2023 Best Online Colleges in West Virginia

American Public University System (APUS) is a fully online school offering more than 200 online degrees and certificates. APUS serves more than 95,000 students, making it one of the largest universities by enrollment in the country. Classes at APUS are asynchronous, meaning students can log on and complete classwork or review lectures whenever it's convenient rather than meeting at a set time. The university focuses on offering a more affordable degree path for students and does not charge fees for applications, transfer evaluations, or textbooks for bachelor's and master's students. APUS is also known for serving a high rate of military students, veterans, and their families. The university's most popular bachelor's degrees are in business administration, criminal justice, homeland security, and information technology administration.

The University of Charleston (UC) has six options for online bachelor's degrees in psychology, organizational leadership, nursing, management, cybersecurity, and healthcare administration. Students can also choose from a handful of online associate degrees and certificate programs. Bachelor's programs typically take four years to complete when enrolled full-time. Students work with UC's academic counselors to get enrolled, sign up for classes, and connect with student support services. UC serves around 2,000 undergraduate students and is a private nonprofit university. The most popular bachelor's programs at UC are in business administration, management, and operations, as well as healthcare majors.

Students can choose from nine different online bachelor's degrees at West Virginia University (WVU), including general business, hospitality and tourism, marketing, family studies, education, and nursing. At WVU, students get connected with an online admissions coach and academic advisor through the Learning Engagement Center to navigate the enrollment process and register for classes. Prospective students can read about the online experience at WVU through the Online Mountaineer blog, which shares tips for online students, answers common questions about how the programs work, and features student voices and experiences. WVU also has an online student ambassador program, where students and alumni from different majors talk about their experiences in the program and are available to contact.

West Virginia State University (WVSU) is a public institution offering online degree programs at the bachelor’s and master’s levels. Popular online bachelor’s degrees at WVSU include business administration, criminal justice, and English. At a minimum, 120 credit hours are required for online bachelor’s degrees, which can take four years to complete. WVSU accepts 97% of applicants, with 40% graduating.

At WVSU, online students complete courses that are delivered asynchronously and synchronously through WVSU Online (Moodle). The university’s student-to-faculty ratio is 12:1. Potential financial aid opportunities for online students include scholarships, grants, and loans. Online students can access proctoring, military student services, disability support, academic assistance, and tutoring. WVSU offers a student-centered approach to online learning, as well as flexibility and practicality for online students.

Marshall University (MU) has eight online bachelor's programs in English, business, geography, medical laboratory science, professional writing, nursing, and a degree completion program. Online classes at MU are asynchronous, so students can complete classwork or watch lectures on their schedule. The university also offers hybrid class options that blend asynchronous learning with video meetings through Blackboard and Blackboard Collaborate, which is a virtual classroom that works similarly to Zoom. Students can access academic advising, tech support, library resources and online databases, and virtual support from the writing center. MU also offers a lower tuition rate for online students that students across the country can qualify for. MU is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). NC-SARA exists as a voluntary group of online colleges that work to improve and standardize the quality of online programs across the country.

Salem University (SU) is a private for-profit college in West Virginia offering 55 different online degrees, including 17 online bachelor's programs. Students can pursue career-focused degrees in business administration, criminal justice, information technology, computer science, and nursing, with focus areas such as sports and recreation management, software development, or crime scene investigation. Online students at SU follow a unique schedule where they focus on one class per month rather than multiple classes per term. There are also a number of student organizations available to distance learners, including the Biology Club, the Black Student Union, the Campus Activities Board, the Rainbow Alliance, and the Student Nurses Association. Online students get paired with an advisor who will support them through the enrollment process up until graduation.

Fairmont State University is a public university that offers online master’s degrees. There are two online master’s degrees available at Fairmont State, including criminal justice and teaching. Online master’s degrees at this institution are 30 credit hours or more, which can take full-time students at least two years or more to complete. The university’s acceptance rate is 99%, with a 45% graduation rate.

Fairmont State facilitates asynchronous and synchronous online learning on the learning management system Blackboard. Fairmont State’s student-to-faculty ratio is 14:1. Distance learners may be eligible for financial aid, such as grants, loans, and scholarships. Online student support at Fairmont State also includes academic advising, career development, and veteran services. At Fairmont State, students receive student-centered learning and real-world experiences to prepare for careers after graduation.

At Concord University (CU), a public institution, prospective students can pursue online degrees at the bachelor’s and master’s levels. Some of the online bachelor’s degrees at this university include elementary education, RN to BSN, and sociology. Online bachelor’s degrees at CU are 120 credit hours, which can take full-time students four years to finish. CU’s acceptance rate is 96%, with a graduation rate of 42%.

CU uses the learning management system Blackboard to deliver courses in asynchronous and synchronous formats. The student-to-faculty ratio at CU is 15:1. CU may offer or accept financial aid for online students, such as scholarships, loans, state aid programs, free tuition, and tuition reduction programs. CU’s online student resources include academic advising, tutoring, counseling, disability services, financial aid assistance, academic advising, and a writing center. CU offers flexible and affordable online degree programs that let students graduate at an accelerated rate.