Fairmont State vs Shepherd University

Fairmont State University and Shepherd University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in West Virginia, offer unique educational experiences tailored to diverse student aspirations. While sharing a commitment to academic excellence, these universities exhibit distinct characteristics that shape their respective campus cultures. Fairmont State boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students, while Shepherd maintains a slightly more selective admissions process. In terms of academic offerings, Fairmont State excels in engineering and health professions, whereas Shepherd shines in business and education. Both universities foster inclusive communities, with Shepherd hosting a marginally larger student body. When it comes to graduation rates, Fairmont State edges out Shepherd with a higher percentage of students successfully completing their degrees. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which university best aligns with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Fairmont State University	Shepherd University
Overview
Location	Fairmont, West Virginia	Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	61.0%	66.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	98.8%	96.4%
Application fees	$50	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $40
SAT range	900 - 1090	960 - 1180
ACT range	17 - 23	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	46.0%	47.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%	17.0%
Total number of applicants	1,767	1,338
Total number of admissions given out	1,745	1,290
Admitted students who chose to enroll	655	419
Yield rate	37.5%	32.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $20,914 Out of state: $30,172	In state: $23,132 Out of state: $33,572
Average net price	$11,277	$10,360
Tuition	In state: $5,946 Out of state: $14,992	In state: $5,790 Out of state: $15,276
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,624 Meal plan: $4,574	Room/dormitory: $5,798 Meal plan: $5,050
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $6,593	87.0% Average amount $7,767
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $4,996	53.0% Average amount $5,075
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $11,907	7.0% Average amount $12,449

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,273 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	2,450 Men 39.6% Women 60.4%
Graduate students	289 Men 32.9% Women 67.1%	565 Men 22.1% Women 77.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	11.1%	27.6%
International students	1.6%	1.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,058	1,052
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	West Virginia Pennsylvania Maryland Virginia Ohio	West Virginia Maryland Virginia Pennsylvania District of Columbia

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Technologies Education Liberal Arts Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Liberal Arts Education Social Sciences Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	45.4%	44.1%
Dropout rate	33.9%	43.3%
Transferred out	20.6%	10.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,279 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $62,993 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,620 Year 2: $63,855 Year 3: $61,157 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,294 Year 2: $54,153 Year 3: $58,294 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $58,529 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $56,475 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,809 Year 2: $37,306 Year 3: $43,308 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,042 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $41,321 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,631 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $39,952 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,253 Year 2: $31,189 Year 3: $39,801 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,125 Year 2: $31,495 Year 3: $38,357 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,334 Year 2: $28,816 Year 3: $34,425	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,704 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $65,982 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,620 Year 2: $45,852 Year 3: $53,735 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,461 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $48,671 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,026 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $43,769 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,615 Year 2: $38,670 Year 3: $42,186 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $35,736 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $40,911 Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,185 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $39,264 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,498 Year 2: $31,763 Year 3: $38,847 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,225 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $38,312 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,000 Year 2: $23,340 Year 3: $35,390

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Fairmont State vs Shepherd University

Fairmont State University

Shepherd University

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Academics

Outcome

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