_
U.S. News Rankings
| Ranking score and category | |||||
|
|||||
Summary
Mountain State University is a private institution that was founded in 1933. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 4,209, its setting is city, and the campus size is 24 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Mountain State University's ranking in the 2013 edition of Best Colleges is Regional Universities (South), Tier 2. Its tuition and fees are $9,480 (2012-13).
At West Virginia’s Mountain State University, more than 65 percent of students are female. All freshmen and sophomores are required to live on the school’s campus in Beckley, unless they commute from a parent’s home, are married, or have children. On campus, there are a handful of student organizations to consider joining, including the MSU Scribblers Society and the Forensic Investigation Association. The MSU athletic teams, the Cougars, are NAIA teams that compete in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. For roadtrips from campus, the state capital of Charleston is about 50 miles away.
MSU has four main departments that confer undergraduate degrees: The School of Arts and Sciences; the School of Business and Technology; the Patsy H. Haslam School of Health Sciences; and the Charles H. Polk School of Leadership and Professional Development. Though its Prior Learning Credit program, MSU awards college credit to students who have significant life experiences, including a previous job or military service. Mountain State University also offers a variety of graduate degree programs in health disciplines, including nursing, nursing-anesthesia, and physician assistant degrees.
| School mission and unique qualities (as provided by the school): | |
|
For more than 75 years, Mountain State University has worked to provide accessible opportunities in higher education. From its beginnings as a local junior college, MSU today serves thousands of students from around the world with professionally oriented undergraduate and graduate programs in health and human services, leadership, business, and technology, as well as the humanities and sciences. In addition to its primary campus in Beckley, W.Va., the University maintains branch campuses in Martinsburg, W.Va.; Center Township, Pa.; Mooresville, N.C.; and Orlando, Fla. Mountain State University continues to find new ways to make higher education accessible, offering not only traditional classroom-based academic studies but also innovative online programs, nontraditional options for earning credit, and collaboration with a wide range of industry and education partners. |
General Information
| School type | private, coed college |
| Year founded | 1933 |
| Religious affiliation | N/A |
| Academic calendar | semester |
| Setting | city |
| 2011 Endowment | $5,541,912 |
Applying
When applying to Mountain State University, it's important to note the application deadline is rolling. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due November 1. The application fee at Mountain State University is $25. It is least selective, with an acceptance rate of 100.0 percent.
For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.
| Selectivity | least selective |
| Fall 2011 acceptance rate | 100.0% |
| Application deadline | rolling |
| SAT/ACT scores must be received by | November 1 |
Academic Life
The student-faculty ratio at Mountain State University is 19:1, and the school has 86.2 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Mountain State University include: Health Professions and Related Programs; Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services; Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services; Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies; and Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 39.5 percent.
Student Life
Mountain State University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 4,209, with a gender distribution of 36.3 percent male students and 63.7 percent female students. At this school, 3.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 97.0 percent of students live off campus. Mountain State University is part of the NAIA athletic conference.
| Total enrollment | 4,743 |
| Student gender distribution | |
|
|
|
| Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity | |
|
|
|
| Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority | |
|
|
|
| Collegiate athletic association | NAIA |
Campus Info & Services
Mountain State University offers a number of student services including placement service. Mountain State University also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, lighted pathways/sidewalks, student patrols, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Of the students at Mountain State University, 90 percent have cars on campus. Alcohol is not permitted for students of legal age at Mountain State University.
| Students who have cars on campus | 90% |
| Health insurance offered | No |
| Students required to own/lease a computer | No |
More About Campus Info & Services
Paying for School
At Mountain State University, 80.8 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $5,305.
Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.
| Tuition and fees | $9,480 (2012-13) |
| Room and board | $8,865 (2012-13) |
| Financial aid statistics | |
|
|
|
* Overview details based on 2011 data
