NurseSavvy ranking · West Virginia · updated October 10, 2026
Best Nursing Schools in West Virginia (2026): The NurseSavvy Top 10
We ranked all 60 RN programs in West Virginia that publish a first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, on the four things that decide whether a program gets you to a nursing license you can afford: passing the NCLEX, actually finishing, the cost next to what nurses earn in West Virginia, and what graduates earn a year out.
Marshall University comes out on top. Here are the top 10, with every number’s source — and you can re-rank them by what matters to you.
No school can pay for placement. Public data only — see the full methodology.
Rank it your way
Rank West Virginia’s 60 RN programs on what matters to you
NCLEX pass rate, students who finish, cost vs nurse pay, grads’ early pay — compare in-state, by region, or nationwide.
The top 10 nursing programs in West Virginia
Scores are out of 100 under the default NurseSavvy weights. A school with two programs (say, an ADN and a BSN) can appear twice.
- 179score
Marshall University
HuntingtonHuntington Campus BSN program· Public
A 97.4% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97.4%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $7,502/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $69,176 1 yr out
- 278score
West Liberty University
West LibertyBSN program· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $15,366/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $71,848 1 yr out
- 378score
Concord University
AthensBA-BS to BSN program· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $9,966/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 477score
West Virginia University
BridgeportBridgeport Campus BA-BS to BSN program· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $15,634/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $71,298 1 yr out
- 577score
West Virginia University
MorgantownMorgantown Campus BSN program· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $15,634/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $71,298 1 yr out
- 675score
West Virginia Northern Community College
WheelingWheeling Campus ADN program· Public
A 95% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 95%
- Students who finish
- 75% finish
- Cost-to-pay value
- $5,329/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $63,473 1 yr out
Start to license: 71 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
- 774score
West Virginia University at Parkersburg
ParkersburgLPN-ADN program· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- 63% finish
- Cost-to-pay value
- $1,807/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $64,670 1 yr out
Start to license: 63 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
- 874score
Marshall University
South CharlestonSouth Charleston Campus BA-BS to BSN program· Public
A 92.9% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 92.9%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $7,502/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $69,176 1 yr out
- 972score
West Virginia University
MorgantownMorgantown Campus BA-BS to BSN program· Public
A 95.5% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 95.5%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $15,634/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $71,298 1 yr out
- 1071score
West Virginia Northern Community College
WeirtonWeirton Campus ADN program· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- 59% finish
- Cost-to-pay value
- $5,329/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $63,473 1 yr out
Start to license: 59 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
Fill-in: a figure the program hasn’t published is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs that publish it (same degree type) — not its own number.
The West Virginia leaders on each measure
Different students weigh these differently — here is who leads on each one alone, among programs that publish it.
- Highest NCLEX pass rate: West Liberty University (BSN program), 100% first-time.
- Most students finish: West Virginia Northern Community College (Wheeling Campus ADN program), 75% on time.
- Lowest average net price: West Virginia University at Parkersburg, $1,807/yr.
- Highest graduates’ pay: Shepherd University, $75,914 one year out.
- Top ADN vs top BSN: West Virginia Northern Community College (#6 overall) and Marshall University (#1 overall).
How we ranked West Virginia’s nursing schools
- NCLEX pass rate (33%). The 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN rate from the West Virginia board of nursing, steadied for small cohorts.
- Students who finish (33%). The program’s own on-time completion rate, where a board or the program publishes it.
- Cost vs nurse pay (20%). Average net price per year next to West Virginia’s median RN pay (College Scorecard + BLS).
- Graduates’ early pay (14%). What the program’s nursing graduates earn one year out, next to the state’s RN median.
A missing figure is a labeled 33rd-percentile fill-in, never a guess. Programs without a published NCLEX rate, and direct-entry master’s programs, are not ranked. Every formula and source →
Frequently asked questions
What is the best nursing school in West Virginia?
Under the NurseSavvy ranking, Marshall University (Huntington Campus BSN program, Huntington) ranks #1 of 60 RN programs in West Virginia with a score of 79 out of 100 and a 97.4% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate. "Best" depends on what you weigh most — re-rank the list on this page by your own priorities.
How did NurseSavvy rank West Virginia nursing schools?
Every RN program with a published 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate is scored 0–100 on four public measures: NCLEX pass rate (33%), students who finish (33%), cost next to local RN pay (20%), and graduates’ pay one year out (14%). Pass rates come from the West Virginia board of nursing; cost and pay from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
What does “fill-in” mean on this list?
When a program has not published a figure, we do not guess it. It is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs (same degree type) that do publish it — below typical — and labeled “fill-in” wherever it appears. Publishing its real number can only help a program that performs well.
Can a school pay to rank higher?
No. Schools cannot pay, partner, sponsor, or advertise their way to a better rank. Every input is public data, and the same formula applies to every program.
Keep going
- ReferenceHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing schoolsHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing programs: every formula, data source, and refresh rule, plus why no school can pay for placement.
- State guideNursing in West VirginiaWest Virginia in one page: 50 nursing schools and their NCLEX pass rates, RN pay (median 80,130), NP pay, and compact-license status — each with its source.
- Pay dataNurse practitioner salary in West VirginiaNurse practitioners in West Virginia earn a median of 127,320 a year (May 2025).
- Pay dataRN salary in West VirginiaRegistered nurses in West Virginia earn a median of 80,130 a year (May 2025).
- GuideNursing School Dropout Rates: What a 100% NCLEX Pass Rate Can HideHow many nursing students actually finish, why a high NCLEX pass rate can hide high attrition, where programs publish completion rates, and the start-to-license number to ask every school for.
- FinderNursing school rankings you controlRank nursing programs by what matters to you — pass rate, students who finish, cost, and graduate earnings.