The Rise · HBCU
WVSU(West Virginia State University)
School colors: Black and gold
Institute, West Virginia · Founded 1891
Public · Four-year · ~3,500 students
www.wvstateu.edu · official site
Founding
West Virginia State University was founded in 1891, and from 1891 to 1915 the original institute offered the equivalent of a high school education, vocational training, and teacher preparation. In 1915 the West Virginia Collegiate Institute began to offer college degrees.
Source: History and Traditions, West Virginia State University, read 2026-09-14.
What the school says about itself
- Motto
- A Living Laboratory of Human RelationsSource, read 2026-09-17.
- On the record
- West Virginia State University is a public land-grant university located in Institute, West Virginia. Source, read 2026-09-17.
- Notable Alumni, as the school lists them
- Bill Nunn, Jr., three-year captain of the West Virginia State basketball team
- Carter G. Woodson
- Earl Lloyd, professional basketball
- Judge Damon J. Keith, Crusader for Justice
- Katherine Johnson, pioneering work at NASA
- Leon Sullivan, Baptist minister, author and civil rights leader
- Lou Myers, Star of stage, television and film
- Walter F. Johnson III, Retired United States Army Brigadier General
On the official record
- Campus address
- Rte 25, Institute, WV 25112-1000
- Control
- Public
- Students
- ~3,500 students
- Directory id
- 237899
- OPE id
- 00382600
- Student aid
- Takes part in Title IV student aid
- Title III Part B list, FY 2026
- Listed
- Location
- Rte 25, Institute, WV. See it on the Ledger map.
Where this location comes from
Campus location from IPEDS 2024-25This campus location comes from the federal IPEDS 2024-25 record, used as published, so the pin on the map is the campus.IPEDS Institutional Characteristics, Directory information (HD2024), 2024-25 collection, file dated 2025-09-21, retrieved 2026-09-14: coordinate 38.380541, -81.765034 as published. The Census Bureau geocoder returned No Match for the address on file, which no longer decides placement.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. IPEDS Institutional Characteristics, Directory information (HD2024), 2024-25 provisional data collection. Unit id 237899. https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/data/HD2024.zip. File dated 2025-09-21.
- U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education. Higher Education Programs Eligibility Matrix, sheet 'HBCU', dated 2026-06-08. https://www.ed.gov/media/document/fy-2026-higher-education-programs-eligibility-matrix-june-8-2026-114185.xlsx.
- History and Traditions, West Virginia State University. https://wvstateu.edu/about/history-and-traditions/. Read 2026-09-14.
- History and Past Presidents, West Virginia State University. https://wvstateu.edu/administration/office-of-the-president/history-and-past-presidents/. Read 2026-09-17.
- Students: 3,458 total, Fall 2023 (3,322 undergraduate, 136 graduate). IPEDS Fall Enrollment 2023, derived variables (DRVEF2023). https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/data/DRVEF2023.zip. File dated 2024-09-30, read 2026-09-17.
- About, West Virginia State University. https://wvstateu.edu/about/. Read 2026-09-17.
- Notable Alumni, West Virginia State University. https://wvstateu.edu/about/history-and-traditions/notable-alumni/. Read 2026-09-17.
- School colors: Black and gold. Values as stated. West Virginia State University, Wikipedia (revision 1368439926). Read 2026-09-16.
- Photograph: Harper1040, 2018-09-13 21:40:02, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canty_House.jpg. Retrieved 2026-09-16.
- U.S. Census Bureau Geocoder, batch address service, benchmark Public_AR_Current. https://geocoding.geo.census.gov/geocoder/.
Enrollment is the official 2023 count, rounded. Tap a school for its source.
Machine-readable: /api/v1/hbcus/west-virginia-state-university · All HBCUs
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