Private nonprofit · University
University of Charleston
Charleston, West Virginia · Small city
- 61.5%
- Admit rate
- $22,107
- Avg net price
- 46%
- Graduation rate
- $55,774
- Median earnings
University of Charleston is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Charleston, West Virginia (small city setting), enrolling 2,259 undergraduates.
About Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. Virginian militia officer William Morris built the first permanent settlement in the Kanawha Valley, named Fort Morris, in 1773. It was about 20 mi (32 km) upstream of modern Charleston, at the confluence of Kellys Creek, and was used extensively during the American Revolution. Charleston is home to numerous annual events and fairs that take place from the banks of the Kanawha River to the capitol grounds. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 1 mile to Charleston, WV
- To Great Lakes shore
- 216 miles
- Nearest airport
- 3 miles to Yeager (CRW)
How University of Charleston compares
More selective than 75% · #3 most selective of 15 in West Virginia
Higher than 31% · #10 of 20 in West Virginia
Higher than 44%
Higher than 56% · #4 of 19 in West Virginia
Cheaper than 40% · #19 cheapest of 19 in West Virginia
Lower than 78%
Lower than 35%
Larger than 61%
Percentiles compare University of Charleston 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
- Undergraduate2,25976%
- Graduate71424%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,32659%
- Men93341%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White66%
- Black9.4%
- Hispanic8.7%
- Asian1.1%
- Other or multiracial15%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,259
- Graduate enrollment
- 714
- Student–faculty ratio
- 15 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 31%
- First-generation students
- 43%
- Students over 25
- 53%
- Median family income
- $44,570
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $65,673
- Endowment
- $62,316,735
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 61.5%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $33,800
- Room & board
- $12,280
- Books & supplies
- $2,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $46,470
- Average net price
- $22,107
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)
- 46%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 36%
- First-year retention
- 75%
- Transferred to another college
- 32%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $42,698
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $55,774
- Median debt at graduation
- $19,500
- Students with federal loans
- 35%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 45%
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)
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
- 756
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 33%
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,770
- Meal plan (year)
- $4,810
- Application fee
- $25
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II with football
- Football conference
- Mountain East Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 702 (432 men · 270 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)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.5 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 3
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (3,062 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.
$16,945/year × about 4.3 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.
University of Charleston discounts heavily: 92% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $21,126. 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 236 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)
- $55,774
- Typical debt at graduation
- $19,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 35%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 60%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.5 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 $9,231 (18%) 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
- 26°F
- Annual rain
- 46.2″
- Annual snow
- 31.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Charleston Yeager AP, WV US station (3.5 mi from campus).
What University of Charleston 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 University of Charleston
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of Charleston side by side →
Berry College
Mount Berry, Georgia · Small suburb · 53 mi to Chattanooga
- Students
- 2,245
- Admission
- 64%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1220
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $54k
Marywood University
Scranton, Pennsylvania · Small city · 2 mi to Scranton
- Students
- 1,784
- Admission
- 61%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1162
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $56k
Vanguard University of Southern California
Costa Mesa, California · Midsize city · 33 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 1,933
- Admission
- 62%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $60k
Southern Adventist University
Collegedale, Tennessee · Large suburb · 15 mi to Chattanooga
- Students
- 2,773
- Admission
- 66%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1129
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $54k
Concordia College at Moorhead
Moorhead, Minnesota · Midsize suburb · 1 mi to Fargo
- Students
- 1,829
- Admission
- 63%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1190
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $59k
The College of Wooster
Wooster, Ohio · Distant town · 29 mi to Akron
- Students
- 1,730
- Admission
- 60%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1353
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $60k
Colleges near University of Charleston
Mountain State School of Massage
Charleston, WV · Private for-profit · Certificate · 32 students
Charleston School of Beauty Culture
Charleston, WV · Private for-profit · Certificate · 46 students
Ross Medical Education Center-Charleston
Charleston, WV · Private for-profit · Certificate · 65 students
Carver Career Center
Charleston, WV · Public · Certificate · 169 students
BridgeValley Community & Technical College
South Charleston, WV · Public · Associate · 1,854 students
Ben Franklin Career Center
Dunbar, WV · Public · Certificate · 78 students
West Virginia State University
Institute, WV · Public · Bachelor's · 1,321 students
West Virginia Junior College-Charleston
Cross Lanes, WV · Private for-profit · Associate · 394 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.










