20 Best colleges for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in West Virginia

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in West Virginia ranked based on their research performance in Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. A graph of 973K citations received by 45.4K academic papers made by 20 universities in West Virginia was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. West Virginia University

Morgantown

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#120 in the United States

#141 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Average SAT: 1115
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 97%

2. Marshall University

Huntington

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#411 in the United States

#459 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 96%
Average SAT: 1030
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 98%

3. University of Charleston

Charleston

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#954 in the United States

#1026 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 62%
Net Price: $20,844
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $26,132

4. West Virginia University Hospital Departments of Rad Tech and Nutrition

Morgantown

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1013 in the United States

#1089 in North America

Enrollment: 64
Male:Female: 18:82

5. Wheeling Jesuit University

Wheeling

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1072 in the United States

#1149 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Net Price: $21,073
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $21,931

6. Shepherd University

Shepherdstown

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1087 in the United States

#1165 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 97%
Average SAT: 1009
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 98%

7. Bethany College - West Virginia

Bethany

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1117 in the United States

#1195 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 59%
Net Price: $19,035
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $31,646

8. West Virginia State University

Institute

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1133 in the United States

#1211 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 96%
Average SAT: 900
Average ACT: 18
Receiving Aid: 91%

9. American Public University System

Charles Town

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1160 in the United States

#1238 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $12,260
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $6,508

10. West Liberty University

West Liberty

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1282 in the United States

#1362 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 97%
Average SAT: 1007
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 97%

11. Fairmont State University

Fairmont

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1301 in the United States

#1381 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 99%
Average SAT: 940
Average ACT: 20
Receiving Aid: 96%

12. West Virginia University Institute of Technology

Beckley

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1311 in the United States

#1391 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 37%
Average SAT: 1000
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 98%

13. Concord University

Athens

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1367 in the United States

#1449 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 93%
Average SAT: 960
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 99%

14. West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine

Lewisburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1380 in the United States

#1462 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Enrollment: 835
Male:Female: 47:53
Founded: 1972

15. West Virginia Wesleyan College

Buckhannon

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1462 in the United States

#1548 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 93%
Average SAT: 1026
Average ACT: 20
Net Price: $19,218

16. Davis & Elkins College

Elkins

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1551 in the United States

#1640 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Net Price: $19,784
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $25,575

17. Glenville State College

Glenville

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1666 in the United States

#1757 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Receiving Aid: 97%
Average Aid: $9,496
Enrollment: 1,765

18. Alderson Broaddus University

Philippi

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1728 in the United States

#1819 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Net Price: $19,499
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $24,656

19. Bluefield State College

Bluefield

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1732 in the United States

#1823 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 97%
Average SAT: 975
Average ACT: 20
Receiving Aid: 98%

20. West Virginia University at Parkersburg

Parkersburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1741 in the United States

#1832 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Receiving Aid: 95%
Average Aid: $7,472
Enrollment: 2,728

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Virginia	42	37
Ohio	67	19
District of Columbia	13	48
Maryland	28	8
Pennsylvania	114	9
North Carolina	50	20
Kentucky	29	60
Delaware	4	97
Indiana	38	39
New Jersey	29	22
South Carolina	32	68
Tennessee	39	46
New York	146	6
Georgia	52	42
Connecticut	22	10
Michigan	47	3
Illinois	79	12
Rhode Island	9	56
Massachusetts	75	1
Vermont	12	124
Alabama	30	82
New Hampshire	13	84
Wisconsin	36	14
Missouri	44	40
Mississippi	15	177
Iowa	32	44
Arkansas	18	146
Maine	16	199
Florida	70	31
Minnesota	30	18
Louisiana	27	79
Kansas	22	74
Oklahoma	22	103
Nebraska	15	87
South Dakota	12	331
North Dakota	9	216
Texas	89	21
Colorado	24	52
New Mexico	9	100
Montana	9	166
Utah	11	45
Puerto Rico	15	414
Arizona	10	29
Idaho	7	193
Nevada	8	149
Washington	39	5
Oregon	21	96
California	147	2
Alaska	4	233
Hawaii	7	106