Public · Community college

West Virginia University at Parkersburg

Parkersburg, West Virginia · Fringe rural

#2 best value in West Virginia
7%
Transfer rate
$1,807
Avg net price
9%
Grad / completion
$35,171
Median earnings

West Virginia University at Parkersburg is a public associate-granting institution in Parkersburg, West Virginia (fringe rural setting), enrolling 1,868 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,868 undergradsFringe ruralCold winters

About Parkersburg, West Virginia

Parkersburg is a city in Wood County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. A town section was laid out on land granted to Alexander Parker for his Revolutionary War service. Virginia made grants of land to veterans for their war service. The title conflicts between Parker and the city planners of Newport were settled in 1809 in favor of his heirs. The Annual Mid-Ohio Valley Multi-Cultural Festival is held in June, and is an international festival featuring traditional dance and music and an international marketplace. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe rural
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
To Great Lakes shore
158 miles
Nearest airport
10 miles to Mid Ohio Valley (PKB)

How West Virginia University at Parkersburg compares

Graduation rate9%

Higher than 1% · #42 of 42 in West Virginia

Earnings, 10 years after entry$35,171

Higher than 50% · #16 of 40 in West Virginia

Average net price$1,807

Cheaper than 98% · #2 cheapest of 42 in West Virginia

Median debt at graduation$12,570

Lower than 24%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 44%

Undergraduate enrollment1,868

Larger than 81%

Percentiles compare West Virginia University at Parkersburg 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

1,868undergrads
  • Women1,14861%
  • Men72039%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White93%
  • Black1.4%
  • Hispanic1.9%
  • Other or multiracial3.5%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,868
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
33%
First-generation students
45%
Students over 25
24%
Median family income
$25,134
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$57,078
Endowment
$12,899,553

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 420 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From West Virginia91%
  • Other U.S. states9.0%

Most first-years stay in state — West Virginia University at Parkersburg draws overwhelmingly from West 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.

Cost

In-state tuition
$4,612
Out-of-state tuition
$9,124
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$9,420
Average net price
$1,807

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
9%
First-year retention
Transferred to another college
7%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$31,076
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$35,171
Median debt at graduation
$12,570
Students with federal loans
18%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
29%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
9%
Low-income (Pell)
15%
First-generation
14%

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
No
Application fee
Free

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%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,728 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.

0.3reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
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
$723
$30–48k
$50
$48–75k
$1,589
$75–110k
$5,407
$110k+
$7,562

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.

29%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,200
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 29% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,200. 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 247 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)
$35,171
Typical debt at graduation
$12,570
Debt vs. one year's pay
36%
Out-earn a HS grad
40%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 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
$29,481
Men
$43,878

Men out-earn women by $14,397 (49%) 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
87°F
Winter low
24°F
Annual rain
44.2″
Annual snow
11.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.54.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Parkersburg, WV US station (5.2 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 West Virginia University at Parkersburg

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

Colleges near West Virginia University at Parkersburg

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.