Best Community Colleges in West Virginia 2025
Key Takeaways
- Eight schools in West Virginia meet our criteria for the best community colleges in the state.
- Community colleges offer more affordable tuition rates than a traditional four-year college.
- Graduates with an associate degree can often transfer their credits into an accredited bachelor’s degree program.
Best Community Colleges in West Virginia in 2025
- Pierpont Community and Technical College
- New River Community and Technical College +1
- Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College +1
- Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College +1
- Blue Ridge Community and Technical College +1
- West Virginia Junior College –4
- Mountwest Community and Technical College
2025 Ranking Update
Our Influence Ranking Engine™ leverages machine learning to track the real-world influence of colleges and universities over time. Below you’ll see which schools gained or lost ground for the 2025 school year.
In 2025, the top schools in our ranking of the best community colleges in West Virginia saw a considerable amount of movement. New River Community and Technical College was able to move up to the second ranking position as the college expanded its Advanced Manufacturing and Technical Training Center, which offers new hands-on programs in welding, electrical systems, and industrial maintenance, meeting the demand for skilled workers in West Virginia. The college has also enhanced its online learning platforms, providing more flexible, fully online degree options for working adults.
Additionally, New River has expanded its student support services, including enhanced tutoring, career counseling, and mental health resources to ensure academic success and personal well-being. These updates reflect the college’s commitment to workforce readiness, accessibility, and student support.
We’ve identified 8 community colleges in West Virginia. The following list shows the best community colleges and primarily associate degree granting colleges in West Virginia.
Best Community Colleges in West Virginia
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
38%
Student body
2K
What is Pierpont Community and Technical College known for?
Pierpont Community and Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Pierpont Community and Technical College
Pierpont Community and Technical College started in 1974. This school is dedicated to supporting adults who want to return to college or enroll in workforce training. It offers an array of programs with flexible scheduling.
What we love about Pierpont Community and Technical College:
It is committed to providing accessible, comprehensive, and responsive education to train students to enter the modern workforce.
Pierpont Community and Technical College is ideal for students who:
Are seeking a college that empowers them to transform their lives through quality education.
Pierpont Community and Technical College might not be the best fit for students who:
Wish to pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees to further advance in their careers.
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
36%
Student body
1K
What is New River Community and Technical College known for?
New River Community and Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
New River Community and Technical College is the state’s newest community and technical college. It caters to nine counties in the southeast and south-central areas, providing affordable, accessible, and top-quality workforce programs.
What we love about New River Community and Technical College:
This college is guided by the values it upholds, including community, integrity, justice, scholarship, and service.
New River Community and Technical College is ideal for students who:
Thrive in a school that aims to enrich the communities it serves through meaningful education.
New River Community and Technical College might not be the best fit for students who:
Prefer the lively atmosphere of a large university in an urban area and with a bustling community.
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
37%
Student body
<1K
What is Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College known for?
Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College is driven by the principle that quality education must be affordable and convenient. It provides high-quality and hands-on learning experiences to the community it serves.
What we love about Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College:
It is committed to providing affordable technical and workforce training in the Potomac Highlands area.
Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College is ideal for students who:
Want a school with a student-faculty ratio of 8:1, ensuring personalized attention from instructors.
Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College might not be the best fit for students who:
Choose a school offering 100+ four-year degree programs for them to have plenty of options to start their careers.
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
26%
Student body
2K
Career Outlook for degree at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College
Cost of Degree: $4,944Starting Salary: $29,500What is Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College known for?
Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College is a comprehensive college that provides associate’s degrees in liberal arts and teacher education. It also provides career programs in radiologic technology and secretarial science.
What we love about Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College:
It is committed to offering programs that lead to successful transfers to associate in arts and science degrees.
Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College is ideal for students who:
Do well in a school that provides community programs to promote cultural enrichment and personal growth.
Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College might not be the best fit for students who:
Seek a school with a more pronounced religious affiliation for a spiritually-centered college experience.
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
35%
Student body
6K
What is Blue Ridge Community and Technical College known for?
Blue Ridge Community and Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Blue Ridge Community and Technical College is a public academic institution offering career development, continuing education, and workforce training. It is committed to providing a competent curriculum, experienced faculty, and hands-on learning.
What we love about Blue Ridge Community and Technical College:
Its goal is to be the first choice for higher education that enriches the lives of its surrounding communities.
Blue Ridge Community and Technical College is ideal for students who:
Seek a school that ensures a collaborative, engaging, and safe environment for students and employees.
Blue Ridge Community and Technical College might not be the best fit for students who:
Value an institution integrating ethical and moral teachings into their curriculum for personal development.
Tuition + fees
$14K
Graduation
77%
Student body
<1K
Career Outlook for degree at West Virginia Junior College
Cost of Degree: $14,313Starting Salary: $24,000What is West Virginia Junior College known for?
West Virginia Junior College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
West Virginia Northern Community College boasts three locations, ensuring that students can stay close to home no matter where they are in the state of West Virginia. Aside from that, it has over 70 programs to choose from.
What we love about West Virginia Northern Community College:
Has a career coach who can help students explore possible careers, required skills, and more.
West Virginia Northern Community College is ideal for students who:
Are searching for a school with tuition rates lower than most public colleges.
West Virginia Northern Community College might not be the best fit for students who:
Prefers not to have personalized attention from faculty since this school has a class size of 11:1.
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
19%
Student body
1K
What is Mountwest Community and Technical College known for?
Mountwest Community and Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Mountwest Community and Technical College is one of the nine public institutions under the West Virginia Community & Technical College System. It has 50+ certificate and associate degree programs in arts and science.
What we love about Mountwest Community and Technical College:
It is committed to making a positive impact on its students’ lives by providing them with education and the necessary tools for rewarding careers in the future.
Mountwest Community and Technical College is ideal for students who:
Excel in a school that offers lots of internship opportunities for a more hands-on learning experience.
Mountwest Community and Technical College might not be the best fit for students who:
Would opt for a school that has a more balanced gender representation
The top-rated community colleges offer an accessible intro into higher education, with high-quality two-year degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. The best community colleges in West Virginia offer a broad selection of associate’s degrees, affordable tuition rates, and strong partnerships with public four-year schools so that students can easily transfer their credits into accredited bachelor’s degree programs.
Colleges and Universities in West Virginia
West Virginia has numerous excellent and highly respected community colleges. Many of these top West Virginia schools are noted for their affordability as well.
Students attending community colleges in West Virginia can earn an associate degree in popular subjects like business management, health services administration, health sciences, and criminal justice. West Virginia also has some of the most affordable community colleges in America, giving students the opportunity to pursue a wide range of on-campus and online degree programs for less than in many other states. The average tuition for a year at one of West Virginia’s eight community colleges is $5,000.
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2023 Ranking Archive
Many of our 2024 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2023. That’s because we took a fundamentally different approach. For 2024 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.
- Pierpont Community and Technical College
- West Virginia Northern Community College
- Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College
- New River Community and Technical College
- West Virginia Junior College
- Blue Ridge Community and Technical College
- Mountwest Community and Technical College
- Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College
