Public · Community college
Potomac State College of West Virginia University
Keyser, West Virginia · Remote town
- 28%
- Transfer rate
- $9,197
- Avg net price
- 31%
- Grad / completion
- $55,939
- Median earnings
Potomac State College of West Virginia University is a public associate-granting institution in Keyser, West Virginia (remote town setting), enrolling 853 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Keyser, West Virginia
Keyser is a city in and the county seat of Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. Keyser, the county seat of Mineral County, is located on the North Branch of the Potomac River at its juncture with New Creek in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Keyser is mentioned in the BBC television mini series The State Within (Season 1, Episode 1). (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote town
- Highest degree offered
- Bachelor's
- Nearest big city
- 88 miles to Pittsburgh, PA
- To the ocean
- 108 miles
- Nearest airport
- 52 miles to Morgantown Municipal Airport Walter L. (Bill) Hart Field (MGW)
How Potomac State College of West Virginia University compares
Higher than 14% · #38 of 42 in West Virginia
Higher than 19%
Higher than 94% · #2 of 40 in West Virginia
Cheaper than 73% · #24 cheapest of 42 in West Virginia
Lower than 4%
Lower than 67%
Larger than 71%
Percentiles compare Potomac State College of West Virginia University with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in West Virginia.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women42850%
- Men42550%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White83%
- Black5.5%
- Hispanic4.0%
- Asian0.6%
- Other or multiracial6.7%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 853
- Student–faculty ratio
- 13 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 38%
- First-generation students
- 30%
- Students over 25
- 10%
- Median family income
- $60,096
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $64,062
- Endowment
- $8,616,027
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 388 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From West Virginia76%
- Other U.S. states23%
- International0.8%
Most first-years stay in state — Potomac State College of West Virginia University draws overwhelmingly from West Virginia.
1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $5,280
- Out-of-state tuition
- $13,200
- Room & board
- $12,580
- Books & supplies
- $950
- Total cost of attendance
- $17,619
- Average net price
- $9,197
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
- 31%
- First-year retention
- 58%
- Transferred to another college
- 28%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $45,181
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $55,939
- Median debt at graduation
- $22,500
- Students with federal loans
- 30%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 53%
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
- 538
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 63%
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,864
- Meal plan (year)
- $6,036
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division II
- Varsity athletes
- 159 (97 men · 62 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 (7)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 5.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 10
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 6
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,077 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.
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: 76% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,073. 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 393 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)
- $55,939
- Typical debt at graduation
- $22,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 40%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 62%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.0 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 $8,543 (17%) 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
- 89°F
- Winter low
- 21°F
- Annual rain
- 41.4″
- Annual snow
- 33.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Keyser 2 Ssw, WV US station (1.7 mi from campus).
What Potomac State College of West Virginia 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 Potomac State College of West Virginia University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Potomac State College of West Virginia University side by side →
George T Baker Aviation Technical College
Miami, Florida · Large suburb · 5 mi to Miami
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- Transfer
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Pratt Community College
Pratt, Kansas · Remote town · 76 mi to Wichita
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- Transfer
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Ohio State University-Marion Campus
Marion, Ohio · Distant town · 43 mi to Columbus
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- Tuition
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Washburn Institute of Technology
Topeka, Kansas · Midsize city · 63 mi to Kansas City
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Mitchell Technical College
Mitchell, South Dakota · Remote town · 64 mi to Sioux Falls
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Colleges near Potomac State College of West Virginia University
Mineral County Vocational Technical Center
Keyser, WV · Public · Certificate · 14 students
Frostburg State University
Frostburg, MD · Public · Bachelor's · 2,909 students
Allegany College of Maryland
Cumberland, MD · Public · Associate · 1,831 students
Garrett College
McHenry, MD · Public · Associate · 411 students
Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College
Moorefield, WV · Public · Associate · 225 students
Somerset County Technology Center
Somerset, PA · Public · Certificate · 59 students
Laurel Ridge Community College
Middletown, VA · Public · Certificate · 3,195 students
Shenandoah University
Winchester, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,116 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.











