Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, WV · Public · Rural (fringe)
Public institution in Shepherdstown, WV · 2,375 undergraduates · 96% acceptance rate · $49,358 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 18%Cost of attendance
- Top 22%In-state tuition & fees
- Top 24%Average net price
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $12,391476th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $8,642444th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $19,082801st cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $19,863364th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $21,600860th lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $49,3581,111th highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $43,726965th highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 49.5%1,185th highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 72.1%1,142nd highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 95.7%1,432nd most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1022893rd highest of 1,024 reporting
- Median ACT
- 23494th highest of 954 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 2,375836th largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 16.0:11,471st smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 26.9%1,373rd highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 38 mi (IAD)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- EANov 15
- Rollingopen
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $45
- Personal essay
- Optional / not required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 29 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $61,791 | $61,020 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralComputer Science | bachelors | $54,209 | $45,852 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $42,682 | $44,933 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsEducation | bachelors | $39,693 | $38,670 |
| SociologySocial Sciences | bachelors | $39,009 | $38,289 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $36,437 | $32,391 |
| Social WorkPublic Administration | bachelors | $35,416 | $33,565 |
| EconomicsSocial Sciences | bachelors | $32,382 | $36,674 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesLiberal Arts | bachelors | $32,245 | $31,763 |
| Parks, Recreation and Leisure StudiesParks, Recreation & Fitness | bachelors | $31,585 | $29,685 |
| Communication and Media StudiesCommunications | bachelors | $30,771 | $32,284 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchNatural Resources | bachelors | $29,995 | $23,340 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1871source
- Athletic nickname: "Rams"source
- Competes in NCAA Division IIsource
- School colors: Blue and Goldsource
- Mascot: JC the Ramsource
- Motto: "Ne plus ultra (Latin) (inscripted on the Pillars of Hercules)"source
- Campus size: about 323 acressource
- Formerly known as "Shepherd College" (1871–2004)source
- Athletic conference: PSACsource
- Fight song: ""Fight On" (For Old SU)""source
Athletics — 11 sports
NCAA Division II with football · NCAA Division II
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $1,377,774 (M $945,707 · W $432,067)
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Key links
- Official websiteshepherd.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 237792)
- Compare colleges in WVRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in West VirginiaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Showdown: Shepherd University vs University of CharlestonHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 11 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.