Private nonprofit · University

Shenandoah University

Winchester, Virginia · Small city

77.0%
Admit rate
$30,298
Avg net price
67%
Graduation rate
$58,433
Median earnings

Shenandoah University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Winchester, Virginia (small city setting), enrolling 2,116 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,116 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 77% admitNCAA Division III with football · Old Dominion Athletic ConferenceCold winters

About Winchester, Virginia

Winchester is the northernmost independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. Archeological, linguistic, and anthropological studies have provided insights into their cultures. Winchester is the location of the annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, which has existed since 1924. It is usually held during the first weekend in May. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
61 miles
Nearest airport
41 miles to Washington Dulles (IAD) · major hub

How Shenandoah University compares

Selectivity77.0%

More selective than 51% · #19 most selective of 43 in Virginia

Graduation rate67%

Higher than 72% · #15 of 49 in Virginia

First-year retention82%

Higher than 66%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$58,433

Higher than 64% · #19 of 51 in Virginia

Average net price$30,298

Cheaper than 15% · #41 cheapest of 47 in Virginia

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment2,116

Larger than 59%

Percentiles compare Shenandoah 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

3,929students
  • Undergraduate2,11654%
  • Graduate1,81346%

Undergraduates by gender

2,116undergrads
  • Women1,28861%
  • Men82839%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White61%
  • Black8.9%
  • Hispanic13%
  • 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
2,116
Graduate enrollment
1,813
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
19%
First-generation students
28%
Students over 25
7%
Median family income
$74,547
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$73,386
Endowment
$85,171,488

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 485 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Virginia57%
  • Other U.S. states42%

A regional draw: about 57% of first-years come from Virginia, the rest from elsewhere.

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.

Admissions

Admission rate
77.0%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$36,950
Room & board
$12,490
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$51,928
Average net price
$30,298

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)
67%
Graduated on time (4 years)
56%
First-year retention
82%
Transferred to another college
23%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$48,167
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$58,433
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
51%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
61%

About 10% 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)

All students
56%
Low-income (Pell)
47%
First-generation
53%

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
1,295
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
61%
Application fee
$30
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Old Dominion Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
690 (448 men · 242 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 (12)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)163
Football141
Lacrosse77
Soccer66
Baseball62
Basketball35
Wrestling35
Field Hockey26
Golf26
Softball24
Volleyball21
Tennis14

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
5
Property offenses (2022–2024)
5

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (4,454 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.

3.3reported offenses a year
1.7 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
1.7
Burglary
1.3
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

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
$24,356
$30–48k
$26,715
$48–75k
$26,635
$75–110k
$30,332
$110k+
$33,591

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
$112,794

$26,635/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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$20,396
average award, among those who get one

Shenandoah University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $20,396. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

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 475 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)
$58,433
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
43%
Out-earn a HS grad
64%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.3 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
$61,433
Men
$55,827

Women out-earn men by $5,606 (10%) 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
86°F
Winter low
24°F
Annual rain
40.7″
Annual snow
23.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.14.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Winchester, VA US station (1.5 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 Shenandoah University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Shenandoah University side by side →

Colleges near Shenandoah 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.