What is the Average Retention Rate in West Virginia?
The retention rate is the percentage of first-time students who attend and continue their study in next year at colleges. The low retention rate means that more students transfer out to or stop/pause the program at a school. In general, high ranked colleges or special purpose colleges' retention rate is higher than others.
The average retention rate of West Virginia colleges is 73.23% for full-time students and 49.64% for part-time students. 9,392 out of 13,443 full-time first-year students continued their study in next year at West Virginia colleges. In public West Virginia colleges, the retention rate is 73% and private schools' rate is 76% By school levels, the retention rate at four-years colleges is 71% and community colleges' rate is 70% in West Virginia.
The next schools are the top 3 West Virginia colleges that have the highest retention rate. American Public University System has the highest retention rate of 90% among West Virginia colleges. West Virginia University and Marshall University also have higher rate of 79% and 74% respectively. For the ranking, we exclude community colleges and four-colleges with less than 1,000 first-time students.
- American Public University System Retention Rate: 90% (full-time), 94% (part-time)
- West Virginia University Retention Rate: 79% (full-time), 18% (part-time)
- Marshall University Retention Rate: 74% (full-time), 50% (part-time)
The following table summarizes the average retention rate in West Virginia by school type and level.
| Total | Public | Private (not-for-profit) | Private (for-profit) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 73.49% | 72.95% | 76.00% | 73.65% |
| 4 Years Colleges | 70.90% | 67.50% | 72.00% | 82.33% |
| Community Colleges | 70.00% | 68.38% | - | 71.75% |
| Trade Schools | 82.93% | 83.33% | 100.00% | 72.00% |
The following table summarizes the retention rate and number of students by attending status for West Virginia collegesNumbers in parentheses in each column indicate the number of students in the corresponding category.
| Retention Rate | First-time Students | Enrolled in Next Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time | 73.23% | 13,443 | 9,392 |
| Part-time | 49.64% | 1,511 | 1,026 |
The following table shows the West Virginia Colleges. You can see more schools and narrow down the results in search result page.
| School Name | Location | Tuition & Fees | Enrollment | Acceptance Rate | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian Bible College Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Mount Hope, WV | $18,230 | 232 | 100.00% | 58% |
| B M Spurr School of Practical Nursing Private (not-for-profit), less than 2-years | Glen Dale, WV | $5,620 | 15 | - | - |
| Ben Franklin Career Center Public, less than 2-years | Dunbar, WV | $4,950 ($4,950) | 65 | - | - |
| Bethany College Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Bethany, WV | $34,816 | 623 | 64.92% | 42% |
| Bluefield State University Public, four-years | Bluefield, WV | $17,560 ($10,240) | 1,306 | 97.17% | 35% |
| Cabell County Career Technology Center Public, less than 2-years | Huntington, WV | $4,980 ($4,980) | 41 | - | - |
| Charleston School of Beauty Culture Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Charleston, WV | $9,000 | 55 | - | 41% |
| University of Charleston Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Charleston, WV | $32,842 | 3,059 | 67.73% | 41% |
| Clarksburg Beauty Academy and School of Massage Therapy Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Clarksburg, WV | $18,000 | 61 | - | 32% |
| Concord University Public, four-years | Athens, WV | $20,600 ($9,700) | 1,748 | 91.39% | 40% |
| Davis & Elkins College Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Elkins, WV | $31,270 | 650 | 75.26% | 48% |
| Fairmont State University Public, four-years | Fairmont, WV | $18,372 ($8,454) | 3,498 | 98.49% | 46% |
| Glenville State University Public, four-years | Glenville, WV | $11,140 ($9,412) | 1,630 | - | 33% |
| Huntington Junior College Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Huntington, WV | $10,050 | 147 | - | 20% |
| James Rumsey Technical Institute Public, less than 2-years | Martinsburg, WV | $6,055 ($6,055) | 101 | - | - |
| Ralph R Willis Career and Technical Center Public, less than 2-years | Stollings, WV | $5,400 ($5,400) | 18 | - | - |
| Marshall University Public, four-years | Huntington, WV | $20,294 ($8,942) | 10,691 | 96.88% | 49% |
| Mercer County Technical Education Center Public, 2-4 years | Princeton, WV | $5,877 ($5,877) | 122 | - | 85% |
| Monongalia County Technical Education Center Public, less than 2-years | Morgantown, WV | $4,915 ($4,915) | 47 | 80.00% | - |
| Morgantown Beauty College Inc Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Morgantown, WV | $20,502 | 79 | - | 73% |
| Mountain State College Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Parkersburg, WV | $8,665 | 20 | - | 88% |
| West Virginia University at Parkersburg Public, four-years | Parkersburg, WV | $9,124 ($4,420) | 2,288 | - | 30% |
| Potomac State College of West Virginia University Public, four-years | Keyser, WV | $12,624 ($5,040) | 1,145 | - | 25% |
| Academy of Careers and Technology Public, less than 2-years | Beckley, WV | $12,500 ($12,500) | 130 | - | - |
| Salem University Private (for-profit), four-years | Salem, WV | $13,750 | 984 | - | 28% |
| Shepherd University Public, four-years | Shepherdstown, WV | $19,082 ($8,642) | 3,235 | 95.86% | 47% |
| Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College Public, 2-4 years | Mount Gay, WV | $7,560 ($4,944) | 1,365 | - | 26% |
| Fred W Eberle Technical Center Public, 2-4 years | Buckhannon, WV | $10,000 ($10,000) | 86 | - | 80% |
| West Virginia State University Public, four-years | Institute, WV | $14,623 ($9,049) | 3,785 | 96.18% | 35% |
| West Virginia University Hospital Departments of Rad Tech and Nutrition Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Morgantown, WV | $6,000 | 61 | - | - |
| West Liberty University Public, four-years | West Liberty, WV | $17,116 ($8,732) | 2,315 | 74.09% | 61% |
| West Virginia University Institute of Technology Public, four-years | Beckley, WV | $20,120 ($8,064) | 1,481 | 64.58% | 33% |
| West Virginia Wesleyan College Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Buckhannon, WV | $33,494 | 951 | 96.35% | 53% |
| West Virginia Junior College-Charleston Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Cross Lanes, WV | $14,544 | 225 | - | 83% |
| West Virginia Junior College-Morgantown Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Morgantown, WV | $14,313 | 525 | - | 76% |
| International Beauty School 4 Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Martinsburg, WV | $25,000 | 79 | - | 85% |
| West Virginia Northern Community College Public, 2-4 years | Wheeling, WV | $12,728 ($4,544) | 1,222 | - | 31% |
| West Virginia University Public, four-years | Morgantown, WV | $27,360 ($9,648) | 24,741 | 88.38% | 62% |
| Wheeling University Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Wheeling, WV | $29,475 | 749 | 72.65% | 70% |
| Wood County School of Practical Nursing Public, less than 2-years | Parkersburg, WV | $4,255 ($4,255) | 30 | - | - |
| Roane-Jackson Technical Center Public, 2-4 years | Leroy, WV | $3,970 ($3,970) | 26 | - | 100% |
| Mineral County Vocational Technical Center Public, less than 2-years | Keyser, WV | $3,464 ($3,464) | 9 | - | - |
| Valley College-Beckley Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Beckley, WV | $15,995 | 152 | - | 53% |
| Valley College-Martinsburg Private (for-profit), four-years | Martinsburg, WV | $15,995 | 615 | - | 68% |
| Fayette Institute of Technology Public, less than 2-years | Oak Hill, WV | $2,610 ($2,610) | 37 | - | - |
| United Technical Center Public, less than 2-years | Clarksburg, WV | $4,400 ($4,400) | 35 | 80.49% | - |
| Putnam Career and Technical Center Public, less than 2-years | Eleanor, WV | $2,025 ($2,025) | 39 | - | - |
| Carver Career Center Public, 2-4 years | Charleston, WV | $7,097 ($7,097) | 155 | - | 93% |
| Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College Public, 2-4 years | Moorefield, WV | $8,680 ($4,288) | 376 | - | 36% |
| West Virginia Junior College-Bridgeport Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Bridgeport, WV | $14,747 | 146 | - | 53% |
| Pierpont Community and Technical College Public, 2-4 years | Fairmont, WV | $13,262 ($5,594) | 1,460 | - | 37% |
| Mountwest Community and Technical College Public, 2-4 years | Huntington, WV | $12,004 ($4,818) | 1,273 | - | 19% |
| John D Rockefeller IV Career Center Public, less than 2-years | New Cumberland, WV | $10,140 ($8,046) | 24 | - | - |
| Blue Ridge Community and Technical College Public, 2-4 years | Martinsburg, WV | $7,848 ($4,344) | 4,247 | - | 35% |
| New River Community and Technical College Public, 2-4 years | Beaver, WV | $8,140 ($5,158) | 1,007 | - | 36% |
| Mountain State School of Massage Private (for-profit), less than 2-years | Charleston, WV | $11,500 | 19 | - | - |
| American Public University System Private (for-profit), four-years | Charles Town, WV | $8,400 | 48,668 | - | 55% |
| Strayer University-West Virginia Private (for-profit), four-years | Scott Depot, WV | $13,920 | 300 | - | - |
| Catholic Distance University Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Charles Town, WV | $9,600 | 168 | - | - |
| Ross Medical Education Center-Morgantown Private (for-profit), less than 2-years | Morgantown, WV | $16,297 | 30 | - | - |
| Future Generations University Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Franklin, WV | $12,800 | 42 | - | - |
| Ross Medical Education Center-Charleston Private (for-profit), less than 2-years | Charleston, WV | $16,297 | 41 | - | - |
| BridgeValley Community & Technical College Public, 2-4 years | South Charleston, WV | $11,748 ($5,282) | 1,634 | - | 22% |
| Mingo Extended Learning Center Public, less than 2-years | Delbarton, WV | $4,515 ($4,515) | 23 | 88.24% | - |
| Randolph Technical Center Public, less than 2-years | Elkins, WV | $3,077 ($3,077) | 9 | - | - |
| Martinsburg College Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Martinsburg, WV | $11,091 | 2,505 | 100.00% | 51% |
| Huntington School of Beauty Culture Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Huntington, WV | $14,400 | 108 | - | 36% |
| Boone Career and Technical Center Public, 2-4 years | Foster, WV | $5,000 ($5,000) | 48 | - | 83% |
Related West Virginia Statistics
- Graduation Rate Statistics Comparison Between West Virginia Best Schools
- Graduation Rate Statistics Comparison Between All West Virginia Schools
- Core Statistics for College Graduation Rate Stats at West Virginia
- Average West Virginia Graduation Rate Statistics
- Colleges with Highest Graduation Rate in West Virginia
- Colleges with Lowest Graduation Rate in West Virginia
- Lowest Students to Faculty Ratio in West Virginia
- Highest Students to Faculty Ratio in West Virginia