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

# West Virginia State University

Institute, 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 | $40,492 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $24,235 – $56,182 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $15,250 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $8,750 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 39% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $19,772 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 53% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.38× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $12,492 | derived |

**39% 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 $15,250 (≈ 38% 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 $19,626 to $35,938 across 10 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,938 | $24,700 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,198 | $24,000 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,815 | $24,750 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,654 | not reported |
| Social Work. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,771 | $31,000 |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,014 | not reported |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,073 | $25,000 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,256 | $22,532 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $23,227 | $28,250 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $19,626 | 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 West Virginia State University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?237899

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