List of colleges and universities in West Virginia
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There are forty-four colleges and universities in the U.S. state of
West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
that are listed under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. These institutions include two
research universities A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...
, 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. West Virginia's oldest surviving post-secondary institution is Bethany College, founded on March 2, 1840 by Alexander Campbell.
Marshall University Marshall University is a public research university in Huntington, West Virginia. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States. The university is currently composed of nine colleges: ...
and
West Liberty University West Liberty University (WLU) is a public university in West Liberty, West Virginia. It is West Virginia's oldest institution of higher education. It offers more than 70 undergraduate majors plus graduate programs, including a master's degree ...
were both established in 1837, but as private subscription schools. Founded in 1867,
West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...
is the state's largest public institution of higher learning in terms of enrollment, as it had 29,707 students as of spring 2013. Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College is the state's smallest, with an enrollment of 822. 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. The
American Public University System American Public University System (APUS) is a private, for-profit, online university system with its headquarters in Charles Town, West Virginia. It is composed of American Military University and American Public University (APU). APUS is who ...
, a private for-profit,
distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...
institution based in Charles Town, has the largest enrollment of any post-secondary institution in West Virginia, with 31,331 students. 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 A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. Signed by Abraha ...
:
West Virginia State University West Virginia State University (WVSU) is a public historically black, land-grant university in Institute, West Virginia. Founded in 1891 as the West Virginia Colored Institute, it is one of the original 19 land-grant colleges and universities ...
and West Virginia University. West Virginia University is also the state's sole participant university in the
National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program The space-grant colleges are educational institutions in the United States that comprise a network of fifty-two consortia formed for the purpose of outer space-related research. Each consortium is based in one of the fifty states, the District ...
. In addition, West Virginia has two
historically black colleges and universities Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. ...
that are members of the
Thurgood Marshall College Fund The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is an American non-profit organization that supports and represents nearly 300,000 students attending its 47 member-schools that include public historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), medic ...
:
Bluefield State University Bluefield State University (Bluefield State) is a university in Bluefield, West Virginia that is an historically black university. It is a part of West Virginia's public education system and converted to a university in the summer of 2022. It a ...
and West Virginia State University. West Virginia has three medical schools: Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine,
West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) is a public medical school located in Lewisburg, West Virginia. Founded in 1974, WVSOM is one of three medical schools in West Virginia and the sole institution that grants the Doctor of Os ...
, and
West Virginia University School of Medicine The West Virginia University School of Medicine is the professional school for the study of medicine and other health professions at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The medical school was established in 1902 as the first ...
. It has one law school,
West Virginia University College of Law The West Virginia University College of Law is the professional school for the study of law at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. The law school was established in 1878 as the first professional school in the s ...
, which is
accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
by the
American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...
. The majority (thirty-three) of West Virginia's post-secondary institutions are accredited by the
Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...
(HLC). Most are accredited by multiple agencies or have specific programs or units accredited by agency, including as the
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing The National League for Nursing (NLN) is a national organization for faculty nurses and leaders in nurse education. It offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiative ...
(ACEN), the
American Physical Therapy Association The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is a U.S-based individual membership professional organization representing more than 100,000 member physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students of physical therapy. The nonpr ...
(APTA), the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the
Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) is a professional accreditor focused on accrediting teacher education programs in U.S. colleges and universities. It was founded in 2013 as a result of the merger of two predecesso ...
(CAEP).


Institutions


Defunct institutions


See also

* Higher education in the United States * List of college athletic programs in West Virginia *
List of recognized higher education accreditation organizations This is a list of recognized higher education related accreditation organizations. The list includes agencies and organizations that play a role in higher education accreditation and are recognized by the appropriate governmental authorities. Int ...
*
Lists of American institutions of higher education Below are links to lists of institutions of higher education in the United States (colleges and universities) by state, grouped by Census Region, as well as lists of institutions in United States insular areas and of American institutions loc ...


References

Explanatory notes Citations


Bibliography

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External links


United States Department of Education listing of accredited institutions in West Virginia
{{DEFAULTSORT:West Virginia, List of colleges and universities in Lists of universities and colleges in the United States by state
Universities and colleges Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completio ...
*