Earnings: $35,878
Vs. state average: - $11,196
Economic score: 4.04
Alderson Broaddus University
Philippi, West Virginia
Admission rate: 53%
Grad rate: 38%
Net cost: $20,189
Payback: 4.0 Years
Earnings: $44,617
Vs. state average: - $2,457
Economic score: 4.22
Glenville State College
Glenville, West Virginia
Admission rate: N/A
Grad rate: 30%
Net cost: $13,714
Payback: 5.1 Years
Earnings: $36,583
Vs. state average: - $10,491
Economic score: 6.54
West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
Lewisburg, West Virginia
Admission rate: N/A
Grad rate: N/A
Net cost: N/A
Payback: N/A
Earnings: N/A
Vs. state average: N/A
Economic score: N/A
