Morgantown, WV · Public · Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
How to pay for West Virginia University
What a year costs here, what brings it down, and what a SmartTuition plan could save a family like yours.
Paying for four years here
Four years here, after grants
$62,286
A SmartTuition plan could save a family like this about $4,700.
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester, using your own numbers.
Build your SmartTuition plan for West Virginia University, $99 →Best once your award letter arrives. No letter yet? Get the monthly email.
A family of four with good credit and $500 a month for college. How we worked these out ↓
A year at West Virginia University
| Full price, in state | $28,398 |
| Full price, out of state | $50,226 |
| After grants, at your income | $14,268 |
At this income, 4 of West Virginia's other 7 colleges cost less after grants, and 3 cost more. See them all →
What can bring it down
Merit scholarships. Every admitted student is considered for the Climb Higher Scholarship, which WVU sets by high school GPA. For students entering in fall 2027 it pays $2,500 to $6,000 a year in state and $10,000 to $18,000 out of state.
West Virginia University's promise. WVU Guarantee: tuition and university fees covered, after grants and scholarships, for West Virginia residents with a family income of $65,000 or less. The conditions ↓
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
At West Virginia University, our scenarios for West Virginia households with good parent credit show a SmartTuition plan saving a median of about $9,200 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
Considering more than one college?
Put the schools you are considering on one list and we price each of them for your family. It is free. It asks what you earn and what you have saved, never your name.
Put your schools side by side →Merit scholarships
What West Virginia University says it awards for grades and test scores.
Every admitted student is considered for the Climb Higher Scholarship, which WVU sets by high school GPA. For students entering in fall 2027 it pays $2,500 to $6,000 a year in state and $10,000 to $18,000 out of state.
“Climb Higher Scholarship In-State Amount Out-of-State Amount Level 1 ( 3.8+ GPA and ACT ≥30 or SAT ≥1360) $6,000 $18,000 Level 2 (3.8+ GPA) $4,500 $16,000 Level 3 (3.5-3.79 GPA) $3,500 $13,000 Level 4 (3.0-3.49 GPA) $2,500 $10,000”
Published guarantees you may qualify for
We do not assume you qualify for any of these, and our plans never bank on them. Check each against your own situation with the aid office.
WVU Guarantee: tuition and university fees covered, after grants and scholarships, for West Virginia residents with a family income of $65,000 or less
Household income up to $65,000. Covers tuition, fees.
- For a West Virginia resident who is an undergraduate, files the FAFSA by March 1 for fall entry, and meets the other requirements by August 1. The award pays what is left of tuition and university fees after Pell, state grants and scholarships. It does not cover housing, meals or lab fees.
“WVU Guarantee is open to undergraduate students across the WVU System who are West Virginia residents, have a family Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $65,000 or less and annually complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). First-time students entering the fall 2027 semester must submit their 2027-2028 FAFSA by March 1, 2027. All other eligibility criteria must be met by August 1, 2027 for consideration.”
How we worked these out
The family
A family of four with good parent credit and $500 a month to put toward college, and the savings you pick. In state, the grants are what West Virginia University reports families at that income got, on average. Your own will differ, and a family with no aid pays close to the full price. Out of state, there are no grants: the price is before any scholarship from the college.
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest and the federal tax credit. For a family that lives in West Virginia, it also counts West Virginia's tax deduction for money you put through its 529 plan.
The $9,200 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving in West Virginia University's own scenarios. Each scenario is a household that lives in West Virginia, with an income from $45,000 to $200,000 and savings of none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price West Virginia University at the aid it reports for that income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. The card above uses the same two. A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out.
The prices by income
- They describe students who got aid.
- “Over $110,000” has no upper limit, so it averages families just over $110,000 with far wealthier ones. A family at $115,000 should expect to pay less than it shows.
- Each range is reported on its own, so the prices do not always rise with income.
Where the prices come from
Where the prices come from: West Virginia University's own 2026-27 tuition, fees, housing and food, from its website, carried forward to 2027 at 3.0% a year. Books are the College Scorecard's. The grants are the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (2025-26 figures), carried forward the same way. Each price after grants is the cost less those grants. The out-of-state figure uses the published out-of-state tuition instead. The average price after grants counts the students who get federal aid. Your own figure will be different.
SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by West Virginia University. Aid policies change; check current terms with the college's aid office.
Nearby at your income
- Glenville State University$9,356 a year
- Concord University$14,053 a year
- West Virginia University$14,268 a year
- Fairmont State University$16,193 a year
- West Liberty University$19,595 a year
What each college charges, less the average grant for your income. Every West Virginia college →