East Hall · Photo: Harper1040 · CC BY-SA 4.0Institute is a college town: 43 of every 100 residents are students
West Virginia State University (2,991 students on campus) is inside the town, and BridgeValley Community & Technical College (1,400) is 4.1 miles from the center, in South Charleston. Across West Virginia, 5 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Institute. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college in Institute
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
What it’s like to live in Institute
How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.
43 of every 100 Institute residents are in college (WV: 5).
How students change Institute’s other numbers
Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →
Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 21.2% of Institute residents are below the poverty line, 19.3% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 25 points either way). 53% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.
The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (43% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.
CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Institute’s median age is 26.8 (West Virginia 42.7), so the adult figures describe a young population.
Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.
Colleges within 15 miles of Institute
Two private colleges within 8.7 miles, one public college within 0.1 miles, and BridgeValley Community & Technical College 4.1 miles away.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $30–48k, where Institute’s median household income ($42,315) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Institute: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: West Virginia Junior College-Charleston (2).
What students study in Institute
Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at West Virginia State University, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.
Biggest programs
College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.
Questions about college in Institute
Is Institute a college town?
Yes. 43 of every 100 Institute residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 5 across West Virginia. West Virginia State University has 2,991 students on campus, next to 521 residents.
What colleges are in Institute?
West Virginia State University is inside the town. BridgeValley Community & Technical College is 4.1 miles from the center, in South Charleston.
Why is Institute’s poverty rate so high?
Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 21.2% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 19.3% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 25 points).
What is the closest community college to Institute, and what does it cost?
BridgeValley Community & Technical College in South Charleston, 4.1 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,800 a year for West Virginia residents; the federal net price, $4,565, counts housing and food at full cost.
How hard is it to get into West Virginia State University?
West Virginia State University admitted 96% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 760–1,040 on the SAT.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Institute. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →