🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable on average — net price runs around $9,210/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$11,780 — major value play)
  • Students drawn to Liberal Arts, Humanities, & General Studies or Social Sciences (the two biggest majors)
  • Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 935, or ACT below 20 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus
Total enrollment
1,101
1,000 - 4,999
In-state tuition
$11,780
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$28,010
+$16,230 vs in-state
Admit rate
93.9%
Accepts the majority
SAT middle 50%
935–1175
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
20–25
composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$45,325
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$39,725
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,325
4-year completion
47%
Median debt (completers)
$16,750
Cost of attendance
$26,593
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
40%

💰 True ROI

12.3× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$36,840
$9,210/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$69,532
vs sticker $106,372
10-yr earnings total
$453,250
$45,325/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
0.8 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At University of Virginia's College at Wise, the average net price is $9,210/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$8,891/yr
Family income $30-48k
$7,668/yr
Family income $48-75k
$7,455/yr
Family income $75-110k
$8,813/yr
Family income $110k+
$16,176/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use University of Virginia's College at Wise's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from University of Virginia's College at Wise →

Opens on University of Virginia's College at Wise's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at University of Virginia's College at Wise

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what University of Virginia's College at Wise actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Liberal Arts, Humanities, & General Studies
66 degrees · 35.9%
Typical career outcomes
Management Analyst $99k Marketing Specialist $75k HR Specialist $68k
Flexible degree → many paths. Real outcomes depend on the second skill (data, coding, teaching cert).
2. Social Sciences
44 degrees · 23.9%
Typical career outcomes
Economist $118k Political Scientist $130k Sociologist $93k Market Research Analyst $75k
Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.
3. Business, Management, & Marketing
37 degrees · 20.1%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
4. Health Professions
20 degrees · 10.9%
Typical career outcomes
Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k
Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.
5. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
17 degrees · 9.2%
Typical career outcomes
Project Manager $99k Management Analyst $99k Research Analyst $79k
Often paired with another field (data + biology, design + tech). Outcomes match the second discipline.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at University of Virginia's College at Wise

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Criminal Justice and Corrections. Bachelor's Degree $51,193
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree $34,175 $50,029
Psychology, General. Bachelor's Degree $29,209 $44,430
Education, General. Bachelor's Degree $39,659 $41,804

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at University of Virginia's College at Wise

CS degrees (annual)
8
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

University of Virginia's College at Wise vs. another college

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