Shepherd University
Public College in Shepherdstown, WV. Six-year graduation rate 51%. Median 10-year earnings $49,358.
Ten years after entry, the median Shepherd University student earns $49,358 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. 51% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Graduates carry a median of $21,600 in debt — in line with the national norm.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
With an acceptance rate of 97%, Shepherd University takes nearly everyone who applies. 1,646 applications came in, enough to make the rates below reasonably stable year to year. Yield sits at 32% — the remainder of admitted students enroll elsewhere or not at all. The score bands below cover the middle 50% of the enrolled students who submitted a score — not the whole class, and not a cutoff.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 468–600 | 271 (54%) |
| SAT Math | 410–540 | |
| ACT Composite | 19–24 | 42 (8%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Shepherd University →Academics
Six-year completion sits at 51%, meaning about one in two students who enroll leave without finishing. 71% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in three are gone before sophomore year. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. The student-faculty ratio is 17:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major. This is a public four-year university, so read every rate on this page against that peer group specifically.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,379 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $11,744 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Income makes less difference than usual: $7,906 at $0–30k, $15,866 at $110k+. 79% of students receive grant aid, averaging $7,688 — common but not automatic. Federal borrowing reaches 48% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 559 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $7,906 |
| $30–48k | $7,753 |
| $48–75k | $10,107 |
| $75–110k | $14,000 |
| $110k+ | $15,866 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,141 of these 2,379 students, totalling $9,174,728 — an average of $8,041 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Jefferson County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)