Quad

Head-to-head

West Liberty
Fairmont State

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Fairmont State's grants cover 32% of its full price on average, vs. 23% at West Liberty

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    West Liberty is more diverse (index 0.33 vs. 0.25)

    Diversity index
  3. 3

    Fairmont State has 1.7× as many undergrads as West Liberty

    Undergrads
  4. 4

    West Liberty graduates 7 pts more of its students than Fairmont State (61% vs. 54%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    West Liberty's SAT midpoint is 67 points higher than Fairmont State's

    SAT midpoint
  6. 6

    Fairmont State costs about $5K less per year on average than West Liberty ($16,407 vs. $21,374, all students)

    Average cost, all students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

West Liberty admits 97%, Fairmont State 99%; Fairmont State's yield is higher, at 34%.

Acceptance rate
West Liberty97%
Fairmont State99%
Quad's selectivity
  • West LibertyOpen
  • Fairmont StateOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 700–1600
West Liberty
890–1123
Fairmont State
810–1070
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • West LibertyGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • Fairmont StateGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Fairmont State has 1.7× as many undergrads as West Liberty and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
West Liberty1.5K
Fairmont State2.6K
Pell Grant share
West Liberty32%
Fairmont State34%

Majors and faculty

Biology/Biological Sciences leads at West Liberty, and Business Administration and Management at Fairmont State.

Students per faculty member
West Liberty12 to 1
Fairmont State14 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • West LibertyBiology/Biological Sciences, General12%
  • Fairmont StateBusiness Administration and Management, General13%

What each costs

Fairmont State costs about $5K less a year than West Liberty on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
West Liberty$21.4K
Fairmont State$16.4K
Aid generosity
West Liberty23%
Fairmont State32%

What each pays off

Fairmont State's former students earn more, a median $46.9K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 50% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
West Liberty$43.3K
Fairmont State$46.9K
Graduation rate
West Liberty61%
Fairmont State54%

How each has changed

Applications fell at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • West LibertyShrinking−28%
  • Fairmont StateShrinking−30%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why