+16%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at Shepherd University rose 16% between 2021 and 2024 ($7.8k → $9.1k).
West Virginia · Public · Predominantly bachelor's
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, West Virginia. 2,375 undergraduate students. 51 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
What the data flags at Shepherd University
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at Shepherd University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (3.9% → 0.0%).
+16%
150%-time completion
150%-time completion at Shepherd University rose 16% between 2021 and 2024 (44.1% → 51.0%).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
The numbers, vs. West Virginia
Each tile compares this institution to the West Virginia median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$49,358+13% · 6→10y
West Virginia median $37,714$43,726
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry49.5%+24% · '97→'24
West Virginia median 61.2%$14,297+293% · '97→'20
At program completion2,375-23% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS72.1%+1% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time95.7%+3% · '01→'24
latest cohort$8,642+241% · '01→'24
out-of-state $19,082SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
3.9%Median federal debt $14,297 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $49,358 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Ten-plus year arc
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+24%
Shepherd University · completion · 150% rose
41.3% → 51.0%
+102%
Shepherd University · completion · 100% rose
17.5% → 35.3%
-23%
Shepherd University · undergrad enrollment fell
3,056 → 2,344
+241%
Shepherd University · in-state tuition rose
$2,658 → $9,056
+203%
Shepherd University · out-of-state tuition rose
$6,294 → $19,082
+293%
Shepherd University · median debt rose
$5,500 → $21,600
-100%
Shepherd University · cohort default rate fell
6.8% → 0.0%
+37%
Shepherd University · pell share rose
21.6% → 29.4%
+23%
Shepherd University · earnings_median_10yr rose
$40,200 → $49,358
+26%
Shepherd University · earnings_median_8yr rose
$37,300 → $47,170
+40%
Shepherd University · earnings_median_6yr rose
$31,300 → $43,726
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$81,437Computer and Information Sciences, General.$79,302Accounting and Related Services.$71,328Biology, General.$57,987Sociology.$56,868Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities.$54,880Social Work.$54,356Psychology, General.$54,041Business Administration, Management and Operations.$53,057Student Counseling and Personnel Services.$51,548Natural Resources Conservation and Research.$51,173Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies.$50,742History.$48,786Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.$48,740Fine and Studio Arts.$37,624Communication and Media Studies.$34,523
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
16 programs with earnings, grouped
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11
EDUCATION · CIP 13
LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
PARKS, RECREATION & FITNESS · CIP 31
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
HISTORY · CIP 54
NATURAL RESOURCES & CONSERVATION · CIP 03
COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at Shepherd University
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$388,808
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 8
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $12,068
- HS-only baseline · WV
- $32,100
- Years to complete
- 4
- CIP family
- 24
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Same sector and degree mix in West Virginia
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Shepherd University graduates earn $X” — not “Shepherd University makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Shepherd University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.