Wesleyan defies the trend and continues to see rising enrollment

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — Students are moving onto the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon this weekend to begin the fall semester. The small, private college in central West Virginia is bucking the national trend as its student population continues to rise. Total enrollment increased five percent in 2023 and 10 percent in 2022. Total enrollment for 2024 is 20 percent higher than last year, according to the school. The school has attracted students from 40 West Virginia counties.

“As a small institution, we are able to focus on individual prospective students. We maintain close relationships with specialized high schools throughout the state and region, so our individualized approach to education is highly valued at this time,” said Wesleyan President Dr. James Moore.

Campus management says the introduction of two new master's programs has helped increase the number of enrolled graduates by 40 percent compared to the previous year.

Moore added that Wesleyan has turned things that are often perceived as barriers into selling points. Cost is one of those areas. Although private school tuition is perceived as high, Wesleyan students often have the opportunity to receive financial aid. For most students, the aid is so great that they can afford a private school education.

“The average student who attends a school like West Virginia Wesleyan College pays, in many cases, the same amount they would pay at a public institution when you factor in room, board, living expenses and all of those things,” Moore explained on MetroNews Talkline. “We take very seriously the notion that, even though we appear more expensive on paper, we are able to provide generous scholarships to deserving students.”

He added that the students they recruit are not necessarily the top graduates of each graduating class.

“More than half of our freshmen have a 3.5 GPA or higher. We also have valedictorian students, we are a quality school, but those students with 3.5 are diamonds in the rough and we make it affordable for them to go to a great college,” he said.

Moore said the idea is to give each student a great experience and then share that experience with several acquaintances upon returning to their hometown and have those students consider Wesleyan in the coming years after they graduate.