West Virginia
University at Parkersburg
Public Community College in Parkersburg, WV. Six-year graduation rate 9%. Median 10-year earnings $35,171.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $35,171, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. Only 9% finish within six years, so roughly nine in ten students leave without the credential they enrolled for. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $12,570.
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
- ! Graduation rate 9% — below national average
Academics
Only 9% finish within six years, so roughly nine in ten students leave without the credential. A 17:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars. As a public four-year university, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions. The undergraduate population is 2,584 — big enough for a real range of programs, small enough to navigate.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,701 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $1,948 annually, well below typical undergraduate net price. Net price varies modestly by income — $723 at $0–30k against $7,562 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. Grant aid reaches 73% of students at an average of $6,520. Federal borrowing reaches 27% 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 · 358 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 | $723 |
| $30–48k | $50 |
| $48–75k | $1,589 |
| $75–110k | $5,407 |
| $110k+ | $7,562 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 467 of these 1,701 students, totalling $2,877,958 — an average of $6,163 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Wood 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)