University of Charleston
Private College in Charleston, WV. Six-year graduation rate 44%. Median 10-year earnings $55,774.
Students who entered University of Charleston land at a median of $55,774 a decade later, close to what most four-year schools deliver. Six-year completion sits at 44%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Median debt at graduation is $19,500, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.35 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
An acceptance rate of 62% puts University of Charleston on the accessible end — a realistic target for a broad range of applicants. 2,573 applications came in, enough to make the rates below reasonably stable year to year. Yield is low at 17%, so most admitted students do not end up enrolling.
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 | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at University of Charleston →Academics
44% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. First-year retention is 75% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. The distance between those two figures is the part worth noticing — students return for a second year at a much higher rate than they graduate, so attrition here is spread across the middle years rather than concentrated in the first. 33% of students transfer out, which reframes what the graduation rate above is measuring. Retention drops to 40% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,080 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $20,844 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Net price varies modestly by income — $21,427 at $0–30k against $23,795 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. 62% of students receive grant aid, averaging $19,206 — common but not automatic. Federal borrowing reaches 36% 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 · 223 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 | $21,427 |
| $30–48k | $25,331 |
| $48–75k | $16,945 |
| $75–110k | $20,215 |
| $110k+ | $23,795 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 740 of these 2,080 students, totalling $5,342,703 — an average of $7,220 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Kanawha 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)