Private nonprofit · College

West Virginia Wesleyan College

Buckhannon, West Virginia · Remote town

#5 for grad earnings in West Virginia
93.3%
Admit rate
$18,083
Avg net price
57%
Graduation rate
$51,593
Median earnings

West Virginia Wesleyan College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Buckhannon, West Virginia (remote town setting), enrolling 954 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 954 undergradsRemote townAccessible · 93% admitNCAA Division II with football · Mountain East ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against West Virginia Wesleyan College's admitted students.

Admit rate
93.3%
SAT (mid 50%)
892–1160
Avg GPA (est.)
3.02

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

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

About Buckhannon, West Virginia

Buckhannon is the only incorporated city in, and the county seat of, Upshur County, West Virginia, United States. According to tradition, the first settlers in the Buckhannon River Valley were brothers John and Samuel Pringle. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
159 miles
Nearest airport
21 miles to North Central West Virginia (CKB)

How West Virginia Wesleyan College compares

Selectivity93.3%

More selective than 16% · #8 most selective of 15 in West Virginia

SAT average1052

Higher than 17%

Graduation rate57%

Higher than 55% · #6 of 20 in West Virginia

First-year retention67%

Higher than 25%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$51,593

Higher than 43% · #5 of 19 in West Virginia

Average net price$18,083

Cheaper than 59% · #15 cheapest of 19 in West Virginia

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment954

Larger than 36%

Percentiles compare West Virginia Wesleyan College 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

1,038students
  • Undergraduate95492%
  • Graduate848%

Undergraduates by gender

954undergrads
  • Women54657%
  • Men40843%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White66%
  • Black13%
  • Hispanic5.6%
  • Asian0.9%
  • Other or multiracial14%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
954
Graduate enrollment
84
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
38%
First-generation students
30%
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$63,074
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$58,050
Endowment
$88,139,677

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 307 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From West Virginia50%
  • Other U.S. states40%
  • International11%

A regional draw: about 50% of first-years come from West Virginia, the rest from elsewhere.

11% came from outside the U.S. 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
93.3%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
892–1160
SAT average
1052
SAT reading
472–600
SAT math
420–560
ACT composite
16–23
Average GPA (estimated)
3.02

Cost

In-state tuition
$34,090
Room & board
$12,988
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$48,190
Average net price
$18,083

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)
57%
Graduated on time (4 years)
45%
First-year retention
67%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$42,672
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$51,593
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
65%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
58%

About 12% 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
45%
Low-income (Pell)
44%
First-generation
45%

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
1,211
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$5,364
Meal plan (year)
$5,616
Application fee
$35
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Mountain East Conference
Varsity athletes
648 (373 men · 275 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 (12)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)175
Football127
Soccer85
Basketball49
Baseball48
Softball33
Volleyball33
Tennis26
Other Sports21
Lacrosse19
Golf17
Swimming15

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
4.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
5
Property offenses (2022–2024)
9

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,055 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.

4.7reported offenses a year
1.7 violent a year3.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
2.7
Rape
1.0
Fondling
0.7
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
$12,611
$30–48k
$14,807
$48–75k
$14,848
$75–110k
$19,834
$110k+
$24,004

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
$64,233

$14,848/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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$22,764
average award, among those who get one

West Virginia Wesleyan College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $22,764. 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 275 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)
$51,593
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
52%
Out-earn a HS grad
57%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.2 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
$47,438
Men
$58,629

Men out-earn women by $11,191 (24%) 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
84°F
Winter low
21°F
Annual rain
49.2″
Annual snow
39.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Buckhannon, WV US station (0.7 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 Wesleyan College

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

Colleges near West Virginia Wesleyan College

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.