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

• The Reed School of Media and Communications is on the PRNEWS Education A-List and has won multiple Emmys for student newscasts.
• The WVU Robotics Team was the best in the world in 2022-23, surpassing teams from 10 countries in a competition to design and build the next generation of Mars rovers.
• In 2024, mining students from the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources earned first place for the 9th time since 2000 in the annual Carlson Software Senior Mine Design Competition.

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 the only U.S. university offering a BS, MS and PhD in Forensic Science — and one of two offering a PhD.
• We have the only comprehensive health sciences center in West Virginia.

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

• The Center for World University Rankings placed WVU in the top 2.5% of universities worldwide.
• J.W. Ruby Memorial is ranked as the #1 hospital in West Virginia by 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.
  • Graduate program rankings
  • Online program rankings

Research

• WVU continues to rank at the highest level of research activity ("Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity" or "R1") as reflected in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Only 146 of the nation's 4,500 colleges and universities attain this ranking.
• 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+ WVU courses include a service component.
• WVU students recorded 94,617 service hours in 2023, for a value of $2,525,435.
• WVU Extension Service faculty and volunteers help thousands of West Virginians — 4-H alone reaches one in five West Virginia youth.
• 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.
• For every $1 the State invests in WVU, $20 is returned in economic activity.
• 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.

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.
• Since 1991, our Global Health Program has given 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.