About us

Research Classification
R1: Doctoral Universities - Highest research activity as described by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

Accreditation
WVU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Many WVU programs hold specialized accreditation.

Governance
The WVU Board of Governors is the governing body of WVU. The Higher Education Policy Commission in West Virginia is responsible for developing, establishing, and overseeing the implementation of a public policy agenda for the state's four-year colleges and universities. E. Gordon Gee is WVU's 24th president.

Character
Public, land-grant institution, founded in 1867.

Campus Locations and Facilities
The WVU System is a family of distinctive campuses united by a single mission. From the groundbreaking research of our flagship in Morgantown (ranked R1, the highest research category institution) to the student-centered focus of WVU Potomac State College in Keyser to the technology-intensive programs at WVU Institute of Technology in Beckley — we are leveraging our talents and resources to create a better future for West Virginia and the world.

The WVU Institute of Technology in Beckley offers more than 35 majors, including one of the top 100 undergraduate engineering programs in the country, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.

WVU Potomac State College in Keyser has one of the lowest tuition rates of all the nation’s four-year institutions. Offering more than 60 majors, this campus combines the personal attention of a small college with the benefits of a major university.

The WVU System also includes Health Sciences campuses in Charleston and Martinsburg, as well as seven farms and five forests throughout the state and WVU Jackson's Mill State 4-H Camp. The WVU System includes 518 buildings on 15,880 acres. The Morgantown campus has 245 buildings (11 on the National Register of Historic Places) on 1,892 acres.

The WVU Morgantown campus is located in a town named “No. 1 Small City in America” by BizJournals.com for its exceptional quality of life. Morgantown, population 30,855, was also rated the ninth best college town in America by Business Insider and is within easy traveling distance of Washington, D.C., to the east, Pittsburgh, Pa., to the north, and Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, to the northwest. Other rankings: Kiplinger.com included Morgantown in their 10 great places to live list; one of “Best Sports Cities” by Sporting News; 5th “Best Small Metro” by Forbes; one of “50 Smartest Places to Live” by Kiplinger’s; and the second-ranking “Best College Town for Jobs” by Forbes.

Research Funding
In the fiscal year ending in 2020, WVU reached a new record of research funding: $195 million. The number includes $95 million from the federal government, $43 million from industry/other and $39 million from the State. The top three federal agencies included the National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.

WVU Morgantown Campus
Students at the Morgantown campus come from 118 nations, all 50 U.S. states (plus D.C.) and all 55 West Virginia counties; 13,000+ are West Virginia residents.

Academic Excellence
WVU recipients of prestigious scholarships include 25 Rhodes Scholars, 24 Truman Scholars, 45 Goldwater Scholars, 3 George C. Marshall (British) Scholars, 5 Morris K. Udall Scholars, 5 USA Today All-USA College Academic First Team Members (and 11 academic team honorees), 28 Boren Scholars, 72 Gilman Scholars, 68 Fulbright Scholars, 3 Department of Homeland Security Scholars, 34 Critical Language Scholars, one Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholar, and 27 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships.