Shepherd University
PO Box 3210
Shepherdstown, West Virginia 25443-3210
(304) 876-5212 or 5213, or
(800) 344-5231
FAX: (304) 876-5165
http://www.shepherd.edu
ENROLLMENT
Full-time:
men 1,952/women 2,751
Part-time:
NA
Graduate School:
N/A
FRESHMAN ADMISSION
PROFILE
Number who applied:
1,668
Number accepted:
1,407
Number enrolled:
718
Average SAT scores:
V 540 M 540
Average ACT score:
21
Average GPA:
3.32
Freshman retention rate:
68%
2006-2007 COSTS:
Tuition:
$3,954 (in-state)
$9,834 (out-of-state)
Room and Board:
$5,738
Fees, books, misc.:
$750
FINANCIAL AID:
Freshmen receiving aid:
642
Average financial aid package:
$5,561
FACULTY:
Full-time:
124
Part-time:
171
Ph.D.:
80%
Student-faculty ratio:
19:1
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, West Virginia 25443-3210
Students enter Shepherd's McMurran Hall, the oldest
building on campus. It is named in honor of the college's
first president.
College Description
Shepherd University is located in historic Shepherdstown,
West Virginia, just 70 miles from the nation's capital. Shepherd's location
provides the student with the best of both worlds: a pastoral campus of
gently rolling hills in a small town setting combined with access to the
cultural and educational opportunities that the metropolitan area provides.
Shepherd's 323-acre campus sits atop the bluffs overlooking the Potomac
River.
Founded in 1871, Shepherd University is a public, liberal arts college accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The college's 4,700 students have the choice of more than 135 programs of study including bachelor's degree programs and pre-professional studies through the college and two-year associate's degrees through Shepherd's Community and Technical College component.
Academic Life
The college's four divisions — art and humanities, business and social sciences, education and professional studies, and natural sciences and mathematics — offer degrees in more than 135 fields of study including the Shepherd's newest major, environmental studies.
Shepherd's close proximity to Washington, D.C., led to the development of the Washington Gateway Program, which allows students to take advantage of the wealth of cultural resources and educational opportunities available in the metro area. The Washington Gateway Program also encourages Washington opinion leaders to come to campus for forums and symposia.
Cultural activities on campus are coordinated by the Performing Arts Series at Shepherd (PASS), which stages a dozen theatrical, music, and dance programs and lectures throughout the academic year. Performances are presented at the college's Frank Center for the Arts in the Center's 450-seat theater.
Each July Shepherd is the site of the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF), which is dedicated to producing works by new and emerging playwrights and to cutting-edge theater. In addition to the four productions presented during the run of the festival, the CATF presents concerts, art exhibits, and stage readings.
Campus Life
Shepherd offers many campus organizations — fraternities, sororities, special interest clubs, professional organizations, honor societies, intramural sports, and student government.
The twelve campus residence halls — home to about 1,100 students — are active centers of college life. Facilities available include coed, traditional-style residence halls, or apartment-style suite facilities. Several unique arrangements — what Shepherd calls Life Style Environments — are available including extended quiet hours, alcohol-free, tobacco-free, restricted-visitation living units, and, if a student qualifies, places like the Living Learning Centers and the Honors Center.
Shepherd's four sororities and four fraternities sponsor community-service projects and social activities throughout the year and give students yet another way to form lifelong friendships while they're at Shepherd.
Facilities and Resources
Shepherd's 15 academic and administrative buildings and 11 residence halls are located on 323 acres and are linked by an on-campus shuttle bus.
The Ruth Scarborough Library collection numbers over 350,000 items including print and microtext materials. The library subscribes to 900 periodicals and newspapers. The library's computerized catalog provides access to material throughout the state as well as to the Scarborough collection. Computer research services include several public-use workstations accessing a number of CD-ROM-based local databases. The library also offers on-line computer searching. Since 1971 the library has been a selective depository of federal government publications and regularly receives West Virginia state government publications. The library includes reading rooms, group study rooms, personal computer workstations, and individual study carrels and cubicles. An area for viewing visual materials and a microtrext area are available. The West Virginia Room houses a special collection of printed materials related to state and local history.
Drawing on its location in the lower Shenandoah Valley (only a five-minute drive from Antietam National Battlefield and 10 minutes from Harpers Ferry National Historic Site), Shepherd College has established the Center for the Study of the Civil War. The Center's mission is to promote scholarly research of the Civil War through the development of a database on which will be stored military, socioeconomic, and medical data on Union and Confederate soldiers, sailors, and marines, with the initial research focusing on West Virginia's soldiers. As this data is collected, it will be disseminated via current electronic technologies and through a series of seminars, symposia, and publications.
Athletics/Sports / Coaches Directory
Shepherd participates in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) and holds membership in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II. Men's sports include football, basketball, baseball, golf, cross-country, tennis, and soccer. Women's sports include basketball, tennis, volleyball, cross-country, soccer and softball. Lacrosse is a club sport for men and women.
The college's Butcher Athletic Center, which houses a 4,000-seat gymnasium, indoor tennis courts, indoor baseball/softball practice area, weight rooms, locker rooms, and athletic training areas, was the home of the Washington Wizards preseason basketball training camp. The college has a Wellness Center and swimming pool located in Cree Hall.
Financial Aid/ Scholarships
College scholarships, funded through the Shepherd College Foundation and the Alumni Association, are available to full-time students who excel in their studies. Entering first-year students must have at least a 3.5 grade point average and an ACT composite score of at least 25 (or the SAT equivalent). Scholarships for students who excel in art, music, multicultural leadership, or athletics are also available; department chairs or coaches in the appropriate areas can provide more information.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants ranging from $100 to $600 annually are available to exceptionally needy students. Federal Perkins Loans ranging from $200 to $1,000 annually are available through the federal government and Shepherd to students in good standing who demonstrate need.
Federal Nursing Student Loans ranging from $200 to $1,000 annually are available through the federal government to full- and half-time nursing students. Federal Work-Study, established by the federal government, provides student employment both on and off campus. Institutional employment is often available at Shepherd for students who aren't eligible for Federal Work-Study.
The financial aid application deadline is March 1. Applications that arrive after that date will be considered only if funds are available.
Admission Requirements/ Application
Students may enter Shepherd at the beginning of either the fall, spring, or summer terms. Application priority processing deadlines are: fall semester – February 1; spring semester – November 1; and summer terms – February 1. The application fee is $30. Campus housing applications are due by February 1 for the fall semester or by October 1 for the spring semester.
Shepherd requires that a student complete at least 21 units of high school course work, have a 2.5 average in high school, and score at least 1000 on the recentered SAT or 21 on the ACT.
Although Shepherd doesn't require interviews, it is strongly recommended that students visit the college for an interview and a campus tour. Tours are offered daily in the afternoon from September to April. Additionally, three formal Open House programs are held on Saturdays during September, October, and November and four Saturday Information Sessions are held on Saturday mornings during January, February, March, and April.
