Private nonprofit · University
Bluefield University
Bluefield, Virginia · Distant town
- 59.3%
- Admit rate
- $25,573
- Avg net price
- 18%
- Graduation rate
- $48,896
- Median earnings
Bluefield University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Bluefield, Virginia (distant town setting), enrolling 614 undergraduates. It has a Baptist religious affiliation.
About Bluefield, Virginia
Bluefield is a town in Tazewell County, Virginia, United States, located along the Bluestone River. Bluefield has not always borne the name Bluefield. The town developed around a small post office named "Pin Hook" in the 1860s, named for a small creek that ran through the community. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 72 miles to Roanoke, VA
- To the ocean
- 218 miles
- Nearest airport
- 38 miles to Raleigh County Memorial (BKW)
How Bluefield University compares
More selective than 77% · #12 most selective of 43 in Virginia
Higher than 5% · #47 of 49 in Virginia
Higher than 15%
Higher than 35% · #33 of 51 in Virginia
Cheaper than 27% · #36 cheapest of 47 in Virginia
Lower than 60%
Lower than 42%
Larger than 25%
Percentiles compare Bluefield University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Virginia.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate61465%
- Graduate33235%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women34857%
- Men26643%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White58%
- Black23%
- Hispanic4.9%
- Asian1.3%
- Other or multiracial13%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 614
- Graduate enrollment
- 332
- Student–faculty ratio
- 14 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 51%
- First-generation students
- 43%
- Students over 25
- 15%
- Median family income
- $38,217
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $50,571
- Endowment
- $7,310,115
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 59.3%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $26,770
- Room & board
- $9,480
- Books & supplies
- $440
- Total cost of attendance
- $42,539
- Average net price
- $25,573
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)
- 18%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 16%
- First-year retention
- 61%
- Transferred to another college
- 31%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $41,923
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $48,896
- Median debt at graduation
- $21,855
- Students with federal loans
- 71%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 44%
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
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 420
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 68%
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NAIA Division I
- Football conference
- Appalachian Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 396 (295 men · 101 women)
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%.
Varsity sports (10)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.8 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 6
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (959 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.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
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.
$25,732/year × about 4.2 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.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 95% — get grant money from Bluefield University itself, averaging $14,423, which softens the sticker price.
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 142 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)
- $48,896
- Typical debt at graduation
- $21,855
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 45%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 67%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.5 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 $9,045 (19%) 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
- 81°F
- Winter low
- 22°F
- Annual rain
- 45.4″
- Annual snow
- 39.7″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bluefield, WV US station (1.3 mi from campus).
What Bluefield University 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 Bluefield University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Bluefield University side by side →
Bethany College
Lindsborg, Kansas · Remote rural · 64 mi to Wichita
- Students
- 569
- Admission
- 56%
- Net price
- $28k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $50k
Centenary College of Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana · Midsize city · 3 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 685
- Admission
- 56%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1144
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $50k
Young Harris College
Young Harris, Georgia · Remote rural · 71 mi to Knoxville
- Students
- 755
- Admission
- 63%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $47k
Mount Mary University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin · Large city · 7 mi to Milwaukee
- Students
- 631
- Admission
- 62%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1020
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $49k
LaGrange College
Lagrange, Georgia · Distant town · 40 mi to Columbus
- Students
- 636
- Admission
- 62%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $52k
Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Fayette, Missouri · Distant rural · 23 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 1,040
- Admission
- 57%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1048
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $49k
Colleges near Bluefield University
Bluefield State University
Bluefield, WV · Public · Bachelor's · 1,042 students
Mercer County Technical Education Center
Princeton, WV · Public · Certificate · 120 students
Concord University
Athens, WV · Public · Bachelor's · 1,504 students
Wytheville Community College
Wytheville, VA · Public · Certificate · 1,255 students
New River Community College
Dublin, VA · Public · Certificate · 1,965 students
Southwest Virginia Community College
Cedar Bluff, VA · Public · Certificate · 1,651 students
New River Community and Technical College
Beaver, WV · Public · Associate · 770 students
West Virginia University Institute of Technology
Beckley, WV · Public · Bachelor's · 981 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.











