Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Small city campus · verified rankings · federal data

Wheeling University

Students comparing Wheeling University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Wheeling, West Virginia589 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 55Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Wheeling University: U.S. News ranks it #57 on Regional Universities (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1207 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1087 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 589 undergraduates, admits 63.2% of applicants, and posts a 23.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $29,875; aid recipients pay $20,503 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $57,949.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
63.2%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$20,503

52% below the $42,345 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$57,949

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
23.3%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$25,125

Below the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedWheeling University reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Wheeling University ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (South)#57of 135Regional univ. (South)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#1207of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#1087of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Wheeling University's position moves 39 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Wheeling University

Wheeling University is a private nonprofit institution in Wheeling, West Virginia. Federal data show 53.7% first-year retention and a 14:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $20,503 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $42,345 sticker cost against $20,503 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Wheeling University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$29,875

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
31.6%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$12,470

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $42,345 a year, but the average family pays $20,503 — a 52% difference. 31.6% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Wheeling University's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    14:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    53.7%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    589

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Wheeling University: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $29,875 and on-campus room and board is $12,470, for a published total of $42,345 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $20,503.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 63.2%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Morris College

    Sumter, SCPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Morris College: U.S. News ranks it #83 on Regional Colleges (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #535 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1706 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 383 undergraduates, admits not reported of applicants, and posts a 17.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $16,664; aid recipients pay $20,555 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $30,614.

    Acceptance rate
    Not reported
    Average net price
    $20,555
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $30,614
    6-yr graduation rate
    17.3%
    US News · Regional colleges (South)#83 of 131Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#535 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1706 of 2,605

    383 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 55 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Southern Wesleyan University

    Central, SCPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Southern Wesleyan University: U.S. News ranks it #57 on Regional Universities (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1149 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1196 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 747 undergraduates, admits 99.5% of applicants, and posts a 52.4% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $29,800; aid recipients pay $15,464 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $47,756.

    Acceptance rate
    99.5%
    Average net price
    $15,464
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $47,756
    6-yr graduation rate
    52.4%
    US News · Regional univ. (South)#57 of 135Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1149 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1196 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    747 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 55 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Oklahoma Christian University

    Edmond, OKPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Oklahoma Christian University: U.S. News ranks it #61 on Regional Universities (West) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1079 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1074 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,885 undergraduates, admits 96.5% of applicants, and posts a 55.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $27,180; aid recipients pay $21,872 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $49,203.

    Acceptance rate
    96.5%
    Average net price
    $21,872
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $49,203
    6-yr graduation rate
    55.5%
    US News · Regional univ. (West)#61 of 118Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1079 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1074 of 2,605

    1,885 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 55 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Wheeling University against these