Private Nonprofit Graduate Good 58/100

Shenandoah University

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Winchester, Virginia

About Shenandoah University

Thinking about Shenandoah University, a college in Virginia where more students graduate in Health than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Shenandoah University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Winchester, Virginia. It enrolls 2,116 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
77%
Graduation
61.3%
Net Price
$30,298
Median Earnings (10yr)
$58,433
Enrollment
2,116
Student : Faculty
11:1

Accreditor Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
58/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 68
Value 17
Affordability 15
Selectivity 49

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Shenandoah University admits 77% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
77%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Test Optional Applicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Shenandoah University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Stable ↑ 3.5 pts since 2019
74.4%201974.4%202074.4%202180.4%202277.8%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $30,298 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$30,298
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
19%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
51%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees
$36,950
Room & Board (on-campus)
$12,490
Room & Board (off-campus)
$12,490
Books & Supplies
$1,500
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,600
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$2,600
Total Cost of Attendance
$51,928

Application fee: $30 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $24,356
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $26,715
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $26,635
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $30,332
  • Over $110,000
    $33,591

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$5,500
10% percentile
$10,000
25% percentile
$25,000
Median percentile
$27,000
75% percentile
$31,075
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $20,000 ↓ $5,000
No Pell $18,769 ↓ $6,231
Dependent students $18,500 ↓ $6,500
Independent students $24,940 —
Female students $20,500 ↓ $4,500
Male students $15,000 ↓ $10,000
Pell recipients: 17.0% (4,248 students)No Pell: 15.9% (3,986 students)Dependent students: 15.7% (3,929 students)Independent students: 21.2% (5,297 students)Female students: 17.4% (4,354 students)Male students: 12.7% (3,186 students)Overall Median$25,000
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,750, less than completers ($25,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

61% of students who start here finish within six years, and 82% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
61%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
82%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $58,433 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$58,433
Earning > $25K
80%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$47,000$50,000$53,000$57,000$60,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$51,800

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$53,100

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$50,100

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$53,500

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$52,600

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Stable ↑ 3.9 pts across 6 years
71.9%1yr76.5%3yr74.7%5yr75.8%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 76% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 2,116 students, a mid-sized community.

Total Enrolled
2,116
Part-Time
3%
First-Generation
28%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 60.8% 1,286
Hispanic 12.7% 268
Black 8.9% 188
Other 5.7% 120
Asian 3.0% 63
International 1.4% 29
White: 60.8% (1,286 students)Hispanic: 12.7% (268 students)Black: 8.9% (188 students)Other: 5.7% (120 students)Asian: 3.0% (63 students)International: 1.4% (29 students)Total2,116

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Shenandoah University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Small City Winchester, Virginia
Housing
Mostly residential 1,295 beds on campus
Adult Learners
7% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Religiously affiliated

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Visual & Performing Arts graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Shenandoah University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 70 distinct programs across 21 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

14 Programs
8 Programs
4 Programs
5 Programs
2 Programs
5 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 11 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
11:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$190M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$75,211
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

266 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 57 21% $87,422
Associate Professors 98 37% $77,389
Assistant Professors 83 31% $68,851
Instructors 3 1% $64,697
Lecturers 25 9% $61,208

Pros & Cons of Shenandoah University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Shenandoah University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Accessible admissions for most applicants
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • Above-average net price
  • Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Best for: Based on the data, Shenandoah University is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.

Frequently Asked Questions about Shenandoah University

The questions families ask most about Shenandoah University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Shenandoah University hard to get into?
Not especially. Shenandoah University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 77%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Shenandoah University?
77% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Shenandoah University cost?
Budget around $30,298 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Shenandoah University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $58,433 a year against a net price of $30,298, about 1.9 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Shenandoah University known for?
Mostly Pharmacy, Rehabilitation, Nursing. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Shenandoah University graduates earn?
About $58,433 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Shenandoah University accredited?
Yes. Shenandoah University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Shenandoah University?
2,116 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Shenandoah University?
61% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Shenandoah University a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Shenandoah University located?
Shenandoah University is located in Winchester, Virginia.
What programs does Shenandoah University offer?
70 different programs, most commonly Pharmacy, Rehabilitation, Nursing. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Shenandoah University?
11 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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