Public · University

University of Virginia's College at Wise

Wise, Virginia · Distant town

#1 best value in Virginia#5 most selective in Virginia
28.5%
Admit rate
$9,210
Avg net price
47%
Graduation rate
$45,325
Median earnings

University of Virginia's College at Wise is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Wise, Virginia (distant town setting), enrolling 1,101 undergraduates.

PublicSmall · 1,101 undergradsDistant townVery selective · 29% admitNCAA Division II with football · South Atlantic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of Virginia's College at Wise's admitted students.

Admit rate
28.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
945–1120
Avg GPA (est.)
3.14

Enter a test score to see where you land against University of Virginia's College at Wise's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of Virginia's College at Wise's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Wise, Virginia

Wise is a town in Wise County, Virginia. It is the county seat of Wise County. The town's name was changed to Wise in 1924, after Henry A. Wise, the last Virginia governor before the American Civil War and the first governor to hail from the Eastern Shore of Virginia. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
292 miles
Nearest airport
35 miles to Tri-Cities Regional TN/VA (TRI)

How University of Virginia's College at Wise compares

Selectivity28.5%

More selective than 93% · #5 most selective of 43 in Virginia

SAT average1050

Higher than 16%

Graduation rate47%

Higher than 34% · #33 of 49 in Virginia

First-year retention72%

Higher than 35%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,325

Higher than 25% · #37 of 51 in Virginia

Average net price$9,210

Cheaper than 93% · #1 cheapest of 47 in Virginia

Median debt at graduation$16,750

Lower than 87%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment1,101

Larger than 40%

Percentiles compare University of Virginia's College at Wise 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

1,126students
  • Undergraduate1,10198%
  • Graduate252%

Undergraduates by gender

1,101undergrads
  • Women54650%
  • Men55550%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White36%
  • Black3.7%
  • Asian1.0%
  • Other or multiracial59%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,101
Graduate enrollment
25
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
40%
First-generation students
37%
Students over 25
34%
Median family income
$35,325
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$82,773
Endowment
$165,651,423

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 290 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Virginia77%
  • Other U.S. states23%

Most first-years stay in state — University of Virginia's College at Wise draws overwhelmingly from Virginia.

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
28.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
945–1120
SAT average
1050
SAT reading
520–580
SAT math
425–540
ACT composite
18–22
Average GPA (estimated)
3.14

Cost

In-state tuition
$11,780
Out-of-state tuition
$28,010
Room & board
$12,816
Books & supplies
$1,600
Total cost of attendance
$26,593
Average net price
$9,210

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)
47%
Graduated on time (4 years)
32%
First-year retention
72%
Transferred to another college
6%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,725
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$45,325
Median debt at graduation
$16,750
Students with federal loans
23%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
48%

About 15% 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
32%
Low-income (Pell)
28%
First-generation
26%

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
589
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
53%
Housing charge (year)
$7,058
Meal plan (year)
$5,299
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
South Atlantic Conference
Varsity athletes
438 (267 men · 171 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)

Football88
Track and Field (Indoor)66
Track and Field (Outdoor)66
Baseball53
Basketball34
Cross Country28
Softball25
Lacrosse24
Tennis23
Volleyball16
Golf15

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
10.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
63
Property offenses (2022–2024)
6

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,167 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.

23reported offenses a year
21 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
17
Aggravated assault
4.3
Burglary
2.0

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
$8,891
$30–48k
$7,668
$48–75k
$7,455
$75–110k
$8,813
$110k+
$16,176

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
$33,391

$7,455/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.

93%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$7,599
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 93% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $7,599. 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 250 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)
$45,325
Typical debt at graduation
$16,750
Debt vs. one year's pay
37%
Out-earn a HS grad
50%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 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
$41,027
Men
$48,628

Men out-earn women by $7,601 (19%) 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
81°F
Winter low
25°F
Annual rain
51.6″
Annual snow
47.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wise 1SE, VA US station (0.2 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 University of Virginia's College at Wise

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of Virginia's College at Wise side by side →

Colleges near University of Virginia's College at Wise

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.