Shepherd University

Public · Moderately Selective · WV

Photo: Acroterion (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationWV · South

SettingRural

Undergrads2,344

Student:faculty17:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate35.3%

6-yr grad rate51%

Drop-out rate28.6%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$9k

Out-of-state tuition$19k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity27.7%

Gender diversity60.5%

International0.9%

Identity—

Overview

Shepherd University is a public university in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, a historic town on the Potomac River at the edge of the greater Washington, D.C. region. Its small-town, picturesque campus sits near Antietam and Harpers Ferry, giving it an unusually rich historical setting for a state university.

Academics

Liberal arts and education programs are the university's traditional strengths, taught at a scale where faculty know students individually rather than through teaching assistants.

Campus & student life

Shepherdstown's historic downtown adjoins campus directly, and the Contemporary American Theater Festival, a professional Equity theater festival, takes over campus venues each summer and draws a national theater audience — a genuine cultural event well beyond what a school this size would typically host.

Worth knowing

The Contemporary American Theater Festival is a real professional operation, not a student production, and it gives theater-interested students a rare chance to see and interact with a working professional company on their own campus every summer.

shepherd.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate96.8%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 878–1140 · ACT 19–24

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying