Higher Education Opportunities in West Virginia

There are dozens of institutions of higher education in the great state of West Virginia which provide our citizens with a first-class educational experience. From our world class universities to our highly effective community college system, West Virginia is poised to meet the educational needs of our children for generations to come.

The first steps to continued education can be crucial.  There are many decisions to be made and options are key.  Among these decisions are a career/industry, which college or trade school and how to find financial aid.  A useful resource for West Virginia students faced with these decisions is the College Foundation of West Virginia, or CFWV.  This website includes information and tools for career planning, college planning and financial planning, including how to apply for financial aid, including the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  Visit the CFWV at https://secure.cfwv.com. 

One initiative toward providing opportunities for higher education in West Virginia is the PROMISE Scholarship.  West Virginia PROMISE (Providing Real Opportunities for Maximizing In-State Student Excellence) is a merit-based scholarship program designed to make college affordable to all qualified West Virginia students.  The program provides West Virginia high school graduates meeting certain requirements an annual award of $4,750 or the cost of tuition and mandatory fees, whichever is less.  To learn more or to apply, visit the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission here.

The SMART529 College Savings Plan provides West Virginia families a flexible, affordable way to save for college. Named for the tax code that created them, “529” plans allow parents, grandparents and others to save money through a variety of investment choices. Plan contributions accumulate tax-free and distributions are tax exempt as long as they are applied toward eligible education expenses such as room, board, books and supplies. Distributions can be used at thousands of eligible education institutions nationwide including vocational and technical schools.  For more information on SMART529, visit the website at www.SMART529.com.  Or click here to open a SMART529 account.

Technical and career colleges are another positive choice for West Virginia students.  A local organization, West Virginia Career and Technical Education helps to better prepare students for the world of work and higher education through education programs and training offered at the career and technical education sites throughout the state.  West Virginia Career and Technical Education programs, utilizing over 300 schools, are available to students in every county in the state. Students at secondary, post secondary and adult levels are within easy accessibility of training with a minimum of inconvenience. 

Another opportunity available to West Virginia students is the EDGE program.  It stands for "Earn a Degree • Graduate Early" and it allows students to take high school courses for community and technical college credit. Throught the EDGE program, students can earn an Associate Degree with substantial savings. If you take the right courses in high school, you can save up to $3,000 in college tuition. Students who take the college credit courses available in high school could earn an Associate Degree within one year after high school or along with a high school diploma.

EDGE Initiative
The West Virginia EDGE was established in 2001. EDGE is an acronym for Earn a Degree – Graduate Early and is a by-product of the seamless curriculum initiative that focuses on curriculum alignment between education levels. The alignment process identifies curriculum gaps, eliminates curriculum duplication and sets curriculum mastery levels to pre-determined standards.
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EDGE Handbook
The EDGE Handbook was created to address issues for students who plan to continue their education beyond high school. The handbook addresses the EDGE initiative and provides courses that students can earn community and technical college credit, free of charge, for the duplicated secondary and postsecondary courses identified during the curriculum alignment process.
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EDGE Courses
This section identifies courses that are identified as having an IPSI syllabus available, having an End-of-Course Technical Skills exam available from the WV Dept. of Education - Technical and Adult Education Division, and courses that do not have an IPSI syllabus or an End-of-Course Technical Skills exam available but are being accepted for EDGE credit through articulation agreements.
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In Kanawha County, career technical programs, such as Ben Frankin, that offer electrician, welding, drafting, homebuilding, and practical nursing among many other programs, have a placement rate of almost 100% and  graduation rate of 97%.  Starting at 4:00pm, they offer programs for adults.  Beginning in 2010-2011, 8-10 will have programs as exploratory pre-career technical programs.  All programs lead with free college credits to the community college under the EDGE program if they so desire.

One of Sharon Spencer's top priorities in Charleston is continuing to fight to expand our educational offerings. Working together, we can make West Virginia one of the top college destinations in the country. For more information about our state's great schools, visit the links page on this site.