Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in West Virginia
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply. See every West Virginia college priced for your income
From the state
Across state lines
From the colleges
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
In our West Virginia scenarios, with good parent credit, a SmartTuition plan saves a median of about $6,800 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
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From the state
West Virginia's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
Promise Scholarship
A merit scholarship for West Virginia high school graduates with at least a 3.0 GPA and a qualifying test score. It pays $5,500 a year or tuition and mandatory fees, whichever is less, at a public or independent college in the state. The state sets the award each year.
Source: College for West Virginia (Higher Education Policy Commission)
“The Promise Scholarship is a merit-based financial aid program for West Virginia high school graduates planning to attend one of the state’s public or independent two- or four-year institutions.”
“The Promise Scholarship will pay $5,500 per year or the cost of tuition and mandatory fees, whichever is less, at any eligible institution.”
“Graduating high school with a 3.0 GPA or better? You may be eligible.”
“The class of 2027 should apply by completing the Promise Scholarship application and FAFSA by the March 1, 2027, deadline.”
“Awards are contingent upon annual funding of the program by the West Virginia State Legislature.”
West Virginia Higher Education Grant
A need-based grant for West Virginia residents at colleges in West Virginia or Pennsylvania. For 2026-27 a student needs a Student Aid Index of 13000 or less, and the award is up to $3,400 for the year. The FAFSA is due April 15.
Source: College for West Virginia (Higher Education Policy Commission)
“The West Virginia Higher Education Grant is a need-based financial aid program designed to ensure West Virginia students with financial need are given an opportunity to pursue post-secondary education.”
“For the 2026-27 award year, eligible students attending an eligible West Virginia institution may receive up to $3,400 for the year.”
“For the 2026-2027 award year, a student must have a Student Aid Index (SAI) from the FAFSA up to and including 13000 when awards are made to qualify.”
“To apply, complete Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by April 15 every year.”
“Awards are contingent upon annual funding of the program by the West Virginia State Legislature.”
Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars
A competitive scholarship of up to $10,000 a year for up to four years, for students who will teach math, science, elementary education or special education. Recipients agree to teach in a West Virginia public school for five years after they graduate.
Source: College for West Virginia (Higher Education Policy Commission)
“Recipients will receive up to $10,000 per year for up to four years (up to the cost of tuition and fees, room and board, and other approved educational expenses minus other financial aid).”
“In exchange, Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars must agree to teach full time under contract with a county board of education in a public education program in West Virginia in an area of critical need (math, science, elementary education or special education) for a period of five years after graduating from college.”
“Each year, we will award up to 25 new Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars from a national applicant pool.”
West Virginia's 529 tax deduction
Everything you put into SMART529 WV Direct in a year comes off your West Virginia income. Take money out for anything other than school costs and West Virginia takes the deduction back.
Source: SMART529, West Virginia's 529 plan
“If you are a West Virginia taxpayer, you may deduct all of the year's contributions to SMART529 WV Direct from your federal adjusted gross income on your West Virginia personal income tax return”
“The West Virginia state deduction is subject to recapture for Non-Qualified Distributions.”
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concord University public |
| — | $25,440 |
| Fairmont State University public |
| Access Scholarship: tuition and mandatory fees covered, after other aid, for West Virginia students with a household income of $70,000 or less | $24,601 |
| Glenville State University public |
| — | $23,685 |
| Marshall University public |
| Marshall For All, Tuition-Free WV: tuition and mandatory fees covered for West Virginia first-year freshmen with a family income below $65,000 | $25,742 |
| Shepherd University public |
| — | $22,718 |
| University of Charleston private |
| — | $52,308 |
| West Liberty University public |
| — | $26,186 |
| West Virginia State University public |
| — | $25,794 |
| West Virginia University public |
| WVU Guarantee: tuition and university fees covered, after grants and scholarships, for West Virginia residents with a family income of $65,000 or less | $28,398 |
* The finder and our college comparison show this scholarship when you enter your student's GPA.
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
1 more West Virginia college has no page here. The federal data has no cost or no price by income for it. Show it
- Bluefield State University
Across state lines
The Academic Common Market, run by the Southern Regional Education Board.
Coming to West Virginia from another southern state
Students from the other states in the market pay in-state tuition at a public college that takes part, but only for a degree their own state's public colleges don't offer.
These 7 colleges in West Virginia take part:
- Bluefield State University
- Concord University
- Fairmont State University
- Glenville State University
- Marshall University
- Shepherd University
- West Liberty University
Going from West Virginia to another southern state
A West Virginia student admitted to such a program in another of these states applies to West Virginia to be certified as a resident. The program search shows which programs are open to West Virginia students.
Source: Southern Regional Education Board, Academic Common Market
“is a tuition-savings program for college students in 15 SREB states who want to pursue degrees that are not offered by public institutions in their home state.”
“Students can enroll in out-of-state institutions and pay the institution’s in-state tuition rates for more than 2,200 undergraduate and graduate programs.”
“Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia Florida and Texas participate only at the graduate level.”
“Once admitted to the institution, contact your state ACM coordinator and complete the ACM application process in your home state to be certified as a state resident.”
Paying the rest
Your SmartTuition plan uses your savings, your 529, your loans and your award letter.
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How we worked these out
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The $6,800 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving over our West Virginia scenarios. Each scenario is a household in West Virginia at one of its colleges. Its income is one of 8 from $45,000 to $200,000, and its savings are none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price each college at the aid it reports for the income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. A saving is the difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest, the federal tax credit and West Virginia's tax deduction for money you put through its 529 plan. Credit matters: parents with fair credit borrow at a higher rate, which changes the saving.
A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out, as is one at a college that reports no aid for the income. The figure is for a household that lives in West Virginia.
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.