Private for-profit · University
American Public University System
Charles Town, West Virginia · Fringe town
- —
- Admit rate
- $9,597
- Avg net price
- 57%
- Graduation rate
- $44,409
- Median earnings
American Public University System is a private for-profit bachelor's-granting institution in Charles Town, West Virginia (fringe town setting), enrolling 40,074 undergraduates. Programs are offered entirely online.
About Charles Town, West Virginia
Charles Town is a city in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. "Charlestown" was established by an act of the Virginia General Assembly in January 1787. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 51 miles to Washington, DC
- To the ocean
- 50 miles
How American Public University System compares
Higher than 55% · #5 of 20 in West Virginia
Higher than 95%
Higher than 23% · #10 of 19 in West Virginia
Cheaper than 92% · #4 cheapest of 19 in West Virginia
Lower than 61%
Lower than 4%
Larger than 99%
Percentiles compare American Public University System with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in West Virginia.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate40,07482%
- Graduate9,09518%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women20,04150%
- Men20,03350%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White44%
- Black18%
- Hispanic20%
- Asian3.0%
- Other or multiracial15%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 40,074
- Graduate enrollment
- 9,095
- Student–faculty ratio
- 25 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 25%
- First-generation students
- 53%
- Students over 25
- 78%
- Median family income
- $22,614
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $48,636
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $8,400
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $0
- Total cost of attendance
- $18,768
- Average net price
- $9,597
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 57%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 35%
- First-year retention
- 97%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $32,917
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $44,409
- Median debt at graduation
- $21,743
- Students with federal loans
- 12%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 19%
About 22% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (50,715 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$8,951/year × about 4.6 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 75% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,344. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 75 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $44,409
- Typical debt at graduation
- $21,743
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 49%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 70%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $24,376 (70%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 87°F
- Winter low
- 24°F
- Annual rain
- 39″
- Annual snow
- 23.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Martinsburg E WV Rgnl AP, WV US station (10.3 mi from campus).
What American Public University System graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to American Public University System
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare American Public University System side by side →
Capella University
Minneapolis, Minnesota · Large city · < 1 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 18,364
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $42k
American InterContinental University System
Chandler, Arizona · Large city · 19 mi to Phoenix
- Students
- 7,111
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $36k
Columbia Southern University
Orange Beach, Alabama · Fringe town · 27 mi to Pensacola
- Students
- 12,176
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $64k
Walden University
Minneapolis, Minnesota · Large city · < 1 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 9,136
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- $34k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $43k
South University-Savannah Online
Savannah, Georgia · Midsize city · 6 mi to Savannah
- Students
- 6,433
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- $28k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $34k
Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, Utah · Large suburb · 5 mi to Salt Lake City
- Students
- 155,088
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $61k
Colleges near American Public University System
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, WV · Public · Bachelor's · 2,344 students
Blue Ridge Community and Technical College
Martinsburg, WV · Public · Associate · 1,661 students
International Beauty School
Martinsburg, WV · Private for-profit · Certificate · 86 students
Patrick Henry College
Purcellville, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 395 students
Valley College-Martinsburg
Martinsburg, WV · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 765 students
Shenandoah University
Winchester, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,116 students
James Rumsey Technical Institute
Martinsburg, WV · Public · Certificate · 99 students
Hood College
Frederick, MD · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,194 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.













