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.

PublicMidsize · 2,344 undergradsFringe ruralAccessible · 97% admitNCAA Division II with football · Pennsylvania State Athletic ConferenceCold winters

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
To the ocean
54 miles
Nearest airport
19 miles to Hagerstown Regional Richard A Henson Field (HGR)

How Shepherd University compares

Selectivity96.8%

More selective than 10% · #12 most selective of 15 in West Virginia

SAT average1034

Higher than 13%

Graduation rate51%

Higher than 42% · #8 of 20 in West Virginia

First-year retention71%

Higher than 34%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,358

Higher than 37% · #6 of 19 in West Virginia

Average net price$11,363

Cheaper than 87% · #7 cheapest of 19 in West Virginia

Median debt at graduation$21,600

Lower than 61%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment2,344

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

2,651students
  • Undergraduate2,34488%
  • Graduate30712%

Undergraduates by gender

2,344undergrads
  • 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)

All students
35%
Low-income (Pell)
40%
First-generation
40%

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)

Football113
Soccer56
Other Sports35
Baseball32
Basketball29
Lacrosse21
Softball19
Volleyball18
Golf16
Tennis14
Cross Country10

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.

2.0reported offenses a year
2.0 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
1.7
Fondling
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
$7,906
$30–48k
$7,753
$48–75k
$10,107
$75–110k
$14,000
$110k+
$15,866

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
$45,110

$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.

86%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,234
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$47,666
Men
$51,016

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

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sharpsburg 5 S, MD US station (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 Shepherd University

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

Colleges near Shepherd 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.