The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission announced an increase in both first-time freshmen and full-time enrollment within the state's public universities, adding to the largest overall enrollment in four years. This growth comes as the state's dual enrollment initiative, LevelUpWV, continues to expand access to higher education for high school students. The dual enrollment program grew by more than 12 percent since Fall 2024, with more than 8,000 high school students across the state now taking dual enrollment courses through LevelUpWV.

"The growth of our dual enrollment program is very promising as we're seeing that once a high school student takes a college course or courses, they are likely to stay enrolled in higher education," said Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia's Chancellor of Higher Education. "The enrollment data is promising, but we know there is still work to be done and that's what keeps us going every day. We will continue to support the programs that make college affordable and attainable for every West Virginia student."

Full-time equivalent enrollment is currently 49,769 students, which is up 2.4 percent from Fall 2024 and is the strongest Fall enrollment since 2021. There were 9,854 first-time freshmen in Fall 2025, which is the highest number since the pandemic. There have also been very positive data trends when looking at our 10-year college graduation rates and retention rates. West Virginia's two-year and four-year institutions have seen steady improvements in both areas. Total headcount enrollment at West Virginia's two-year institutions is up more than 350 students from Fall 2024.

For more information on dual enrollment and financial aid programs available to West Virginia students, visit CFWV.com. Data reports on financial aid and enrollment are available at: https://www.wvhepc.edu/resources/data-and-publication-center/.