| Location: | Mid-Atlantic |
| Setting: | Small Town Setting |
| Type: | Public |
| Size: | Medium (2,000 to 5,000 Undergrad) |
| Mascot: | Fighting Falcons |
The history of Fairmont State University is part and parcel of the history of public education in West Virginia. Founded in 1865, two years after the state was admitted into the Union, the university was established as the West Virginia Normal School at Fairmont—a private institution dedicated to educating teachers.
Fiercely independent, like the state in which it’s housed, the West Virginia Normal School at Fairmont was eventually purchased by the state to become the Fairmont State Normal School, which made this training more readily available to the public. In early 1917, the school moved from its location on Fairmont Avenue to its grand, new, hilltop location on Locust Avenue, the building now known as Hardway Hall.
In the 1930s, the West Virginia Legislature changed the institution’s name once again to Fairmont State Teachers College, a title that would change once more in 1943-44 to Fairmont State College.
Fairmont State Community & Technical College was founded in 1974 and received independent accreditation in 2003.
Gov. Bob Wise signed a historic bill on April 7, 2004, that created two big changes. Fairmont State College’s name changed to Fairmont State University. And Blair Montgomery became FSC&TC’s first president.
The West Virginia Legislature approved a bill during the 2006 Regular Session to allow FSU and FSC&TC to once again share one accreditation. This merger means that more financial resources can be focused on service to students instead of incremental duplication of administrative overhead.
On July 1, 2006, FSC&TC became a Division of FSU and was renamed Pierpont Community & Technical College. The name “Pierpont” is historically and symbolically significant. Francis Harrison Pierpont, a Fairmont native, served as Governor of the Restored State of Virginia during the Civil War and played a key role in the birth of West Virginia. He also serves as an example of a successful “non-traditional” student, working his way through school as a tanner and brick layer. Interestingly, he also served on the Board of the institution that would one day become Fairmont State University.
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| Percent of Students International: | 0% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 26% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | No |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conf) Basketball (West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conf) Baseball (West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conf) Track (West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conf) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | In-State | Out-of-State | |
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 4,218 | $ 8,808 | |
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 2,783 | 46% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 2,739 | 51% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 762 | 19% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 2,029 | 72% | |
Any Aid: |
87% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 75% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 18% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 420, Math: 440 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 530, Math: 520 |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 87% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 18, Verbal: 18, Math: 17 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 22, Verbal: 24, Math: 21 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Required |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Not Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
