---
title: Fairmont State University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Fairmont, WV
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Fairmont State University

Fairmont, WV · Public · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $46,857 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $28,411 – $69,615 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $12,500 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $8,250 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 44% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $20,018 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 60% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.27× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $18,857 | derived |

**44% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $12,500 (≈ 27% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $20,857 to $62,620 across 18 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,620 | $24,230 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Associate's Degree | $58,529 | $20,371 |
| Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $54,279 | not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,294 | $19,279 |
| Information Science/Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $44,049 | not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Master's Degree | $41,726 | $17,850 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $40,903 | $23,636 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Master's Degree | $39,809 | $31,328 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,804 | not reported |
| Education, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,334 | $18,500 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,701 | $18,896 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,631 | $21,500 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,125 | $23,000 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,253 | $21,198 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,216 | $19,125 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,042 | $18,240 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,691 | $22,494 |
| Graphic Communications. | Bachelor's Degree | $20,857 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Fairmont State University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?237367

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/fairmont-state-university-wv.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`