| Location: | Mid-Atlantic |
| Setting: | Small Town Setting |
| Type: | Public |
| Size: | Medium (2,000 to 5,000 Undergrad) |
| Mascot: | Yellow Jackets |
West Virginia State University is a historically black (though now over 90 percent white) public college in Institute, an unincorporated area of Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States and suburb of Charleston. In the Charleston-metro area, the school is usually referred to simply as "State" or "West Virginia State". It is the smallest land grant college in the country.
The school was established as the West Virginia Colored Institute in 1891 under the second Morrill Act which provided for land-grant institutions for black students in the 17 states that had segregated schools.
From 1891 through 1915, the school provided the equivalent of a high school education, along with vocational training and teacher preparation for the state's then segregated system of public schools. In 1915, the school was renamed as the West Virginia Collegiate Institute and began to also offer college degrees. It was renamed West Virginia State College in 1929.
In 1954, the school began a rapid transition following the Brown decision to desegregate public education. The school surrendered its land-grant status, the only college ever to do so, and was incorporated into the general system of public colleges in West Virginia. Within a decade of the Brown decision, the college transformed from an all-black college with a primarily residential population to a heavily commuter school with over 90 percent of its students being white. The school remains over 90 percent white and commuter today, and its student body is largely older and part-time. However, to this day, African Americans make up the vast majority of students residing on campus, and the university's administration has always been heavily African American, even after integration. In 2001 the school's land-grant status was restored.
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| Percent of Students International: | 0% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 19% |
| 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: |
$ 3,528 | $ 8,104 | |
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 3,048 | 50% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 2,362 | 23% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 2,330 | 11% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 4,316 | 49% | |
Any Aid: |
79% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 50% (Highly Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 87% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 15, Verbal: 14, Math: 15 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 21, Verbal: 21, Math: 19 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Required |
| High School GPA: | Required |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Not Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
