West Liberty University
West Liberty, WV · Public · Rural (fringe) · WLU
Public institution in West Liberty, WV · 1,578 undergraduates · 72% acceptance rate · $43,296 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 22%In-state tuition & fees
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
- $16,295771st cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $8,732453rd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $17,116670th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $23,526590th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $23,2501,033rd lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $43,2961,442nd highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,8221,427th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 60.6%749th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 69.1%1,283rd highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 72.1%661st most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1041862nd highest of 1,022 reporting
- Median ACT
- 21701st highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 1,5781,080th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 12.0:1782nd smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 31.9%1,088th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 187 mi (IAD)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 25 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | $42,682 | $32,925 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsHomeland Security & Law Enforcement | bachelors | $36,134 | $34,420 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsEducation | bachelors | $32,806 | $27,126 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $32,569 | $32,828 |
| Health and Physical Education/FitnessParks, Recreation & Fitness | bachelors | $32,569 | $33,281 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesLiberal Arts | bachelors | $32,210 | $30,771 |
| Design and Applied ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $31,852 | $28,753 |
| Psychology, GeneralPsychology | bachelors | $24,035 | $25,774 |
| Communication and Media StudiesCommunications | bachelors | $20,140 | $18,576 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | — | — |
| Biology, GeneralBiological Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
| ChemistryPhysical Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1837source
- Athletic nickname: "Hilltoppers"source
- Competes in NCAA Division IIsource
- School colors: Black and Goldsource
- Mascot: Topper the Bearsource
- Formerly known as "West Liberty Academy" (1837–1870)source
- Formerly known as "West Liberty State Normal School" (1870–1931)source
- Formerly known as "West Liberty State Teachers College" (1931–1943)source
- Formerly known as "West Liberty State College" (1943–2009)source
- Athletic conference: MECsource
Athletics — 11 sports
NCAA Division II with football · NCAA Division II
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $2,671,977 (M $1,785,853 · W $886,124)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Football
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to West Liberty University’s 1,578 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In WV
- West Virginia University at ParkersburgParkersburg, WV · 1,692 undergrads
- Concord UniversityAthens, WV · 1,394 undergrads
- West Virginia State UniversityInstitute, WV · 1,328 undergrads
- Bluefield State UniversityBluefield, WV · 1,231 undergrads
- Glenville State UniversityGlenville, WV · 1,177 undergrads
- University of CharlestonCharleston, WV · 2,083 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Wagner CollegeStaten Island, NY · 1,579 undergrads
- Seton Hill UniversityGreensburg, PA · 1,581 undergrads
- Feather River Community College DistrictQuincy, CA · 1,574 undergrads
- Neumann UniversityAston, PA · 1,574 undergrads
- Benedict CollegeColumbia, SC · 1,573 undergrads
- Illinois Wesleyan UniversityBloomington, IL · 1,570 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitewestliberty.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 237932)
- 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
- Compare with West Virginia University at ParkersburgSide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: West Liberty University vs West Virginia University at ParkersburgHigher-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.