Shepherd University
Tuition, net price, acceptance rate, SAT/ACT scores, graduation rate, and graduate salary · Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Net price / year
$11,363
after grants & scholarships
lower than 65% of public 4-year colleges
Acceptance rate
97%
Graduation rate
50%
within 150% of normal time
higher than 55% of public 4-year colleges
Median earnings
$55,251
4 years after graduating
lower than 64% of public 4-year colleges
Shepherd University at a glance
- What is the tuition at Shepherd University?
- In-state undergraduate tuition and fees are $9,056 for the 2024-25 academic year, or $19,082 for out-of-state students.
- What is the cost of attendance at Shepherd University?
- The average cost of attendance is $19,601 a year before financial aid (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses.
- What is the net price at Shepherd University?
- The average net price for in-state students is $11,363 a year after grants and scholarships (2023-24).
- What is the acceptance rate at Shepherd University?
- About 97% of applicants were admitted (fall 2024).
- What SAT and ACT scores are typical at Shepherd University?
- The middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores had an SAT total of about 878–1140 and an ACT composite of 19–24 (fall 2024). Test policy reported: Considered if submitted, but not required.
- What is the graduation rate at Shepherd University?
- 50% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time, or 6 years (entering classes through fall 2018).
- How much do graduates of Shepherd University earn?
- The median graduate earns $55,251 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled (2024 dollars).
Key takeaways
- The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 2.1 years of work (not counting income forgone while studying).
- Families earning under $30,000 pay about $7,906 a year on average, versus $15,866 for families earning over $110,000.
- Pell Grant recipients completed within 150% of normal time at a rate of 40%, compared with 50% for all students, a gap of 10 points.
- The school admits 97% of applicants, so most who apply are accepted.
- Graduates earn a median $55,251 four years after finishing.
Tuition and cost of attendance at Shepherd University
Average net price (in-state)
$11,363 per year
Cost of attendance minus average grants and scholarships, for first-time full-time students receiving federal aid.
Estimate your own price with the Shepherd University net price calculator ↗
Estimated total net cost
$45,452
Net price × 4 years, at today's prices and assuming on-time completion. Your actual cost depends on your aid.
Net price by family income
Average yearly net price for students receiving federal aid.
- $0–30k $7,906
- $30–48k $7,753
- $48–75k $10,107
- $75–110k $14,000
- $110k+ $15,866
Where the sticker price goes· Cost of attendance $19,601
- Tuition & fees$9,056
- Books & supplies$1,000
- Room & board$12,916
- Other expenses$2,463
- Tuition & fees (in-state)
- $9,056
- Tuition & fees (out-of-state)
- $19,082
Shepherd University acceptance rate and SAT/ACT scores
Acceptance rate
Share of applicants admitted.
Test policy: Considered if submitted, but not required
Graduation rate and salary after graduating from Shepherd University
Graduation rate
50%
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time.
Retention rate
72%
Full-time first-years who return the next fall.
Typical monthly payment
$229
On a standard 10-year federal plan.
Years of earnings premium to cover cost
2.1 years
Net cost ÷ (graduate earnings − high-school graduate earnings). Excludes income forgone while studying and assumes today's earnings. A rough guide, not a prediction.
Earnings vs debt
Of graduates working and not enrolled, in 2024 dollars.
- Debt-to-earnings
- 0.4×Median debt divided by median earnings 4 years after graduating.
- Share of pay going to loans
- 5%
- 3-year loan default rate
- 0%
Outcomes by student group
The Scorecard reports some outcomes separately for groups of students. A group is left out when it is too small to report. These are school-level figures and say nothing about any individual student.
Completion within 150% of normal time, by group
Share of students who entered in 2018 and completed within 150% of normal time (six years at a four-year college, three at a two-year college).
All students, same entering cohort: 51%
Group rates and the all-student rate come from the same 2018 entering cohort, so they can be compared directly. Groups at small colleges can rest on very few students. Data period: Entering cohort 2018 (IPEDS).
Earnings ten years after entry
All students who entered this college, whether or not they graduated, in 2022 dollars, ten years after entry.
Typical range: middle half of students
25th percentile $29,776 · median $49,358 · 75th percentile $72,112
Median by family income
Median by sex
This is not the same as the graduates' earnings shown above. It covers everyone who entered, including students who left without a degree, ten years after entry and in 2022 dollars. The graduates' figure covers only completers, four years after finishing, in 2024 dollars. Do not compare the two directly.
Data period: Students who entered in academic years 2009-10 and 2010-11 (pooled), earnings measured in 2020 and 2021, 2022 dollars (Treasury).
Median federal student debt, by group
Median federal loan debt of students who borrowed, when they left school, by group.
By Pell Grant status
By first-generation status
By family income
By gender
Data period: Loans in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (pooled, NSLDS).
Programs and majors at Shepherd University ranked by earnings
| Program | Earnings, 4 yrs after | Earnings over time | Compared with the U.S. median for this field | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Bachelor's · Graduates: 85 | $78,764 | 1 yr$75,9144 yrs$78,7645 yrs$81,437 | U.S. median $88,910 U.S. middle half $67.9K–$114.5K · Below the U.S. median | $24,875 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General Bachelor's · Graduates: 36 | $74,218 | 1 yr$57,2654 yrs$74,2185 yrs$79,302 | U.S. median $92,374 U.S. middle half $64.2K–$128.2K · Below the U.S. median | $21,500 |
| Bachelor's · Graduates: 19 Small sample | $63,412 | 1 yr$33,1904 yrs$63,4125 yrs$56,868 | U.S. median $52,657 U.S. middle half $37.7K–$69.5K · Above the U.S. median | $18,500 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations Bachelor's · Graduates: 83 | $62,588 | 1 yr$41,7664 yrs$62,5885 yrs$53,057 | U.S. median $68,257 U.S. middle half $47.6K–$93.6K · Below the U.S. median | $17,677 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General Bachelor's · Graduates: 23 Small sample | $56,953 | 1 yr$39,3514 yrs$56,953 | U.S. median $61,296 U.S. middle half $42.8K–$82.3K · Below the U.S. median | $25,000 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies Bachelor's · Graduates: 55 | $51,789 | 1 yr$34,2874 yrs$51,7895 yrs$50,742 | U.S. median $50,983 U.S. middle half $37.1K–$67.2K · Above the U.S. median | $22,625 |
| Communication and Media Studies Bachelor's · Graduates: 26 Small sample | $50,353 | 1 yr$23,6534 yrs$50,3535 yrs$34,523 | U.S. median $56,359 U.S. middle half $39.6K–$76.1K · Below the U.S. median | $19,225 |
| Bachelor's · Graduates: 33 | $50,124 | 1 yr$33,0594 yrs$50,1245 yrs$37,624 | U.S. median $41,367 U.S. middle half $26.2K–$56.7K · Above the U.S. median | $21,500 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Bachelor's · Graduates: 68 | $49,153 | 1 yr$33,5874 yrs$49,1535 yrs$54,880 | U.S. median $53,072 U.S. middle half $35.8K–$73.3K · Below the U.S. median | $21,350 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Bachelor's · Graduates: 79 | $48,992 | 1 yr$46,5494 yrs$48,9925 yrs$48,740 | U.S. median $47,382 U.S. middle half $38.4K–$56.1K · Above the U.S. median | $19,813 |
Show all 14 programs
| Bachelor's · Graduates: 31 | $48,122 | 1 yr$32,9654 yrs$48,1225 yrs$54,356 | U.S. median $51,790 U.S. middle half $39.2K–$64.2K · Below the U.S. median | $21,565 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research Bachelor's · Graduates: 26 Small sample | $46,797 | 1 yr$29,9214 yrs$46,7975 yrs$51,173 | U.S. median $55,012 U.S. middle half $39.4K–$72.8K · Below the U.S. median | $25,000 |
| Bachelor's · Graduates: 21 Small sample | $41,344 | 1 yr$31,2824 yrs$41,3445 yrs$54,041 | U.S. median $50,706 U.S. middle half $35.7K–$67.2K · Below the U.S. median | $21,449 |
| English Language and Literature, General Bachelor's · Graduates: 24 Small sample | $38,581 | 1 yr$27,1864 yrs$38,581 | U.S. median $48,590 U.S. middle half $33.7K–$63.8K · Below the U.S. median | $18,360 |
Earnings are for graduates working and not enrolled, 4 years after completing, in 2024 dollars.
The U.S. median and middle half (25th to 75th percentile) are for graduates of the same field and credential level at all colleges, 4 years after completing.
The 1-year, 4-year and 5-year figures come from different graduating cohorts and dollar years (1-year: AY2018-19 and AY2019-20 graduates, 2022 dollars; 4-year: AY2017-18 and AY2018-19 graduates, 2024 dollars; 5-year: AY2014-15 and AY2015-16 graduates, 2022 dollars), so read them as three separate measures, not a single career path.
Small samples are noisy: the Scorecard adds privacy noise to program figures and some rows are based on only a handful of graduates, so rows marked “small sample” can move a lot from year to year.
What students study
The largest fields among the degrees and certificates this college awarded, grouped by two-digit CIP code (the federal Classification of Instructional Programs). Fields under 1% are left out.
Share of degrees and certificates awarded, by field
A large share means many awards, not necessarily many students or higher earnings. Data period: Awards in academic year 2024-25 (IPEDS).
Who attends
A snapshot of the undergraduate student body as this college reported it to the federal government. Shares are shown as published; they can differ slightly from 100% because of rounding.
Race and ethnicity
- White 72.3%
- Black or African American 8.3%
- Hispanic or Latino 8.7%
- Asian 1.5%
- American Indian or Alaska Native 0.1%
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.1%
- Two or more races 6.5%
- U.S. nonresident 0.9%
- Race and ethnicity unknown 1.7%
Federal reporting categories. Students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents are counted as nonresident, and students who did not report are counted as unknown. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).
Gender
- Men 39.5%
- Women 60.5%
Federal reporting uses two categories. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).
Students aged 25 or older
19%
of undergraduates
Many adult students work or have families while enrolled. Data period: Fall 2023 (IPEDS).
Students and campus
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,344
- Part-time students
- 8%
- Receive Pell Grants
- 29%
- Receive federal loans
- 39%
- Students per faculty member
- 17 : 1
- Setting
- Rural
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-
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Frequently asked questions
How much is tuition at Shepherd University?
For the 2024-25 academic year, Shepherd University reported undergraduate tuition and fees of $9,056 for in-state students and $19,082 for out-of-state students. These are published prices before grants and scholarships; what you pay depends on your aid.
What is the cost of attendance and net price at Shepherd University?
The average cost of attendance at Shepherd University is $19,601 a year (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $11,363 a year. That is around the middle of public 4-year colleges.
How much financial aid do students at Shepherd University get?
29% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. 39% receive federal loans. The average net price runs from $7,906 a year for families earning under $30,000 to $15,866 for families earning over $110,000 (2023-24).
What is the acceptance rate at Shepherd University?
Shepherd University admitted about 97% of applicants in fall 2024. That means most applicants are admitted.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Shepherd University?
Among admitted students who submitted scores, the middle 50% had an SAT total of about 878–1140 and an ACT composite of 19–24 (fall 2024). That is a guide, not a cutoff. Reported test policy: Considered if submitted, but not required.
What are the graduation rate and retention rate at Shepherd University?
50% of first-time, full-time students at Shepherd University finish within 150% of normal time. 72% of full-time first-years return the next fall.
How much do Shepherd University graduates earn after graduation?
The median graduate earns $55,251 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled in further study (2024 dollars). One year after finishing, the median is $43,801.
Is Shepherd University worth it?
There is no single answer: it depends on your major, your aid and whether you finish. For Shepherd University, the data shows this. The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 2.1 years of work. Graduates who borrowed have a median debt of $21,600, about 0.4 times their median earnings four years after finishing. 50% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time. These are averages, not predictions, and they do not count income forgone while studying.
Sources and data periods
All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (June 2026 release). Periods differ by measure:
- Average net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Acceptance rate: Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation rate: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25 pooled with previous years (# of total pooled years found in POOLYRS)
- Median earnings: Treasury AY2017-18, AY2018-19 pooled cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Median graduate debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
Some figures are blank because the school did not report them or the group was too small to publish. How we calculate things