by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the graduate school options in West Virginia, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. This list ranks **4** programs by overall quality and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you make your decision, College Factual analyzed 4 graduate schools on more than 20 objective measures such as graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, and per-student spending, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Here is the early-career salary range across the top-ranked graduate schools:
Explore the leading graduate schools below:
Leading the list is West Virginia University, our #1 graduate school in West Virginia. This public school is set in Morgantown, WV. West Virginia University graduates 64% of students within six years. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,104, compared with $28,608 for out-of-state students. Graduates go on to earn a median of $51,750 early in their careers. West Virginia University students take on a median of $23,772 in debt.
Out of the 4 graduate schools in West Virginia in this year's ranking, University Of Charleston landed the #2 spot. Set in Charleston, WV, University Of Charleston is a private not-for-profit institution. University Of Charleston graduates 44% of students within six years. In-state tuition and fees run about $22,617. Early-career graduates earn a median of $64,407. University Of Charleston students take on a median of $22,646 in debt.
You'll be in good company at Marshall University, which ranked #3 this year. Located in Huntington, WV, Marshall University is a public institution. Marshall University posts a six-year graduation rate of 51%. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $9,162, while out-of-state students pay about $20,342. Graduates go on to earn a median of $52,481 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $25,250 to complete a degree here.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked graduate schools only.
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and per-student spending drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.