West Virginia State University (WVSU) vs Shepherd University

West Virginia State University (WVSU) and Shepherd University (SU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning in West Virginia, each offering unique educational experiences. WVSU, located in Institute, has a higher acceptance rate (88%) compared to SU's 76%, making it a more accessible option for prospective students. SU, situated in Shepherdstown, boasts a slightly higher graduation rate (62%) than WVSU's 58%. While both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, WVSU excels in fields like nursing, education, and social work, while SU is renowned for its strong programs in business, music, and the arts. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including student body demographics, popular majors, and additional factors that can help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Shepherd University	West Virginia State University
Overview
Location	Shepherdstown, West Virginia	Institute, West Virginia
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	66.0%	56.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	96.4%	96.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $28
SAT range	960 - 1180	N/A
ACT range	19 - 26	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	47.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%
Total number of applicants	1,338	2,959
Total number of admissions given out	1,290	2,857
Admitted students who chose to enroll	419	305
Yield rate	32.5%	10.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,132 Out of state: $33,572	In state: $22,677 Out of state: $28,365
Average net price	$10,360	$10,889
Tuition	In state: $5,790 Out of state: $15,276	In state: $7,912 Out of state: $13,600
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,798 Meal plan: $5,050	Room/dormitory: $7,762 Meal plan: $5,314
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	87.0% Average amount $7,767	89.0% Average amount $8,961
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,075	49.0% Average amount $7,576
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $12,449	2.0% Average amount $6,704

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,450 Men 39.6% Women 60.4%	3,281 Men 41.9% Women 58.1%
Graduate students	565 Men 22.1% Women 77.9%	134 Men 41.8% Women 58.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	27.6%	22.6%
International students	1.4%	1.6%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,052	369
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	West Virginia Maryland Virginia Pennsylvania District of Columbia	West Virginia Ohio Maryland Georgia

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Liberal Arts Education Social Sciences Computer and Information Science	Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education Liberal Arts Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	44.1%	29.6%
Dropout rate	43.3%	47.3%
Transferred out	10.9%	19.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,704 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $65,982 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,620 Year 2: $45,852 Year 3: $53,735 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,461 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $48,671 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,026 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $43,769 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,615 Year 2: $38,670 Year 3: $42,186 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $35,736 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $40,911 Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,185 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $39,264 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,498 Year 2: $31,763 Year 3: $38,847 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,225 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $38,312 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,000 Year 2: $23,340 Year 3: $35,390	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,198 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $36,756 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,938 Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: $36,314 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,771 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $34,416 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,256 Year 2: $27,504 Year 3: $32,672 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,227 Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: $32,224 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,815 Year 2: $28,816 Year 3: $30,768 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,073 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $19,116 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,654 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,626 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Shepherd University

Athens State University