Public · University
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, West Virginia · Fringe rural
- 96.8%
- Admit rate
- $11,363
- Avg net price
- 51%
- Graduation rate
- $49,358
- Median earnings
Shepherd University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Shepherdstown, West Virginia (fringe rural setting), enrolling 2,344 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Shepherd University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 96.8%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 878–1140
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 2.96
Enter a test score to see where you land against Shepherd University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Shepherd University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. Established on December 23, 1762, by consecutive acts passed by the Virginia House of Burgesses and approved by the governor, Mecklenburg (later renamed Shepherdstown), and Romney in Hampshire County are the oldest towns in West Virginia. Shepherdstown also supports several restaurants and music venues. Monthly contra dances are sponsored by Shepherdstown Music and Dance. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe rural
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 55 miles to Washington, DC
- To the ocean
- 54 miles
- Nearest airport
- 19 miles to Hagerstown Regional Richard A Henson Field (HGR)
How Shepherd University compares
More selective than 10% · #12 most selective of 15 in West Virginia
Higher than 13%
Higher than 42% · #8 of 20 in West Virginia
Higher than 34%
Higher than 37% · #6 of 19 in West Virginia
Cheaper than 87% · #7 cheapest of 19 in West Virginia
Lower than 61%
Lower than 23%
Larger than 62%
Percentiles compare Shepherd University 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
- Undergraduate2,34488%
- Graduate30712%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,40760%
- Men93740%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White72%
- Black8.3%
- Hispanic8.7%
- Asian1.5%
- Other or multiracial9.3%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,344
- Graduate enrollment
- 307
- Student–faculty ratio
- 17 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 29%
- First-generation students
- 41%
- Students over 25
- 19%
- Median family income
- $46,435
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $70,092
- Endowment
- $33,732,052
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 566 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From West Virginia72%
- Other U.S. states27%
- International1.1%
Most first-years stay in state — Shepherd 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.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 96.8%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 878–1140
- SAT average
- 1034
- SAT reading
- 468–600
- SAT math
- 410–540
- ACT composite
- 19–24
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 2.96
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $9,056
- Out-of-state tuition
- $19,082
- Room & board
- $12,916
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $19,601
- Average net price
- $11,363
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)
- 51%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 35%
- First-year retention
- 71%
- Transferred to another college
- 9%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $43,726
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $49,358
- Median debt at graduation
- $21,600
- Students with federal loans
- 39%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 46%
About 16% 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
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 1,074
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 46%
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,798
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,510
- Application fee
- $45
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II with football
- Football conference
- Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 363 (211 men · 152 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 (11)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.6 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 6
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,339 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.
$10,107/year × about 4.5 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: 86% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,234. 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 545 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)
- $49,358
- Typical debt at graduation
- $21,600
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 44%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 59%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.4 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 $3,350 (7%) 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
- 21°F
- Annual rain
- 43.5″
- Annual snow
- 23.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sharpsburg 5 S, MD US station (5 mi from campus).
What Shepherd 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 Shepherd University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Shepherd University side by side →
University of Hawaii-West Oahu
Kapolei, Hawaii · Large suburb · 13 mi to Honolulu
- Students
- 2,519
- Admission
- 95%
- Net price
- $10k
- SAT
- 985
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $52k
Fairmont State University
Fairmont, West Virginia · Distant town · 67 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 2,590
- Admission
- 99%
- Net price
- $9k
- SAT
- 996
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $47k
University of Wisconsin-Superior
Superior, Wisconsin · Midsize suburb · 5 mi to Duluth
- Students
- 1,807
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1090
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $50k
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Kingsville, Texas · Distant town · 35 mi to Corpus Christi
- Students
- 4,748
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1050
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $51k
The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, Texas · Midsize city · 17 mi to Midland
- Students
- 3,911
- Admission
- 95%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1033
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $56k
Northeastern State University
Tahlequah, Oklahoma · Remote town · 46 mi to Fayetteville
- Students
- 4,772
- Admission
- 100%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1049
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $45k
Colleges near Shepherd University
International Beauty School
Martinsburg, WV · Private for-profit · Certificate · 86 students
Valley College-Martinsburg
Martinsburg, WV · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 765 students
Blue Ridge Community and Technical College
Martinsburg, WV · Public · Associate · 1,661 students
James Rumsey Technical Institute
Martinsburg, WV · Public · Certificate · 99 students
Award Beauty School
Hagerstown, MD · Private for-profit · Certificate · 94 students
Hagerstown Community College
Hagerstown, MD · Public · Associate · 2,948 students
Hood College
Frederick, MD · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,194 students
Frederick Community College
Frederick, MD · Public · Associate · 4,203 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.












