WVU Facts
Research Classification
R1: Doctoral Universities - Highest research activity as described by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
Accreditation
WVU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Many WVU programs hold specialized accreditation.
Governance
The WVU Board of Governors is the governing body of WVU. The Higher Education Policy Commission in West Virginia is responsible for developing, establishing and overseeing the implementation of a public policy agenda for the state's four-year colleges and universities. E. Gordon Gee is WVU's 24th president.
Character
Public, land-grant institution, founded in 1867.
Consumer Information
View consumer, institutional and financial assistance information.
Campus Locations and Facilities
The WVU System is a family of distinctive campuses united by a single mission. From the groundbreaking research of our flagship in Morgantown (ranked R1, the highest research category institution) to the student-centered focus of WVU Potomac State College in Keyser to the technology-intensive programs at WVU Institute of Technology in Beckley — we are leveraging our talents and resources to create a better future for West Virginia and the world.
The WVU Institute of Technology in Beckley offers more than 30 majors, including one of the top 100 undergraduate engineering programs in the country, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
WVU Potomac State College in Keyser has one of the lowest tuition rates of all the nation’s four-year institutions. Offering more than 65 majors, this campus combines the personal attention of a small college with the benefits of a major university.
The WVU System also includes Health Sciences campuses in Charleston and Martinsburg, as well as seven farms and five forests throughout the state and WVU Jackson's Mill State 4-H Camp. The WVU System includes 518 buildings on 15,880 acres. The Morgantown campus has 245 buildings (11 on the National Register of Historic Places) on 1,892 acres.
The WVU Morgantown campus is in a town named “No. 1 Small City in America” by BizJournals.com for its exceptional quality of life. Morgantown, population 30,855, was also rated the ninth-best college town in America by Business Insider and is within easy traveling distance of Washington, D.C., to the east, Pittsburgh, Pa., to the north, and Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, to the northwest. Other rankings: Kiplinger.com included Morgantown in their 10 great places to live list; one of “Best Sports Cities” by Sporting News; 5th “Best Small Metro” by Forbes; one of “50 Smartest Places to Live” by Kiplinger’s; and the “#1 Place to Live in West Virginia” by Money magazine.
Research Funding
In the fiscal year ending in 2023, WVU received a record $231 million in externally supported expenditures, which are mainly designated for research. Federal expenditures made up 48% of external support. The remaining expenditures came from state government at 21%, the WVU Foundation at 14%, business and industry at 8% and other external sources at 9%.
Enrollment
Fall 2022 WVU System enrollment is 27,367:
- Potomac State College - 1,145
- WVU Tech - 1,481
- Morgantown campus - 24,741
WVU Morgantown Campus
Students at the Morgantown campus come from 115 nations, 50 U.S. states (plus D.C.) and all 55 West Virginia counties; 11,472 are West Virginia residents.
Academic Excellence
WVU recipients of prestigious scholarships include 2 Beckman Scholars, 25 Rhodes Scholars, 26 Truman Scholars, 47 Goldwater Scholars, 4 George C. Marshall (British) Scholars, 6 Morris K. Udall Scholars, 5 USA Today All-USA College Academic First Team Members (and 11 academic team honorees), 29 Boren Scholars, 106 Gilman Scholars, 81 Fulbright Scholars, 3 Department of Homeland Security Scholars, 39 Critical Language Scholars, one Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholar, 34 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships and one Schwarzman Scholar.
Faculty and Staff Profile
Excellent faculty – 19 of whom have been named Carnegie Foundation Professors of the Year – guide and mentor students.
66% of full-time instructional/tenure-track faculty hold the highest academic degree in their field.
70% of WVU Morgantown classes are taught by full-time instructional faculty.
Instructional Faculty: 2,478 Full-time / 591 Part-time
Extension Faculty: 114 Full-time
Staff (Classified and Non-Classified): 2,955 Full-time / 76 Part-time
Academic Programs
13 Morgantown colleges and schools offer 310 majors in agriculture, natural resources, and design; applied and human sciences; arts and sciences; business and economics; creative arts; dentistry; engineering and mineral resources; law; medicine; nursing; pharmacy; public health. Hundreds of distance education and online classes are available.
Freshman Class Profile
WVU’s fall 2022 freshman class had an average cumulative GPA of 3.67 on a 4.0 scale, an average ACT score of 24 and an average SAT score of 1124. WVU does not require ACT/SAT scores for admission.
Student Organizations
Choose from 500+ student organizations, or participate in an active intramural program or a variety of club sports.
Service and Learning
The Center for Service and Learning develops and organizes service learning and volunteer opportunities for students and faculty. WVU is one of only 75 schools recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for Community Engagement (recognized since 2010).
Scholarships and Aid
In 2022-23, WVU Morgantown disbursed $157.8 million in scholarships.
Athletics
A member of the Big 12 Conference, WVU competes in 18 intercollegiate varsity sports.
Libraries
The WVU Libraries encompass seven libraries statewide. Facilities in Morgantown include the Downtown Campus Library, Evansdale Library, Health Sciences Library, Law Library, and the West Virginia and Regional History Center. Onsite collections include over 1.8 million books, 1.2 million e-books and 176,000 journals.
Admission and Application Timeline
Undergraduate admission: Our test optional policy means that you can apply without an ACT or SAT score. However, we do encourage that students submit scores if available, and offer the option to submit after receiving a decision. WVU superscores and offers multiple options for submitting test scores.
In place of test scores, emphasis will be placed on the following for test optional applicants: cumulative and core GPA, meeting academic requirements, rigor of high school curriculum, college preparatory coursework, and intended major. Students have until May 1, whether applying regular admission or test optional, to submit updated academic credentials, including test scores and transcripts, for merit eligibility.
Applications are processed beginning Aug. 15 for admission the following fall. March 1 is the deadline for West Virginia residents to submit Promise Scholarship applications. WVU has a rolling admissions policy, and there is no official application deadline.
Graduate admission (for degree-seeking applicants) requires a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale for regular admission. In addition, each applicant must meet the minimum admissions criteria determined by their program of interest. Each graduate program sets its own admissions requirements and deadlines.
Tuition
For current WVU System tuition and fees, visit tuition.wvu.edu.
Visitors Centers
The WVU Visitors Centers are the front doors to campus, providing the warm hospitality that Mountaineers are known for in modern, welcoming spaces. Tours led by current students are offered Monday through Friday and select Saturdays. Schedule a campus visit.
Alumni
Chartered in 1873, the WVU Alumni Association is made up of over 210,000 graduates worldwide in some 135 nations.
Parents Club
The Mountaineer Parents Club, with 20,000 members in dozens of local clubs, connects parents and families with the student experience.
Private Support
The WVU Foundation recorded $214 million in new gifts and pledges in fiscal year 2022, including 39,347 gifts from 20,206 donors.
As of Dec. 31, 2022, the Foundation’s investments team managed assets worth more than $2.67 billion.
Extension
Throughout the year in West Virginia's 55 counties, WVU Extension Service faculty and volunteers work with more than 624,111 West Virginians. 4-H alone reaches one in five West Virginia youths.