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Home / About WVU / Achievements

Achievements and Rankings

Here’s a quick look at some of the many accomplishments that highlight our role as a land-grant, R1 research institution. For the latest University news and success stories, visit WVU Today.

Student Success

Prestigious Scholarships

WVU students have received prestigious scholarships, including:

  • 25 Rhodes Scholars
  • 116 Gilman Scholars
  • 82 Fulbright Scholars
  • 50 Goldwater Scholars
  • 26 Truman Scholars
  • 29 Boren Scholars
  • 39 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships

View complete lists of WVU scholars.

Experiential Learning

Outcomes

  • We're the best 4-year college in West Virginia for future earnings (College Scorecard).
  • According to College Scorecard, our graduates earn $10,000 more than other college graduates 10 years after graduation — 32% more than other college grads.

Academics

WVU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Many degree programs hold specialized accreditation.

Differentiators

  • WVU is one of about a dozen U.S. schools classified as a land-grant, doctoral research university with a comprehensive medical school.
  • We're a space-grant university, part of a network formed for outer-space related research.
  • We're one only two institutions in the U.S. offering accredited forensic science degrees at the undergraduate, master’s and PhD levels.
  • We are West Virginia's only R1 institution and have the state's only comprehensive academic health sciences center.

Faculty Excellence

  • 19 faculty members have been named Carnegie Foundation Professors of the Year.
  • 52 have received the National Science Foundation Career Award.
  • Maura McLaughlin, Eberly Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy, was selected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors in the scientific world. (2024)
  • Duncan Lorimer, professor of physics and astronomy, was selected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London for his contributions to pulsar astrophysics and his role in the discovery of fast radio bursts. (2024)

Rankings

  • R1, the highest possible research ranking from the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
  • The Center for World University Rankings placed WVU in the top 2.4% of worldwide universities.
  • J.W. Ruby Memorial is the #1 hospital in West Virginia according to U.S. News & World Report and has also received four Magnet designations from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
  • U.S. News & World Report ranks several of our programs in the top 100, including the undergraduate nursing program and graduate programs in audiology, business, engineering, medicine, occupational therapy, pharmacy, clinical psychology and rehabilitation counseling, to name a few.

Research

  • WVU is an R1 institution, the highest research ranking possible. Only 187 of the nation's colleges and universities attain this prestigious classification. (2025)
  • In 2024, we received $275 million in research funding, an 82% increase from five years ago. Our research funding comes from a variety of sources, including federal, state, industry and private donors.
  • The WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute — the world’s first institute devoted to the study of human memory — is on our Morgantown campus. RNI's breakthroughs in the treatment of addiction and Alzheimer's disease have been featured on "60 Minutes" and in the Washington Post and the New York Times.
  • We're the FBI's lead academic partner in biometrics research, a relationship dating back to 2008.
  • The WVU Cancer Institute is working to attain National Cancer Institute Designation — a first for West Virginia.
  • The West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute on our Morgantown campus is one of three hubs nationally that will launch the National Institutes of Health Communities Advancing Research Equity for Health™ (CARE for Health™) initiative.

Service

  • WVU has held the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for Community Engagement designation since 2010.
  • 90+ courses include a service component.
  • WVU students recorded 104,635+ service hours in 2023-24, for a value of $2,947,576.
  • WVU Extension faculty and volunteers help thousands of West Virginians.
    • 4-H reaches one in five West Virginia youth.
    • 68,000 youth per year take part 4-H camps, special interest clubs, in-school activities and other WVU Extension programs.
    • 2,000 volunteer and professional firefighters train through the Fire Service Extension each year.
  • Since 2022, the College of Applied Human Sciences has generated more than $34 million to support the educational, mental, emotional and physical well-being of students, teachers and community members.
  • The Job Accommodation Network serves the nation by providing free consulting services designed to increase the employability of people with disabilities.

Innovation and Economic Prosperity

  • WVU is one of 85 higher education institutions to receive the Innovation and Economic Prosperity University distinction from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
  • The WVU Health System is investing nearly $400 million to accelerate growth and infuse West Virginia with new healthcare facilities.
  • Combined, WVU and the WVU Health System are the largest employer in the state with the greatest economic impact.
  • For every $1 the State invests in WVU, $20 is returned in economic activity.
  • WVU’s economic activity contributes over $4.8 billion to the region’s economy and generates $66 million in tax revenue each year.
  • The Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab helps students bring ideas to life, and has:
    • Raised $562,800 in capital.
    • Engaging with 4,000+ individuals.
    • Created 547 jobs.
    • Helped form 322 businesses.
  • WVU water researchers have pioneered ways to extract rare earth elements and critical minerals from acid mine drainage and coal sludge. This innovation could change the game for the domestic economy, environment and national security.

International Connections

  • WVU faculty conduct research and teach in 76 countries across six continents, contributing to advancements in fields like healthcare, engineering, agriculture and sustainable development.
  • We received a Senator Paul Simon Award for campus internationalization. (2019)
  • Our alumni reside in 135 nations.
  • Our Global Health Program gives students in medicine, dentistry and other health careers opportunities to provide care in countries where people have limited access to healthcare.

Athletics

  • 94% graduation rate (2024).
  • 330 student-athletes have gone on to professional careers in their respective sports.
  • Perennial nationally ranked women’s and men’s soccer programs have advanced to the NCAA College Cup in the last 8 years.
  • The WVU rifle team has won 19 national championships.
  • WVU women's basketball won 25 games and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2024, playing eventual national runner-up Iowa in front of a 6.4 million television viewing audience.
  • WVU baseball won the Arizona NCAA Regional in 2024 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Super Regional.
  • The 2024 men's golf team advanced to the NCAA Championship.
  • WVU men's basketball has played in 2 Final Fours and 1 national championship game.
  • 8 Mountaineers competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics, representing Australia, Canada, Nigeria and the U.S.
  • WVU’s Mountaineer mascot won the “Best Live Human Mascot” award from the National Mascot Hall of Fame. (2024)