West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV · Public · Small city · Carnegie R1/R2 · WVU
Public institution in Morgantown, WV · 17,705 undergraduates · 86% acceptance rate · $55,939 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 6%Undergraduates
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
- $12,997519th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $9,648553rd cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $27,3601,155th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $23,678601st cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $22,500941st lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $55,939740th highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $45,181873rd highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 61.2%732nd highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 81.5%597th highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 86.3%1,112th most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1129581st highest of 1,024 reporting
- Median ACT
- 24421st highest of 954 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 17,705138th largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 17.0:11,598th smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 20.4%1,699th highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 142 mi (IAD)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $65
- 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 76 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petroleum EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $70,296 | $61,303 |
| Chemical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $69,338 | $62,012 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $68,890 | $67,995 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $68,153 | $65,238 |
| Mining and Mineral EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $67,899 | $67,288 |
| Mechanical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $67,886 | $65,457 |
| Industrial EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $66,653 | $68,047 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralComputer Science | bachelors | $66,325 | — |
| Computer EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $65,964 | $60,061 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $62,154 | $61,454 |
| Civil EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $60,943 | $58,092 |
| Computer Science | bachelors | $59,124 | $66,069 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1867source
- Athletic nickname: "Mountaineers"source
- Mascot: West Virginia Mountaineersource
- Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium seats about 60,000source
- Competes in Big 12 Conferencesource
- School colors: Old Gold and Bluesource
- Motto: "Πίστει τὴν ἀρετήν, ἐν δὲ τῇ ἀρετῇ τὴν γνῶσιν (Koine Greek)"source
- Campus size: about 1,892 acressource
- Formerly known as "Agricultural College of West Virginia" (1867–1868)source
- Athletic conference: Big 12source
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A space-grant]]}} institutionsource
- Football rivalry: Backyard Brawl (since 1895)source
- Football rivalry: Cincinnati–West Virginia (since 1921)source
- Football rivalry: Friends of Coal Bowl (since 1911)source
- Football rivalry: Maryland–West Virginia (since 1919)source
- Football rivalry: Penn State–West Virginia (since 1904)source
- Plays for the "Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy" (since 1945)source
- Plays for the "Black Diamond Trophy" (since 1912)source
- Fight song: ""Hail, West Virginia""source
- Notable alum: Katherine Johnsonsource
- Notable alum: Steve Harveysource
- Notable alum: Don Knottssource
- Notable alum: Jerry Westsource
- Notable alum: Cheryl Hinessource
Athletics — 13 sports
NCAA Division I-FBS · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $11,152,786 (M $6,613,087 · W $4,372,259 · Coed $167,440)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Football
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Rifle
- Rowing
- Soccer
- Swimming and Diving (combined)
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Key links
- Official websitewvu.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 238032)
- 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: West Virginia University vs Marshall UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 13 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.