Best Small Colleges in West Virginia 2023

Best Small Colleges in West Virginia 2023

By James Barham

Published: May 5, 2021
Updated: Mar 13, 2023

Small colleges in West Virginia are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.

10 Best Small Colleges in West Virginia 2022

West Virginia State University

36%

University of Charleston

31%

Bethany College

30%

West Virginia Wesleyan College

26%

Fairmont State University

25%

West Liberty University

24%

Concord University

22%

Potomac State College of West Virginia University

21%

Shepherd University

20%

West Virginia University Institute of Technology

20%

Fairmont State University

99%

West Virginia State University

97%

Bluefield State University

97%

Concord University

96%

Shepherd University

96%

Ohio Valley University

95%

West Virginia Wesleyan College

84%

Wheeling University

78%

Davis & Elkins College

78%

Bethany College

74%

Salem University

20 to 1

Potomac State College of West Virginia University

18 to 1

Glenville State University

17 to 1

University of Charleston

16 to 1

Concord University

16 to 1

Fairmont State University

15 to 1

West Virginia University at Parkersburg

15 to 1

Alderson Broaddus University

14 to 1

Bluefield State University

14 to 1

Shepherd University

14 to 1

West Virginia Wesleyan College

$32,612

Bethany College

$31,600

University of Charleston

$31,350

Alderson Broaddus University

$30,020

Davis & Elkins College

$29,960

Wheeling University

$29,290

Ohio Valley University

$22,400

Salem University

$12,750

West Liberty University

$8,354

West Virginia State University

$8,308

Alderson Broaddus University

$29,000

University of Charleston

$16,000

Salem University

$13,464

West Virginia Wesleyan College

$11,872

Wheeling University

$9,900

Bethany College

$9,900

Concord University

$8,730

West Virginia State University

$8,636

Shepherd University

$8,298

Ohio Valley University

$7,470

Glenville State University

11%

Davis & Elkins College

13%

Bluefield State University

14%

Ohio Valley University

14%

Salem University

16%

Wheeling University

16%

West Virginia University at Parkersburg

19%

Alderson Broaddus University

19%

West Virginia University Institute of Technology

20%

Shepherd University

20%

West Virginia University Institute of Technology

66%

Alderson Broaddus University

67%

University of Charleston

70%

West Liberty University

74%

Bethany College

74%

Davis & Elkins College

78%

Wheeling University

78%

West Virginia Wesleyan College

84%

Ohio Valley University

95%

Shepherd University

96%

Ohio Valley University

9 to 1

West Liberty University

11 to 1

Bethany College

11 to 1

Wheeling University

12 to 1

Davis & Elkins College

12 to 1

West Virginia Wesleyan College

12 to 1

West Virginia State University

12 to 1

West Virginia University Institute of Technology

13 to 1

Alderson Broaddus University

14 to 1

Bluefield State University

14 to 1

West Virginia University at Parkersburg

$3,840

Potomac State College of West Virginia University

$4,632

Shepherd University

$5,790

Fairmont State University

$5,946

West Virginia University Institute of Technology

$7,728

Glenville State University

$7,886

Bluefield State University

$8,084

Concord University

$8,130

West Virginia State University

$8,308

West Liberty University

$8,354

Fairmont State University

$5,946

West Liberty University

$6,786

Ohio Valley University

$7,470

Shepherd University

$8,298

West Virginia State University

$8,636

Concord University

$8,730

Wheeling University

$9,900

Bethany College

$9,900

West Virginia Wesleyan College

$11,872

Salem University

$13,464

Colleges and Universities in West Virginia

West Virginia has 20 public higher education institutions, all at a sticker price of $9,000 or less, making it one of the more affordable states to earn a degree. With over 25,000 students in attendance, West Virginia University is the largest and charges $9,000 in tuition. Aside from the community and state colleges, six other public universities have populations ranging from about 2,100 to just over 10,000, and all schools have a tuition rate of about $8,000.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

The state is also home to 12 private schools, eight of which are religiously affiliated. The University of Charleston is the largest private university, but its student population is still small. About 2,000 students take classes in fields such as chemistry, political science, and history, and the tuition totals $21,000. At $32,000 in tuition and fees, West Virginia Wesleyan College is the most expensive, but its student population is only slightly above 1,300.

As the only state contained entirely within the Appalachian range, West Virginia is rightfully nicknamed The Mountain State. Those who love the outdoors will feel at home hiking through the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve or skiing at Canaan Valley Ski Resort. History buffs can visit Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, where they can take a walk through life in the 1800s. In addition, the state offers over 30 private and public colleges and universities to those looking to earn an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree.

Check out the state’s top programs and see why West Virginia could be a good fit for your educational goals and budget.

What are West Virginia’s Colleges & Universities?

West Virginia’s Best Overall

West Virginia's Best Small Colleges and Universities Badge — Download Badge

The following list of the best small colleges and universities in West Virginia is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 18 small colleges in West Virginia. The list below of the best small colleges in West Virginia. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.

How do we determine West Virginia's best small colleges and universities?

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Best Small Colleges in West Virginia 2022

Build your own college rankings

West Virginia’s Best Small College in Your Area of Interest

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 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.