Private Nonprofit Graduate Fair 54/100

Wheeling University

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

Compare This College

Wheeling, West Virginia

About Wheeling University

Thinking about Wheeling University, a college in West 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.

Wheeling University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Wheeling, West Virginia. It enrolls 589 students (a small, tight-knit 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
63.2%
Graduation
43.7%
Net Price
$20,503
Median Earnings (10yr)
$57,949
Enrollment
589
Student : Faculty
14:1

Accreditor Higher Learning Commission
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.

Fair
54/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 6
Value 55
Affordability 48
Selectivity 42

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Wheeling University admits 63.2% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.

Acceptance Rate
63.2%
Moderate
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 Wheeling University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Becoming less selective ↑ 6.9 pts since 2019
68.3%201976.8%202078.1%202172.7%202275.2%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 $20,503 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
$20,503
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
32%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
61%
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
$29,875
Room & Board (on-campus)
$12,470
Room & Board (off-campus)
$12,501
Books & Supplies
$1,240
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,192
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$2,542
Total Cost of Attendance
$42,504

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
    $17,739
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $19,718
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $19,913
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $22,608
  • Over $110,000
    $22,824

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.

$4,821
10% percentile
$7,500
25% percentile
$25,125
Median percentile
$27,055
75% percentile
$33,000
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 $15,200 ↓ $9,925
No Pell $15,929 ↓ $9,196
Dependent students $15,000 ↓ $10,125
Independent students $18,010 ↓ $7,115
Female students $20,478 ↓ $4,647
Male students $9,500 ↓ $15,625
Pell recipients: 16.2% (4,058 students)No Pell: 16.9% (4,252 students)Dependent students: 15.9% (4,004 students)Independent students: 19.1% (4,808 students)Female students: 21.8% (5,467 students)Male students: 10.1% (2,536 students)Overall Median$25,125
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $6,250, less than completers ($25,125), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

44% of students who start here finish within six years, and 59% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. 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
44%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
59%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $57,949 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$57,949
Earning > $25K
84%
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$56,000$59,0006 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
$46,800

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

Male graduates
$54,100

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


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$40,100

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

Family income (middle third)
$51,200

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

Family income (highest third)
$54,100

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

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $7,300, about 13% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

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.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 27.0 pts across 6 years
63.4%1yr70.7%3yr86.1%5yr90.4%7yr
What this signals: Excellent. 90% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 589 students, a small, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 37% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
589
Part-Time
1%
First-Generation
37%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

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

GroupShareStudents
White 48.7% 287
Black 21.6% 127
International 20.4% 120
Hispanic 4.6% 27
Other 1.4% 8
Asian 0.7% 4
White: 48.7% (287 students)Black: 21.6% (127 students)International: 20.4% (120 students)Hispanic: 4.6% (27 students)Other: 1.4% (8 students)Asian: 0.7% (4 students)Total589

Student Life & Campus Culture

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

Setting
Small City Wheeling, West Virginia
Housing
Strongly residential 829 beds for 589 students
Adult Learners
9% 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 Business graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Wheeling University offers a varied set of programs: 15 distinct programs across 10 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.

3 Programs
3 Programs
1 Program
1 Program
1 Program
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 14 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
14:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$18M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$37,778
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

32 instructional faculty across 3 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 9 28% $46,083
Associate Professors 3 9% $50,000
Instructors 20 63% $32,208

Pros & Cons of Wheeling University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Wheeling 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
  • Reasonable class sizes
  • Tight-knit, close community feel
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
  • Below-average completion rate
  • First-year retention is below typical
Best for: Based on the data, Wheeling University is a fit for students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.

Frequently Asked Questions about Wheeling University

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

Is Wheeling University hard to get into?
Admissions at Wheeling University are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 63.2%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Wheeling University?
63.2% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Wheeling University cost?
Budget around $20,503 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 Wheeling University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $57,949 a year against a net price of $20,503, about 2.8 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 Wheeling University known for?
Mostly Rehabilitation, Business Administration, 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 Wheeling University graduates earn?
About $57,949 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 Wheeling University accredited?
Yes. Wheeling University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Wheeling University?
589 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Wheeling University?
44% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Wheeling 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 Wheeling University located?
Wheeling University is located in Wheeling, West Virginia.
What programs does Wheeling University offer?
15 different programs, most commonly Rehabilitation, Business Administration, 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 Wheeling University?
14 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Continue Exploring

Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.