There are forty-four colleges and universities in the U.S. state of West Virginia that are listed under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. These institutions include two research universities, five master's universities, and fourteen baccalaureate colleges, as well as twenty-one associate's colleges. In addition, there are three institutions classified as special-focus institutions. [1]
West Virginia's oldest surviving post-secondary institution is Bethany College, founded on March 2, 1840, by Alexander Campbell. [2] [3] [4] Marshall University and West Liberty University were both established in 1837, but as private subscription schools. [5] [6] Founded in 1867, West Virginia University is the state's largest public institution of higher learning in terms of enrollment, as it had 29,707 students as of spring 2013. [7] Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College is the state's smallest, with an enrollment of 822. [7] With an enrollment of 1,549 students, Wheeling University is West Virginia's largest traditional private post-secondary institution, while Valley College–Princeton is the state's smallest, with an enrollment of 72. [7] The American Public University System, a private for-profit, distance education institution based in Charles Town, has the largest enrollment of any post-secondary institution in West Virginia, with 31,331 students. [7] Catholic Distance University, a fully online non-profit university in Charles Town, educates undergraduate students in Liberal Arts and theology and graduate students in theology and educational ministry.
West Virginia has two land-grant universities: West Virginia State University and West Virginia University. [8] West Virginia University is also the state's sole participant university in the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program. [9] In addition, West Virginia has two historically black colleges and universities that are members of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund: Bluefield State University and West Virginia State University. [10] [11]
West Virginia has three medical schools: Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, and West Virginia University School of Medicine. It has one law school, West Virginia University College of Law, which is accredited by the American Bar Association. [12] The majority (thirty-three) of West Virginia's post-secondary institutions are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). [13] Most are accredited by multiple agencies or have specific programs or units accredited by agency, including as the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
School | Location | Control | Founded | Closed | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alderson Broaddus University | Philippi | Private not-for-profit | 1871 [60] [61] [note 4] | 2023 | [62] |
Everest Institute-Cross Lanes | Cross Lanes | Private for-profit | 1968 | 2014 | [63] |
Greenbrier College | Lewisburg | Private | 1812 | 1972 | [64] |
Greenbrier Military School | Lewisburg | Private | 1812 | 1972 | [65] |
Mountain State University | Beckley | Private not-for-profit | 1933 | 2013 | [66] [67] |
Ohio Valley University | Vienna | Private not-for-profit | 1958 [68] [69] | 2021 | [70] |
Storer College | Harpers Ferry | Church affiliated, not-for-profit; limited state support | 1867 | 1955 | [71] [72] |
West Virginia Business College–Wheeling | Wheeling | Private for-profit | 1881 [73] | 2017 | [74] |
The West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) was a collegiate athletic conference which historically operated exclusively in the state of West Virginia, but briefly had one Kentucky member in its early years, and expanded into Pennsylvania in its final years. It participated in the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), originally affiliated in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) until 1995, but held its final athletic competitions in spring 2013, and officially disbanded on September 1 of that year. Its football-playing members announced in June 2012 that they planned to withdraw to form a new Division II conference at the end of the 2012–13 season; this led to a chain of conference moves that saw all but one of the WVIAC's members find new conference homes.
Philippi ('FILL-uh-pea') is a city in and the county seat of Barbour County, West Virginia, United States, along the Tygart Valley River. The population was 2,929 at the 2020 census. In 1861, the city was the site of the Battle of Philippi, known as the "Philippi Races". Although a minor skirmish, this is considered the earliest notable land action of the American Civil War. The city has a weekly newspaper, The Barbour Democrat.
Alderson Broaddus University (AB) was a private Baptist university in Philippi, West Virginia. It was founded in 1871 and suspended its operations on August 31, 2023.
West Virginia University at Parkersburg, abbreviated WVUP and WVU Parkersburg, is a public community college in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Although it was originally part of West Virginia University, it is now an independent public institution with its own board of governors and degree-granting authority. Conceived as a community college to serve seven counties in west central West Virginia, it now offers baccalaureate programs. It is the largest community college in West Virginia and the state's fifth largest public college with over 3,900 students.
Salem University is a private for-profit university in Salem, West Virginia. It has about 250 students on campus and about 600 online students that are enrolled in undergraduate as well as graduate programs. The university was founded by the Seventh Day Baptist Church in 1888.
The Mountain East Conference (MEC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level and officially began competition on September 1, 2013. It consists of 11 schools, mostly in West Virginia with other members in Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Huntington Junior College (HJC) is a private junior college in Huntington, West Virginia. It was founded in 1936 and its campus is currently located in the former Cabell County Public Library building. The college offers six associate degree programs as well as stackable certificates and micro-credentials. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Explanatory notes
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