Private nonprofit · Community college

Valley College-Beckley

Beckley, West Virginia · Small city

5%
Transfer rate: $25,149
Avg net price: 63%
Grad / completion: $24,070
Median earnings

Valley College-Beckley is a private nonprofit certificate-granting institution in Beckley, West Virginia (small city setting), enrolling 165 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private nonprofitSmall · 165 undergradsSmall cityCold wintersSnowy

About Beckley, West Virginia

Beckley is a city in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. Early encounters describe the land as being an ancestral home of the Catawba-speaking Moneton people, who referred to the surrounding area as Okahok Amai, and were allies of the Monacan people. The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine is a preserved coal mine that offers daily tours and a history lesson on coal mining in Appalachia. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Small city
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 46 miles to Charleston, WV
To the ocean: 213 miles
Nearest airport: 3 miles to Raleigh County Memorial (BKW)

How Valley College-Beckley compares

Graduation rate63%

Higher than 52% · #28 of 42 in West Virginia

First-year retention65%

Higher than 34%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$24,070

Higher than 15% · #35 of 40 in West Virginia

Average net price$25,149

Cheaper than 18% · #40 cheapest of 42 in West Virginia

Median debt at graduation$9,500

Lower than 57%

Student–faculty ratio24 : 1

Lower than 16%

Undergraduate enrollment165

Larger than 40%

Percentiles compare Valley College-Beckley with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in West Virginia.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women11771%
Men4829%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White84%
Black8.5%
Other or multiracial7.9%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 165
Student–faculty ratio: 24 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 74%
First-generation students: 64%
Students over 25: 57%
Median family income: $10,322
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $61,875

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition: —
Room & board: —
Total cost of attendance: —
Average net price: $25,149

Outcomes

Graduated: 63%
First-year retention: 65%
Transferred to another college: 5%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $22,156
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $24,070
Median debt at graduation: $9,500
Students with federal loans: 81%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 20%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: $50

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

$25,305

$30–48k

$25,611

$48–75k

$21,338

$75–110k

—

$110k+

—

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.

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.

63%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$98

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 63% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $98. 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 48 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): $24,070
Typical debt at graduation: $9,500
Debt vs. one year's pay: 39%
Out-earn a HS grad: 24%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.9 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.

Campus climate

Summer high: 79°F
Winter low: 19°F
Annual rain: 43.4″
Annual snow: 38.4″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Beckley VA Hospital, WV US station (1.7 mi from campus).

What Valley College-Beckley graduates study — and earn

Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCert.

58 grads$19k 1 yr$20k 5 yr$10k debt

58$19,046$19,861$9,500 Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)Cert.

— grads— 1 yr$39k 5 yr— debt

——$38,942—Health and Medical Administrative ServicesCert.

— grads— 1 yr$21k 5 yr— debt

——$20,683—Health and Medical Administrative ServicesAssoc.

— grads— 1 yr$24k 5 yr— debt

——$23,621—

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 Valley College-Beckley

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Valley College-Beckley side by side →

Valley College-Martinsburg

Private

Martinsburg, West Virginia · Midsize suburb · 64 mi to Washington

Students: 765
Tuition: —
Transfer: 1%
Earnings: $25k

Ameritas College

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Students: 181
Tuition: $10k
Transfer: 25%
Earnings: $22k

Brillare Beauty Institute

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Students: 265
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $25k

Merkaz Bnos-Business School

Private

Brooklyn, New York · Large city · 8 mi to New York

Students: 110
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $27k

The Ailey School

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New York, New York · Large city · 4 mi to New York

Students: 94
Tuition: $15k
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $23k

Seminar L'moros Bais Yaakov

Private

Brooklyn, New York · Large city · 5 mi to New York

Students: 449
Tuition: $13k
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $24k

Colleges near Valley College-Beckley

West Virginia University Institute of Technology

Beckley, WV · Public · Bachelor's · 981 students

1 mi

Academy of Careers and Technology

Beckley, WV · Public · Certificate · 168 students

1 mi

New River Community and Technical College

Beaver, WV · Public · Associate · 770 students

3 mi

Appalachian Bible College

Mount Hope, WV · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 193 students

4 mi

Fayette Institute of Technology

Oak Hill, WV · Public · Certificate · 32 students

14 mi

Concord University

Athens, WV · Public · Bachelor's · 1,504 students

27 mi

Mercer County Technical Education Center

Princeton, WV · Public · Certificate · 120 students

30 mi

Bluefield State University

Bluefield, WV · Public · Bachelor's · 1,042 students

36 mi

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.