
Source: National Center for Educational Statistics. This is the most recent data available as of January 2020
Questions & Answers
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What do all these numbers mean?
All costs are the average net cost paid by families in each income bracket. Net cost is the total cost of attendance minus government grants and institutional scholarships. Loans of any kind are not included. Figures are based on data from the 2017-18 school year, which is the latest available as of January 2020.
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What is “Total Cost” on the chart?
Total cost is the total cost of attendance for that particular college. It includes:
- Tuition and fees (in-state tuition for public schools)
- Room and board (on campus)
- Books and supplies
- Other expenses (travel and personal)
There are detailed chart below for each school that shows these expenses. Click here to go to the individual cost breakdown for schools.
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How can I use this information?
This information is useful for building a realistic college budget. It's a good place to start until you better understand your specific circumstances. For example, let's say your income is $100,000 per year. This chart shows that the average state school would run $14,497 and the average private school would be $20,435. You can also get information on specific West Virginia schools in the chart above or the tables below.
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Will my family pay the amount on this chart?
Probably not. The numbers are averages. You may be below average or above average. However, there are two key points we can learn from this data:
- Families with higher incomes ($75,000-$110,000 and $110,000+) will most likely pay close to full price at the public schools.
- Private colleges have a higher list price but offer more discounts. This brings their net price much closer to the cost of state-funded schools.
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Where did this information come from?
As part of federal financial aid, colleges are required to provide detailed cost information to the U.S. government. This data is made available to the public through the National Center for Education Statistics. For more details, click here.
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What about athletes, merit aid or minority students?
Athletes, high achieving students, and those with minority status are averaged in with everyone else. Within each income bracket, there are families that pay more than average and families that pay less than average.
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The costs on this chart seemed large, how can families afford to pay it?
For many families paying for college is not easy, but in the end they figure out. Most families will pay their net cost of college with some combination of:
- college savings and investments
- payments from current income
- loans
- outside scholarships (check out our Scholarship Guide For Busy Parents, which describes how you and your student can win scholarships for college and save money!)
- tax planning
- student work

Net Price:
Net price is the total cost of attendance minus the average amount of government grants and institutional scholarships awarded. This is an average, so you may pay above the average or below the average. Your exact net price is likely to be different and sometimes drastically different.
Most families will pay the net price with some combination of savings and investments, current income and various loans. Some students will also receive scholarships from sources other than the federal or state government or the college. Any scholarships and grants from these outside sources are not included in the data. However, government grants and institutional scholarships are included in the averages.
Total Cost at West Virginia University (2017-18) | |
---|---|
Tuition and Fees | $8,376 |
Room and Board | $10,576 |
Books | $900 |
Other Expenses | $2,620 |
Total | $22,472 |
Total Cost:
Total cost is the total cost of attendance for that particular institution for the 2017-18 school year. This is the latest data available as of January 2020. Total costs include:
- Tuition and fees (in-state tuition for public schools)
- Room and board (on campus)
- Books and supplies
- Other expenses (travel and personal)
College Total Cost | ||
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Family Income | WV Public $21,301 | WV Private $40,783 |
$0 - $30k | $8,782 | $15,905 |
$30,001 – $48k | $9,760 | $16,230 |
$48,001 – $75k | $12,332 | $17,549 |
$75,001 – $110k | $14,497 | $20,435 |
$110,001+ | $15,508 | $23,154 |
Public vs. Private Averages
This table shows the average total cost of attendance for the West Virginia public and private colleges we have included in our analysis. The costs include a breakdown of the average net price paid by family income. Notice that the average private college is $6,000-$8,000 more than the average public school, depending on your income bracket. It is important to stress that these are averages. Most families will not be average, and their individual circumstances could be drastically different. I encourage all families to work with their preferred colleges to get information specific to their family.
Below are similar charts for each individual private and public college in West Virginia. Click a school to view its complete chart.
Public WV Schools Cost Breakdown
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Bluefield State College
Bluefield Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $6,728 $7,056 Room and Board $10,300 $10,300 Books $2,000 $2,000 Other Expenses $4,000 $4,000 Total $23,028 $23,356 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $7,687 $7,796 $30,001 - $48k $8,451 $8,571 $48,001 - $75k $11,066 $11,224 $75,001 - $110k $14,272 $14,475 $110,001+ $15,242 $15,459 -
Concord University
Athens Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $7,732 $8,211 Room and Board $8,642 $8,988 Books $1,100 $1,100 Other Expenses $2,944 $2,944 Total $20,418 $21,243 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $7,046 $7,331 $30,001 - $48k $6,805 $7,080 $48,001 - $75k $10,488 $10,912 $75,001 - $110k $11,711 $12,184 $110,001+ $13,206 $13,740 -
Fairmont State University
Fairmont Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $7,296 $7,514 Room and Board $9,184 $9,004 Books $1,000 $1,000 Other Expenses $2,000 $2,000 Total $19,480 $19,518 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $7,449 $7,464 $30,001 - $48k $8,234 $8,250 $48,001 - $75k $11,184 $11,206 $75,001 - $110k $13,800 $13,827 $110,001+ $15,120 $15,149 -
Glenville State College
Glenville Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $7,342 $6,919 Room and Board $9,942 $9,061 Books $1,000 $1,000 Other Expenses $4,898 $4,464 Total $23,182 $21,444 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $15,034 $13,907 $30,001 - $48k $16,979 $15,706 $48,001 - $75k $18,979 $17,556 $75,001 - $110k $20,422 $18,891 $110,001+ $21,455 $19,846 -
Marshall University
Huntington Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $7,798 $8,128 Room and Board $10,126 $10,454 Books $1,100 $1,100 Other Expenses $2,366 $2,287 Total $21,390 $21,969 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $6,026 $6,189 $30,001 - $48k $7,798 $8,009 $48,001 - $75k $9,355 $9,608 $75,001 - $110k $12,858 $13,206 $110,001+ $14,116 $14,498 -
West Virginia University at Parkersburg
Parkersburg Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $3,552 $3,722 Room and Board $0 $0 Books $1,500 $1,500 Other Expenses $0 $0 Total $0 $0 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $7,258 $0 $30,001 - $48k $7,390 $0 $48,001 - $75k $7,498 $0 $75,001 - $110k $9,439 $0 $110,001+ $9,622 $0
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Potomac State College of West Virginia University
Keyser Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $4,248 $4,488 Room and Board $8,176 $8,524 Books $900 $900 Other Expenses $2,620 $2,620 Total $15,944 $16,532 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $7,397 $7,670 $30,001 - $48k $7,229 $7,496 $48,001 - $75k $10,074 $10,446 $75,001 - $110k $11,815 $12,251 $110,001+ $12,695 $13,163 -
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $7,328 $7,548 Room and Board $9,828 $10,480 Books $1,000 $1,000 Other Expenses $2,875 $2,875 Total $21,031 $21,903 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $7,062 $7,355 $30,001 - $48k $7,686 $8,005 $48,001 - $75k $10,439 $10,872 $75,001 - $110k $13,057 $13,598 $110,001+ $13,812 $14,385 -
West Virginia State University
Institute Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $7,546 $8,212 Room and Board $11,866 $12,366 Books $1,544 $1,621 Other Expenses $2,272 $2,386 Total $23,228 $24,585 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $12,080 $12,786 $30,001 - $48k $13,105 $13,871 $48,001 - $75k $15,713 $16,631 $75,001 - $110k $17,311 $18,322 $110,001+ $17,397 $18,413 -
West Liberty University
West Liberty Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $7,380 $7,680 Room and Board $9,320 $9,406 Books $1,645 $1,645 Other Expenses $4,010 $4,571 Total $22,355 $23,302 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $10,007 $10,431 $30,001 - $48k $11,798 $12,298 $48,001 - $75k $14,094 $14,691 $75,001 - $110k $15,620 $16,282 $110,001+ $15,669 $16,333 -
West Virginia University Institute of Technology
Montgomery Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $6,960 $7,464 Room and Board $11,304 $11,390 Books $900 $900 Other Expenses $2,620 $2,620 Total $21,784 $22,374 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $7,821 $8,033 $30,001 - $48k $8,759 $8,996 $48,001 - $75k $11,702 $12,019 $75,001 - $110k $13,240 $13,599 $110,001+ $15,566 $15,988 -
West Virginia University
Morgantown Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $8,376 $8,856 Room and Board $10,576 $10,918 Books $900 $900 Other Expenses $2,620 $2,620 Total $22,472 $23,294 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $8,997 $9,326 $30,001 - $48k $10,515 $10,900 $48,001 - $75k $12,555 $13,014 $75,001 - $110k $15,366 $15,928 $110,001+ $16,308 $16,905
Private WV Schools Cost Breakdown
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Alderson Broaddus University
Philippi Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $26,610 $27,910 Room and Board $8,390 $8,960 Books $1,200 $1,200 Other Expenses $2,902 $2,882 Total $39,102 $40,952 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $16,802 $17,597 $30,001 - $48k $16,353 $17,127 $48,001 - $75k $18,995 $19,894 $75,001 - $110k $22,583 $23,651 $110,001+ $27,415 $28,712 -
Bethany College
Bethany Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $28,454 $29,773 Room and Board $10,420 $10,580 Books $1,200 $1,200 Other Expenses $2,600 $2,600 Total $42,674 $44,153 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $18,659 $19,306 $30,001 - $48k $16,614 $17,190 $48,001 - $75k $12,398 $12,828 $75,001 - $110k $21,671 $22,422 $110,001+ $25,524 $26,409 -
University of Charleston
Charleston Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $30,400 $30,900 Room and Board $9,100 $9,400 Books $1,800 $1,800 Other Expenses $2,600 $2,600 Total $43,900 $44,700 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $17,162 $17,475 $30,001 - $48k $18,918 $19,263 $48,001 - $75k $22,160 $22,564 $75,001 - $110k $23,669 $24,100 $110,001+ $22,813 $23,229
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Davis & Elkins College
Elkins Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $28,992 $29,590 Room and Board $9,250 $9,250 Books $1,274 $1,296 Other Expenses $2,880 $2,928 Total $42,396 $43,064 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $15,420 $15,663 $30,001 - $48k $15,830 $16,079 $48,001 - $75k $17,030 $17,298 $75,001 - $110k $19,887 $20,200 $110,001+ $23,955 $24,332 -
Ohio Valley University
Vienna Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $21,250 $21,900 Room and Board $7,700 $7,980 Books $1,000 $1,000 Other Expenses $2,000 $2,000 Total $31,950 $32,880 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $16,409 $16,887 $30,001 - $48k $13,936 $14,342 $48,001 - $75k $17,389 $17,895 $75,001 - $110k $19,113 $19,669 $110,001+ $18,229 $18,760 -
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Buckhannon Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $30,752 $31,640 Room and Board $8,436 $8,856 Books $2,500 $2,500 Other Expenses $3,565 $3,565 Total $45,253 $46,561 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $14,266 $14,678 $30,001 - $48k $16,321 $16,793 $48,001 - $75k $17,351 $17,853 $75,001 - $110k $19,281 $19,838 $110,001+ $22,310 $22,955 -
Wheeling Jesuit University
Wheeling Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $28,110 $29,290 Room and Board $8,996 $9,900 Books $1,300 $1,300 Other Expenses $1,800 $1,800 Total $40,206 $42,290 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $12,619 $13,273 $30,001 - $48k $15,636 $16,446 $48,001 - $75k $17,522 $18,430 $75,001 - $110k $16,842 $17,715 $110,001+ $21,835 $22,967
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