Cheap Colleges in West Virginia for Out-of-State Students
Out-of-state students pay between $7,872 and $28,608 a year in tuition and fees at the 17 public colleges and universities we rank in West Virginia, a gap of $20,736 between the cheapest and the most expensive. This list ranks the non-resident price, not the in-state price.
The median public college charges nonresidents $13,660, $875 (7%) above the national median of $12,786 for public colleges. Residents pay a median of $8,708, so the typical out-of-state premium is only $4,952 here, a ratio of 1.6 to 1.
Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College ranks first at $7,872, ahead of Blue Ridge Community and Technical College ($8,808) and West Virginia University at Parkersburg ($9,124).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- All public colleges and universities, 4-year and 2-year (community colleges and state colleges included)
- Ranked by out-of-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in West Virginia
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported out-of-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; West Virginia has 17
- Data period
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 17 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College Logan, WV Public · 2-year | $7,872 | $5,136 | $10,321 | 27% | 1,064 |
| 2 | Blue Ridge Community and Technical College Martinsburg, WV Public · 2-year | $8,808 | $4,752 | $4,641 | 37% | 1,661 |
| 3 | West Virginia University at Parkersburg Parkersburg, WV Public · 4-year | $9,124 | $4,612 | $1,807 | 20% | 1,868 |
| 4 | New River Community and Technical College Beaver, WV Public · 2-year | $9,646 | $5,156 | $3,599 | 33% | 770 |
| 5 | Glenville State University Glenville, WV Public · 4-year | $11,354 | $9,578 | $14,006 | 35% | 1,096 |
| 6 | Mountwest Community and Technical College Huntington, WV Public · 2-year | $12,304 | $4,938 | $8,083 | 18% | 1,160 |
| 7 | BridgeValley Community & Technical College South Charleston, WV Public · 2-year | $12,428 | $5,800 | $4,565 | 30% | 1,854 |
| 8 | West Virginia Northern Community College Wheeling, WV Public · 2-year | $12,698 | $4,706 | $5,329 | 31% | 1,014 |
| 9 | Pierpont Community and Technical College Fairmont, WV Public · 2-year | $13,660 | $5,762 | $8,325 | 40% | 959 |
| 10 | West Virginia State University Institute, WV Public · 4-year | $14,990 | $9,570 | $11,139 | 36% | 1,321 |
| 11 | West Liberty University West Liberty, WV Public · 4-year | $17,442 | $8,893 | $15,366 | 60% | 1,511 |
| 12 | Bluefield State University Bluefield, WV Public · 4-year | $18,376 | $10,648 | $13,684 | 36% | 1,042 |
| 13 | Fairmont State University Fairmont, WV Public · 4-year | $18,924 | $8,708 | $9,032 | 46% | 2,590 |
| 14 | Shepherd University Shepherdstown, WV Public · 4-year | $19,082 | $9,056 | $11,363 | 50% | 2,344 |
| 15 | Marshall University Huntington, WV Public · 4-year | $20,342 | $9,162 | $7,502 | 50% | 7,266 |
| 16 | Concord University Athens, WV Public · 4-year | $22,000 | $10,664 | $9,966 | 41% | 1,504 |
| 17 | West Virginia University Morgantown, WV Public · 4-year | $28,608 | $10,104 | $15,634 | 63% | 17,385 |
How to compare these colleges
The ranked column is the out-of-state price. The in-state price is shown for comparison, and net price is the average for students who receive aid, measured mostly for in-state students at public colleges, so it is not a good guide to what a nonresident will pay. Many states cut the non-resident rate through regional exchange programs, reciprocity agreements or merit awards, and residency can change after a year of living in the state, so check each college's non-resident aid page before ruling a school out.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for West Virginia
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All 32 colleges in West Virginia See the national version of this ranking