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Fairmont State University: Hardway Hall, the administration building of Fairmont State University in Fairmont, West Virginia LCCN2015631594
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Regional university

Fairmont State University

Fairmont, WV · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $9,032 a year

Median debt at graduation: $21,000 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Academic Excellence

B-Academic Excellence: B- (grade B-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Good
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.44%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.67%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 996 · ACT 20
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.14 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$8,719

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$8,434
$30,001–$48,000$8,679
$48,001–$75,000$10,505
$75,001–$110,000$11,184
Over $110,000$6,945

Full cost of attendance before aid: $20,018 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
3,060
Men and women
College Scorecard, fall 2023
Men 43% · Women 57%
First-generation students
College Scorecard
41%
First-year students from another state
IPEDS, fall 2023
11%
Total students3,307
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$9,032
Cost of attendance (per year)$20,018
Median federal debt at graduation$21,000
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
44%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
College Scorecard, within 6 years
41%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
College Scorecard, within 6 years
39%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
College Scorecard, within 3 years
45%
First-year retention67%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$46,857
Admission rate99%
Application fee
IPEDS, 2023–24
No application fee
Typical rent
HUD fair market rent, FY2026
About $838 a month for a one-bedroom
Students receiving Pell grants34%
Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 810–1070ACT 17–23
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT996
SAT reading & writing450–560
SAT math360–510
ACT composite17–23
Test policyRequired

Value: Very good · Top 23% (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Nursing$86,071
Mechanical engineering technology$75,569
Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians$75,102
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians$74,806
International relations$71,751
Accounting$62,302
Health administration$56,376
Information science$55,280
Political science$54,360
Business administration$51,968
Liberal arts$50,343
Criminal justice$49,055
Kinesiology and exercise science$48,858
Education (general)$46,625
Psychology$46,235
Graphic communications$41,784
History$28,802

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Air Transportation, Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Architectural Sciences and Technology, Biology, Chemistry, Computing and information science, Electrical engineering technology, English, Fine arts, Mathematics, Music, Other communication, journalism, and related programs, Public health, Romance languages, Security science, Sociology, Surveying Engineering, Theatre.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Business14%
Health professions12%
Engineering technologies9%
Social sciences8%
Education8%

Campus life

School colors
SettingTown
Part-time undergraduates12%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older13%
On-campus room and board (per year)$11,656
SportsNCAA Division II · Mountain East Conference
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member14 to 1
Undergraduates registered with the disability officeAbout 5%IPEDS, 2023–24
Disability servicesVisit the office’s pageThe college’s own page
Faculty who are full-time92%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student$10,780IPEDS, 2023, per student
Dorm spaceFor about 34% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus
Nearest airport with airline serviceArnold Palmer Regional Airport (LBE)About 68 miles away · about 1 hour 50 minutes by car
Nearest major airportPittsburgh International Airport (PIT)About 70 miles away
Town population18,221Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or morePittsburghAbout 67 miles away · about 2 hours by car
Typical weather32°F in January · 74°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Fairmont, WV

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.300.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary0.610.08
Motor vehicle theft0.000.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Fairmont State University’s Compass Score?
Solid (grade C+). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Fairmont State University cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $9,032 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Fairmont State University?
Fairmont State University admitted 99% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Fairmont State University’s graduates do?
44% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $46,857; the median federal debt at graduation is $21,000.

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