by our College Data Analytics TeamWest Virginia State University is a public institution in Institute, West Virginia enrolling 1,321 undergraduates. It accepts 96% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 39%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #2,757 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 53%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
West Virginia State University ranks #2,757 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 53%.
In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.
College Factual ranked WVSU; STATE as #2,757 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.
Within the state, WVSU; STATE holds the #23 spot on the Best Colleges in West Virginia ranking.
See all of the rankings for West Virginia State University.
West Virginia State University has an acceptance rate of 96%, so it is easier to gain admission to this school than some others. Still, the admissions staff will examine your application closely to make sure you’re a good fit for WVSU; STATE.
About 2% of students accepted to WVSU; STATE submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 410 and 550. Math scores were between 350 and 490.
WVSU; STATE received ACT scores from 2% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 15 and 20.
Learn more about West Virginia State University admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at West Virginia State University is about average at 13 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.
Another measure that is often used to estimate how much access students will have to their professors is how many faculty members are full-time. The idea here is that part-time faculty tend to spend less time on campus, so they may not be as available to students as full-timers.
The full-time faculty percentage at West Virginia State University is 67%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate is a sign of how many full-time students like a college or university well enough to come back for their sophomore year. At West Virginia State University this rate is 57%, which is a bit lower than the national average of 68%.
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at WVSU; STATE for first-time, full-time students is 39%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at West Virginia State University.
In the current academic year, there are 1,321 undergraduates at WVSU; STATE.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at West Virginia State University.
The average net price of WVSU; STATE is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $9,457 | $10,225 | $10,703 | $13,798 | $17,355 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of WVSU; STATE, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At WVSU; STATE, approximately 18% of students took out student loans averaging $7,956 a year. That adds up to $31,824 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 10.1%. This is about the same as the national default rate of 10.1%. Get more details about paying for West Virginia State University.
Yearly salaries vary depending on what you major in, but on average, bachelor’s degree recipients from West Virginia State University make around $40,492 per year during the early years of their employment. This is about 18% less than the average pay for college graduates overall. However, graduates with your major may make more.
See which majors at West Virginia State University make the most money.
West Virginia State University is an public institution located in Institute, West Virginia. Institute is considered a suburb and offers tranquility and safety near the excitement of a city center. Get more details about the location of West Virginia State University.
Get in touch with West Virginia State University are listed below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | Rte 25, Institute, WV 25112-1000 |
| Phone: | 3047663000 |
| Website: | www.wvstateu.edu |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Virginia_State_University |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/wvstateu |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/WVStateU |
During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 19 majors graduated from West Virginia State University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 388 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 55 | $35,938 |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 49 | $25,256 |
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 40 | $29,815 |
| Health & Physical Education | 40 | NA |
| Educational Administration | 32 | NA |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 21 | $35,198 |
| General Biology | 20 | NA |
| Computer Science | 17 | NA |
| Nursing | 13 | NA |
1,584 students took at least one online class at West Virginia State University.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at West Virginia State University.
Interested in comparing WVSU; STATE? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free tool for head-to-head college comparisons.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
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