Bluefield State College: Narrative Description

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BLUEFIELD STATE COLLEGE L-6

219 Rock St.
Bluefield, WV 24701-2198
Tel: (304)327-4000
Free: 800-654-7798
Admissions: (304)327-4567
Fax: (304)327-7747
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site: http://www.bluefieldstate.edu/

Description:

State-supported, 4-year, coed. Part of Higher Education Policy Commission System. Awards associate and bachelor's degrees. Founded 1895. Setting: 45-acre small town campus. Endowment: $7.6 million. Educational spending 2003-04: $3498 per student. Total enrollment: 3,506. Student-undergrad faculty ratio is 17:1. 1,135 applied, 98% were admitted. 9% from top 10% of their high school class, 25% from top quarter, 60% from top half. 38 class presidents, 3 valedictorians, 3 student government officers. Full-time: 2,460 students, 62% women, 38% men. Part-time: 1,046 students, 67% women, 33% men. Students come from 21 states and territories, 11 other countries, 5% from out-of-state, 0.4% Native American, 1% Hispanic, 10% black, 0.3% Asian American or Pacific Islander, 1% international, 46% 25 or older, 6% transferred in. Retention: 53% of full-time freshmen returned the following year. Academic areas with the most degrees conferred: education; engineering/engineering technologies; health professions and related sciences. Core. Calendar: semesters. Academic remediation for entering students, advanced placement, self-designed majors, honors program, distance learning, double major, summer session for credit, part-time degree program, external degree program, adult/continuing education programs, internships.

Entrance Requirements:

Open admission except for allied health programs. Options: Peterson's Universal Application, Common Application, electronic application, deferred admission. Required: high school transcript, minimum 2.0 high school GPA. Recommended: SAT or ACT. Entrance: noncompetitive. Application deadline: Rolling. Notification: continuous.

Costs Per Year:

Application fee: $0. State resident tuition: $3114 full-time, $130 per credit part-time. Nonresident tuition: $6894 full-time, $289 per credit part-time. Full-time tuition varies according to degree level, program, and reciprocity agreements. Part-time tuition varies according to course load, program, and reciprocity agreements.

Collegiate Environment:

Orientation program. Choral group, student-run newspaper. Social organizations: 35 open to all; national fraternities, national sororities, local fraternities, local sororities; 5% of eligible men and 8% of eligible women are members. Most popular organizations: Phi Eta Sigma, Student Nurses Association, Student Government Association, Minorities on the Move. Major annual events: homecoming, Greek Week, Black History Month. Student services: health clinic, personal-psychological counseling. Campus security: 24-hour emergency response devices and patrols, student patrols. College housing not available. Hardway Library with 76,391 books, 706,413 microform titles, 2,453 serials, 341 audiovisual materials, an OPAC, and a Web page. Operations spending 2003-04: $283,454. 358 computers available on campus for general student use. A campuswide network can be accessed from off-campus. Staffed computer lab on campus.

Community Environment:

At the foot of the East River Mountain, high in the Appalachian chain, Bluefield is situated at the southern tip of West Virginia, bordering on the Virginia state line. The city is the commercial and industrial center for the surrounding area. The climate is temperate with a mean annual temperature of 53.7 degrees and an average rainfall of 38.52 inches. Due to a high altitude and low humidity, the city known as "Nature's Air Conditioned City." Bluefield is accessible by airlines, bus lines, and major highways. There are many churches representing most denominations, community health facilities, and major civic, fraternal, and veteran's organizations to serve the community. Local recreation includes nearby Bluestone Reservoir and lakes for fishing, swimming, and boating; municipal swimming pools, golf, a football stadium, tennis courts, softball, and Little Theatre group.

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