Private nonprofit · University

Wheeling University

Wheeling, West Virginia · Small city

#1 for grad earnings in West Virginia#4 most selective in West Virginia
63.2%
Admit rate
$20,503
Avg net price
23%
Graduation rate
$57,949
Median earnings

Wheeling University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Wheeling, West Virginia (small city setting), enrolling 589 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 589 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 63% admitNCAA Division II with football · Mountain East ConferenceCold winters

About Wheeling, West Virginia

Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The origins of the name "Wheeling" are disputed. West Virginia Independence Hall was the site of the Wheeling Convention, two meetings held in 1861 that ultimately reversed Virginia's Ordinance of Secession. 26 counties in Virginia's north and west voted against secession from the Union and created the new state of West Virginia, which the United States quickly admitted. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
113 miles
Nearest airport
38 miles to Pittsburgh (PIT) · major hub

How Wheeling University compares

Selectivity63.2%

More selective than 73% · #4 most selective of 15 in West Virginia

Graduation rate23%

Higher than 8% · #18 of 20 in West Virginia

First-year retention54%

Higher than 8%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$57,949

Higher than 62% · #1 of 19 in West Virginia

Average net price$20,503

Cheaper than 48% · #18 cheapest of 19 in West Virginia

Median debt at graduation$25,125

Lower than 30%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment589

Larger than 24%

Percentiles compare Wheeling 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

744students
  • Undergraduate58979%
  • Graduate15521%

Undergraduates by gender

589undergrads
  • Women31353%
  • Men27647%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White49%
  • Black22%
  • Hispanic4.6%
  • Asian0.7%
  • Other or multiracial24%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
589
Graduate enrollment
155
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
32%
First-generation students
37%
Students over 25
9%
Median family income
$59,200
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$53,154
Endowment
$4,601,377

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

Admissions

Admission rate
63.2%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$29,875
Room & board
$12,470
Books & supplies
$1,240
Total cost of attendance
$42,504
Average net price
$20,503

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)
23%
Graduated on time (4 years)
16%
First-year retention
54%
Transferred to another college
62%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$48,482
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$57,949
Median debt at graduation
$25,125
Students with federal loans
61%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
58%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
16%
Low-income (Pell)
26%
First-generation
29%

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
829
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$6,520
Meal plan (year)
$5,900
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Mountain East Conference
Varsity athletes
549 (361 men · 188 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)

Football130
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)95
Soccer73
Lacrosse55
Basketball44
Baseball39
Swimming31
Softball23
Volleyball23
Wrestling19
Golf17

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

Campus safety

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

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (774 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.

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

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault
0.7
Rape
0.3
Burglary
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
$17,739
$30–48k
$19,718
$48–75k
$19,913
$75–110k
$22,608
$110k+
$22,824

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
$88,614

$19,913/year × about 4.5 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.

78%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$20,182
average award, among those who get one

Wheeling University discounts heavily: 78% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $20,182. 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 230 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)
$57,949
Typical debt at graduation
$25,125
Debt vs. one year's pay
43%
Out-earn a HS grad
71%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.3 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
$55,360
Men
$64,591

Men out-earn women by $9,231 (17%) 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
85°F
Winter low
22°F
Annual rain
41.9″
Annual snow
15.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.14.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wheeling, WV US station (2.2 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 Wheeling University

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

Colleges near Wheeling 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.