Public · University

West Virginia State University

Institute, West Virginia · Midsize suburb

96.0%
Admit rate
$11,139
Avg net price
39%
Graduation rate
$40,492
Median earnings

West Virginia State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Institute, West Virginia (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 1,321 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

PublicSmall · 1,321 undergradsMidsize suburbAccessible · 96% admitNCAA Division II with football · Mountain East ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against West Virginia State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
96.0%
SAT (mid 50%)
760–1040
Avg GPA (est.)
2.75

Enter a test score to see where you land against West Virginia State University's admitted students.

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

About Institute, West Virginia

Institute is an unincorporated community on the Kanawha River in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. The community is the location of the prehistoric Shawnee Reservation Mound, one of three remaining Adena-era earthwork mounds and enclosures found in an eight-mile stretch along the river. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
211 miles
Nearest airport
9 miles to Yeager (CRW)

How West Virginia State University compares

Selectivity96.0%

More selective than 11% · #11 most selective of 15 in West Virginia

SAT average955

Higher than 4%

Graduation rate39%

Higher than 21% · #13 of 20 in West Virginia

First-year retention57%

Higher than 10%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$40,492

Higher than 15% · #14 of 19 in West Virginia

Average net price$11,139

Cheaper than 87% · #6 cheapest of 19 in West Virginia

Median debt at graduation$23,338

Lower than 48%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment1,321

Larger than 46%

Percentiles compare West Virginia State 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

1,457students
  • Undergraduate1,32191%
  • Graduate1369%

Undergraduates by gender

1,321undergrads
  • Women70854%
  • Men61346%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White62%
  • Black20%
  • Hispanic3.4%
  • Asian0.8%
  • Other or multiracial14%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,321
Graduate enrollment
136
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
20%
First-generation students
43%
Students over 25
8%
Median family income
$30,715
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$64,269
Endowment
$13,396,371

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

Admissions

Admission rate
96.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
760–1040
SAT average
955
SAT reading
410–550
SAT math
350–490
ACT composite
15–20
Average GPA (estimated)
2.75

Cost

In-state tuition
$9,570
Out-of-state tuition
$14,990
Room & board
$13,522
Books & supplies
$1,206
Total cost of attendance
$19,772
Average net price
$11,139

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)
39%
Graduated on time (4 years)
30%
First-year retention
57%
Transferred to another college
15%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$32,849
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$40,492
Median debt at graduation
$23,338
Students with federal loans
18%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
29%

About 9% 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
30%
Low-income (Pell)
34%
First-generation
33%

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
376
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
28%
Housing charge (year)
$7,762
Meal plan (year)
$5,760
Application fee
$20
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Mountain East Conference
Varsity athletes
445 (281 men · 164 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)

Football129
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)128
Baseball40
Basketball37
Soccer25
Other Sports24
Volleyball21
Softball20
Tennis13
Golf8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
10
Property offenses (2022–2024)
3

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,246 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.

4.3reported offenses a year
3.3 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault
1.7
Fondling
1.3
Burglary
1.0
Rape
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
$9,457
$30–48k
$10,225
$48–75k
$10,703
$75–110k
$13,798
$110k+
$17,355

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
$46,406

$10,703/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.

51%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,580
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 51% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,580. 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 321 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)
$40,492
Typical debt at graduation
$23,338
Debt vs. one year's pay
58%
Out-earn a HS grad
45%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.8 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
$39,456
Men
$42,056

Men out-earn women by $2,600 (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
23°F
Annual rain
48.2″
Annual snow
31.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Saint Albans, WV US station (3.7 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 West Virginia State University

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

Colleges near West Virginia State 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.