Private nonprofit · University

Virginia Wesleyan University

Virginia Beach, Virginia · Large city

72.9%
Admit rate
$19,676
Avg net price
42%
Graduation rate
$50,074
Median earnings

Virginia Wesleyan University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Virginia Beach, Virginia (large city setting), enrolling 1,256 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,256 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 73% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersNear the coast

About Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Beach is the most populous city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The Chesepian occupied an area which is now defined as the independent cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach. The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art features regularly changing exhibitions in a variety of media. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
6 miles to Norfolk, VA
To the ocean
4 miles
Nearest airport
2 miles to Norfolk (ORF) · major hub

How Virginia Wesleyan University compares

Selectivity72.9%

More selective than 58% · #17 most selective of 43 in Virginia

Graduation rate42%

Higher than 25% · #37 of 49 in Virginia

First-year retention74%

Higher than 43%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$50,074

Higher than 39% · #31 of 51 in Virginia

Average net price$19,676

Cheaper than 51% · #17 cheapest of 47 in Virginia

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment1,256

Larger than 44%

Percentiles compare Virginia Wesleyan University 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

1,360students
  • Undergraduate1,25692%
  • Graduate1048%

Undergraduates by gender

1,256undergrads
  • Women78863%
  • Men46837%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White39%
  • Black20%
  • Hispanic8.3%
  • Asian2.7%
  • Other or multiracial30%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,256
Graduate enrollment
104
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
27%
First-generation students
31%
Students over 25
8%
Median family income
$47,832
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$78,804
Endowment
$121,820,249

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

Admissions

Admission rate
72.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$37,500
Room & board
$11,930
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$51,255
Average net price
$19,676

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)
42%
Graduated on time (4 years)
36%
First-year retention
74%
Transferred to another college
44%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,200
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$50,074
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
45%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
53%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
36%
Low-income (Pell)
41%
First-generation
38%

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
856
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
68%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
507 (272 men · 235 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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)123
Soccer75
Baseball65
Lacrosse65
Basketball33
Volleyball32
Softball27
Tennis25
Field Hockey24
Swimming22
Golf16

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
4
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,853 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.

1.7reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
0.7
Rape
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3
Arson
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
$14,080
$30–48k
$17,108
$48–75k
$15,967
$75–110k
$22,603
$110k+
$24,782

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
$67,124

$15,967/year × about 4.2 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.

98%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$24,257
average award, among those who get one

Virginia Wesleyan University discounts heavily: 98% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $24,257. 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 280 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)
$50,074
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
54%
Out-earn a HS grad
56%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.4 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
$49,533
Men
$51,561

Men out-earn women by $2,028 (4%) 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
88°F
Winter low
32°F
Annual rain
53.3″
Annual snow
6.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.36.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Norfolk S, VA US station (2.4 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 Virginia Wesleyan University

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

Colleges near Virginia Wesleyan 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.