Total college enrollment in West Virginia has reached 118,129 students, marking a decrease of 17,916 students over the past decade. During this period, the gender gap in higher education continued to widen: the gender ratio decreased from 113.30 to 110.57 male students per 100 female students, reflecting a strong relative growth in female college enrollment.
For the academic year 2024-2025, West Virginia Colleges enrollment is approximately 52.51% male (62,030 males) and 47.49% female (56,099 females).
From 2015 to 2025, total enrollment at West Virginia Colleges decreased by 17,916 students, from 136,045 to 118,129. Male enrollment decreased by 10,233 students, while female enrollment decreased by 7,683 students. The number of male students per 100 female students remained relatively stable, changing from 113.30 to 110.57.
Over this period, male enrollment fluctuated year over year, while female enrollment fluctuated.
| Year | Total Students | Male Students | Female Students | Males per 100 Female Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 136,045 | 72,263 (53.12%) | 63,782 (46.88%) | 113.30 |
| 2015-16 | 130,272 | 69,456 (53.32%) | 60,816 (46.68%) | 114.21 |
| 2016-17 | 126,204 | 66,968 (53.06%) | 59,236 (46.94%) | 113.05 |
| 2017-18 | 123,978 | 65,054 (52.47%) | 58,924 (47.53%) | 110.40 |
| 2018-19 | 121,360 | 63,254 (52.12%) | 58,106 (47.88%) | 108.86 |
| 2019-20 | 119,915 | 61,696 (51.45%) | 58,219 (48.55%) | 105.97 |
| 2020-21 | 122,106 | 63,605 (52.09%) | 58,501 (47.91%) | 108.72 |
| 2021-22 | 116,774 | 60,832 (52.09%) | 55,942 (47.91%) | 108.74 |
| 2022-23 | 116,525 | 61,126 (52.46%) | 55,399 (47.54%) | 110.34 |
| 2023-24 | 116,801 | 61,698 (52.82%) | 55,103 (47.18%) | 111.97 |
| 2024-25 | 118,129 | 62,030 (52.51%) | 56,099 (47.49%) | 110.57 |
| Average | 134,811 | 70,798 (52.52%) | 64,013 (47.48%) | 110.60 |
The following is an analysis of the male per female ratio (male students per 100 female students) at West Virginia Colleges by school control.
Comparing school types, Private for-profit schools had the highest latest ratio (163.71), while Public schools had the lowest (77.16), a gap of 86.54 points. Private nonprofit schools saw the largest shift over the period (+33.82 points).
Bottom line: Male students' share of total enrollment tends tofall 3.2 points from 46.8% to 43.6% at Public colleges and rise 7.9 points from 47.4% to 55.3% at Private nonprofit colleges. Female students' share of total enrollment tends to rise 3.2 points from 53.2% to 56.4% at Public colleges, fall 7.9 points from 52.6% to 44.7% at Private nonprofit colleges over the period.
| Year | Public | Private nonprofit | Private for-profit | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Ratio | Male | Female | Ratio | Male | Female | Ratio | |
| 2014-15 | 32,160 | 36,561 | 87.96 | 4,226 | 4,692 | 90.07 | 35,877 | 22,529 | 159.25 |
| 2015-16 | 31,770 | 36,143 | 87.90 | 4,304 | 4,413 | 97.53 | 33,382 | 20,260 | 164.77 |
| 2016-17 | 31,335 | 36,120 | 86.75 | 4,399 | 4,462 | 98.59 | 31,234 | 18,654 | 167.44 |
| 2017-18 | 30,952 | 36,236 | 85.42 | 4,331 | 4,307 | 100.56 | 29,771 | 18,381 | 161.97 |
| 2018-19 | 29,411 | 35,710 | 82.36 | 4,319 | 4,105 | 105.21 | 29,524 | 18,291 | 161.41 |
| 2019-20 | 28,778 | 36,309 | 79.26 | 3,938 | 3,865 | 101.89 | 28,980 | 18,045 | 160.60 |
| 2020-21 | 27,149 | 35,099 | 77.35 | 4,134 | 3,716 | 111.25 | 32,322 | 19,686 | 164.19 |
| 2021-22 | 25,873 | 33,516 | 77.20 | 3,860 | 3,329 | 115.95 | 31,099 | 19,097 | 162.85 |
| 2022-23 | 25,535 | 33,121 | 77.10 | 4,017 | 3,285 | 122.28 | 31,574 | 18,993 | 166.24 |
| 2023-24 | 25,372 | 32,957 | 76.99 | 3,575 | 2,770 | 129.06 | 32,751 | 19,376 | 169.03 |
| 2024-25 | 25,504 | 33,053 | 77.16 | 3,739 | 3,018 | 123.89 | 32,787 | 20,028 | 163.71 |
The following is an analysis of the male per female ratio (male students per 100 female students) at West Virginia Colleges by student level.
| Year | Undergraduate | Graduate | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 117.67 | 95.30 | 22.37 |
| 2015-16 | 118.64 | 95.97 | 22.67 |
| 2016-17 | 117.91 | 93.53 | 24.38 |
| 2017-18 | 115.04 | 91.27 | 23.77 |
| 2018-19 | 113.05 | 91.30 | 21.75 |
| 2019-20 | 109.50 | 90.75 | 18.75 |
| 2020-21 | 111.05 | 99.13 | 11.92 |
| 2021-22 | 111.15 | 98.96 | 12.19 |
| 2022-23 | 112.63 | 100.97 | 11.66 |
| 2023-24 | 114.20 | 102.71 | 11.49 |
| 2024-25 | 113.34 | 98.65 | 14.69 |
| Average | 114.02 | 96.23 | 17.79 |
The following is an analysis of the male per female ratio (male students per 100 female students) at West Virginia Colleges by enrollment status.
Overall, the male per female ratio for full-time students is 89.00 and for part-time students is 137.09 males per 100 female students.
| Year | Full-time | Part-time | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 95.28 | 134.64 | -39.36 |
| 2015-16 | 96.08 | 137.53 | -41.45 |
| 2016-17 | 94.39 | 137.45 | -43.06 |
| 2017-18 | 92.56 | 134.87 | -42.31 |
| 2018-19 | 89.20 | 134.46 | -45.26 |
| 2019-20 | 86.83 | 129.59 | -42.76 |
| 2020-21 | 85.16 | 137.09 | -51.93 |
| 2021-22 | 83.89 | 138.54 | -54.65 |
| 2022-23 | 85.68 | 139.22 | -53.54 |
| 2023-24 | 85.61 | 142.93 | -57.32 |
| 2024-25 | 84.37 | 141.67 | -57.30 |
| Average | 89.00 | 137.09 | -48.09 |