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.

Private nonprofitSmall · 614 undergradsDistant townSelective · 59% admitNAIA Division I · Appalachian Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

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

Selectivity59.3%

More selective than 77% · #12 most selective of 43 in Virginia

Graduation rate18%

Higher than 5% · #47 of 49 in Virginia

First-year retention61%

Higher than 15%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$48,896

Higher than 35% · #33 of 51 in Virginia

Average net price$25,573

Cheaper than 27% · #36 cheapest of 47 in Virginia

Median debt at graduation$21,855

Lower than 60%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment614

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

946students
  • Undergraduate61465%
  • Graduate33235%

Undergraduates by gender

614undergrads
  • 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)

All students
16%
Low-income (Pell)
36%
First-generation
39%

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)

Football117
Baseball60
Soccer60
Basketball39
Volleyball36
Softball19
Golf17
Track and Field (Indoor)17
Track and Field (Outdoor)17
Other Sports14

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.

2.7reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.3
Rape
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.7

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.

< $30k
$25,807
$30–48k
$25,454
$48–75k
$25,732
$75–110k
$25,374
$110k+
$25,430

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.

Est. total to a degree
$107,291

$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.

95%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$14,423
average award, among those who get one

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.

Solid value

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.

Women
$46,654
Men
$55,699

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

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.54.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bluefield, WV US station (1.3 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near Bluefield University

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.