2026 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in West Virginia
[Liberal Arts General Studies](/majors/liberal-arts-sciences-humanities/liberal-arts-and-general-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 26 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for liberal arts general studies students.
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2026 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in West Virginia
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the liberal arts general studies degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools
For return on investment in liberal arts general studies, no school beat West Virginia University At Parkersburg this year. Located in the rural area of Parkersburg, West Virginia University At Parkersburg is a mid-sized public university. In-state tuition and fees average $5,476, compared with $9,424 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $15,084 to complete the liberal arts general studies program here. Soon after graduation, liberal arts general studies degree recipients from West Virginia University At Parkersburg generally make around $33,159. Set against $15,084 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
A rank of #2 makes Bridgevalley Community And Technical College one of the best values for liberal arts general studies. Bridgevalley Community And Technical College is a mid-sized public school located in the suburb of South Charleston. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $5,800, while out-of-state students pay about $12,428. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates carry a median of $6,750 in student loans. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates of Bridgevalley Community And Technical College earn a median of $23,902 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $6,750 median debt.
Students looking for strong value in liberal arts general studies will find it at Blue Ridge Community And Technical College, which ranked #3. Blue Ridge Community And Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Martinsburg. Students from in state pay about $4,752 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $8,808. Typical student debt for liberal arts general studies graduates is $17,500. Soon after graduation, liberal arts general studies degree recipients from Blue Ridge Community And Technical College generally make around $32,872. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Students looking for strong value in liberal arts general studies will find it at New River Community And Technical College, which ranked #4. Set in the rural area of Beaver, New River Community And Technical College is a small public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $5,156, while out-of-state students pay about $9,646. Typical student debt for liberal arts general studies graduates is $8,187. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates of New River Community And Technical College earn a median of $44,588 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Students looking for strong value in liberal arts general studies will find it at West Virginia Northern Community College, which ranked #5. Set in the city of Wheeling, West Virginia Northern Community College is a mid-sized public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $4,706, compared with $12,698 for out-of-state students. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates carry a median of $14,369 in student loans. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates of West Virginia Northern Community College earn a median of $22,166 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $14,369 median debt.
Potomac State College Of West Virginia University landed the #6 spot for liberal arts general studies value this year. Set in the town of Keyser, Potomac State College Of West Virginia University is a small public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $5,280, while out-of-state students pay about $13,200. Typical student debt for liberal arts general studies graduates is $18,500. Soon after graduation, liberal arts general studies degree recipients from Potomac State College Of West Virginia University generally make around $24,874. Set against $18,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Marshall University landed the #7 spot for liberal arts general studies value this year. Located in the city of Huntington, Marshall University is a large public university. Students from in state pay about $9,162 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $20,342. Typical student debt for liberal arts general studies graduates is $29,248. Early-career liberal arts general studies graduates make about $32,282. Set against $29,248 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 96% of applicants are accepted.
Mountwest Community And Technical College earned the #8 position for value in liberal arts general studies this year. Set in the suburb of Huntington, Mountwest Community And Technical College is a small public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $4,938, while out-of-state students pay about $12,304. Typical student debt for liberal arts general studies graduates is $11,500. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates of Mountwest Community And Technical College earn a median of $43,753 early in their careers. Set against $11,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Eastern West Virginia Community And Technical College ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best value liberal arts general studies schools. Eastern West Virginia Community And Technical College is a small public school located in the rural area of Moorefield. In-state tuition and fees average $4,722. Students borrow a median of $11,500 to complete the liberal arts general studies program here. Early-career liberal arts general studies graduates make about $28,134. Set against $11,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
American Public University System earned the #10 position for value in liberal arts general studies this year. American Public University System is a very large private for-profit school located in the town of Charles Town. Students from in state pay about $8,400 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $6,195 to complete the liberal arts general studies program here. Early-career liberal arts general studies graduates make about $55,029. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Southern West Virginia Community And Technical College ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best value liberal arts general studies schools. Set in the town of Logan, Southern West Virginia Community And Technical College is a small public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $5,136, while out-of-state students pay about $7,872. Ten years after enrolling, students earn a median of $32,153.
Fairmont State University earned the #12 position for value in liberal arts general studies this year. Set in the town of Fairmont, Fairmont State University is a mid-sized public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,708, compared with $18,924 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $30,939 to complete the liberal arts general studies program here. Early-career liberal arts general studies graduates make about $33,815. Set against $30,939 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 99%.
Pierpont Community And Technical College earned the #13 position for value in liberal arts general studies this year. Set in the town of Fairmont, Pierpont Community And Technical College is a mid-sized public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $5,762, with out-of-state students paying around $13,660. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates carry a median of $18,366 in student loans. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates of Pierpont Community And Technical College earn a median of $43,759 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $18,366 median debt.
Concord University placed #14 among the best values for liberal arts general studies. Set in the rural area of Athens, Concord University is a mid-sized public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,664, with out-of-state students paying around $22,000. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates carry a median of $24,326 in student loans. Early-career liberal arts general studies graduates make about $32,499. Set against $24,326 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 93%.
West Virginia State University came in at #15 for value in liberal arts general studies this year. Set in the suburb of Institute, West Virginia State University is a mid-sized public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $9,570, compared with $14,990 for out-of-state students. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates carry a median of $31,125 in student loans. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates of West Virginia State University earn a median of $41,319 early in their careers. Set against $31,125 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 96%.
Shepherd University landed the #16 spot for liberal arts general studies value this year. Located in the rural area of Shepherdstown, Shepherd University is a mid-sized public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $9,056, while out-of-state students pay about $19,082. Typical student debt for liberal arts general studies graduates is $29,500. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates of Shepherd University earn a median of $33,587 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $29,500 median debt. The acceptance rate is 97%.
West Virginia University earned the #17 position for value in liberal arts general studies this year. Set in the city of Morgantown, West Virginia University is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,104, compared with $28,608 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for liberal arts general studies graduates is $18,500. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates of West Virginia University earn a median of $24,874 early in their careers. Set against $18,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. West Virginia University admits about 89% of applicants.
Bluefield State College landed the #18 spot for liberal arts general studies value this year. Set in the town of Bluefield, Bluefield State College is a small public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,648, while out-of-state students pay about $18,376. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates carry a median of $28,655 in student loans. Soon after graduation, liberal arts general studies degree recipients from Bluefield State College generally make around $25,677. Set against $28,655 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 97% of applicants are accepted.
Glenville State College came in at #19 for value in liberal arts general studies this year. Set in the rural area of Glenville, Glenville State College is a mid-sized public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,578, compared with $11,354 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for liberal arts general studies graduates is $24,647. Liberal Arts General Studies graduates of Glenville State College earn a median of $25,428 early in their careers. Set against $24,647 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
More Liberal Arts General Studies Rankings
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 26 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 20 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
