West Virginia University
Public Research University in Morgantown, WV. Six-year graduation rate 65%. Median 10-year earnings $55,939.
Ten years after entry, the median West Virginia University student earns $55,939 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. 65% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $22,500, neither a bargain nor a burden.
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
West Virginia University admits 89% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. With 18,729 applications received, this is a school operating at national scale. 25% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction. Read the score bands below as the middle 50% of submitted scores, not a threshold to clear.
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 | 520–620 | 2,394 (58%) |
| SAT Math | 490–600 | |
| ACT Composite | 20–26 | 1,005 (24%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at West Virginia University →Academics
65% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. First-year retention of 83% shows the cohort holds together through the hardest year. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. 21% transfer out. IPEDS does not follow them, so whether they finished elsewhere is not recorded either way. A 19:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 17,708 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $15,169 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. The income table below is the number that matters — $9,450 at $0–30k versus $20,273 at $110k+. About 80% get grants averaging $12,256, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. 47% of students take federal loans, a middling borrowing rate.
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 · 4,375 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 | $9,450 |
| $30–48k | $12,501 |
| $48–75k | $14,179 |
| $75–110k | $18,710 |
| $110k+ | $20,273 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 8,319 of these 17,708 students, totalling $50,585,391 — an average of $6,081 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Monongalia 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)