West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission

Name

West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission

Legal name

West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission

Website

https://wvhepc.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission is a state government agency that coordinates policy, administers over $100 million annually in state financial aid, and oversees West Virginia's 12 four-year public college and university campuses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

State Higher Education Policy Administration

NAICS

Administration of Education Programs (92311), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Higher Education Regulators & Tertiary Education Commissions (EDADAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Government Student Financial Aid Agencies (EDADAHAA)

Keywords

• Higher education policy
• State financial aid administration
• College planning services
• Public university oversight
• Workforce credential programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Charleston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. State Appropriations and Budget: The Commission operates as a state government agency funded through West Virginia state appropriations and legislative funding. It develops and oversees public policy agenda for West Virginia's four-year colleges and universities.
2. State Financial Aid Programs Administration: Administers state-level financial aid programs totaling more than $100 million annually including Promise Scholarship, Higher Education Grant Program, Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars, WV STEM Scholarship, and other specialized programs.
3. SARA Institution Fees: Administers SARA (State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement) program with fees: $500 state application fee plus annual NC-SARA fees based on FTE enrollment ($2,200-$8,800 depending on institution size).
4. Student Loan Servicing: Manages federal student loan programs including Perkins Loans and provides loan servicing coordination for West Virginia institutions and students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission is a state government agency that develops and oversees the public policy agenda for West Virginia's four-year colleges and universities, coordinating academic affairs, finance, financial aid, and regulatory functions across 12 public campuses. It administers more than $100 million annually in state-level financial aid programs (Promise Scholarship, Higher Education Grant Program, Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars, WV STEM Scholarship) and operates the CFWV.com college planning portal serving students and families statewide.

Product overview

The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission oversees the state's four-year public higher education system, operating primarily as a coordinating and policy body rather than a technology product company. Its main offerings include: College for West Virginia (CFWV.com), a comprehensive college planning portal administering over $100 million annually in state financial aid; financial aid programs including the Promise Scholarship (up to $5,500/year), Higher Education Grant Program (up to $3,400/year), Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars ($40,000 total), and WV STEM Scholarship; Open Learning West Virginia and OER Challenge Grants providing low-cost educational resources ($7.75M+ student savings since 2021); Credential WV and microcredential initiatives; LevelUpWV dual enrollment; West Virginia-Ireland Education Alliance; Appalachian Care Chronicles podcast; and various policy initiatives including SARA. The Commission works with 12 four-year public campuses to achieve the state's goal of 60% workforce credential attainment by 2030.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CFWV.com: State's postsecondary planning centerpiece - free college- and career-planning website offering state financial aid information, college application services, career exploration, and ACT/SAT test prep.
• Open Learning West Virginia
• Credential WV
• LevelUpWV
• WV Climb
• Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars Program
• Appalachian Care Chronicles
• West Virginia Collaborative to Advance Learning Mobility (WV CALM)
• West Virginia-Ireland Education Alliance

Products and services

• College for West Virginia (CFWV) Statewide free college- and career-planning website that provides information on state financial aid programs, high school planning timelines, career-matching tools, free ACT/SAT test prep, and direct applications to West Virginia colleges and universities. The portal administers over $100 million annually in state financial aid programs.
• Promise Scholarship Merit-based scholarship for West Virginia high school seniors. Current awardees receive up to $5,500 annually. Requires ACT 21 composite (minimum 19 in each subject) or SAT 1080 total (minimum 510 each in math and EBRW).
• West Virginia Higher Education Grant Program (HEGP) Need-based grant program for West Virginia students. Current awardees receive up to $3,400 annually. FAFSA is required and serves as the application.
• Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars Program Award program providing up to $40,000 total ($10,000 per year) for college education for students committed to becoming West Virginia teachers.
• Open Learning West Virginia State-led initiative providing funding for faculty to adopt Open Educational Resources (OER), which are low- or no-cost course materials. Since Spring 2021, students have saved more than $7.75 million in course material costs.
• Credential WV Statewide microcredential initiative engaging all public two- and four-year institutions to deliver in-demand, job-aligned knowledge and skills through redesigned curricula, new credential types, and shared quality standards.
• LevelUpWV Dual enrollment initiative expanding access to higher education for high school students, allowing them to earn college credits while still in high school.
• State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) National agreement establishing comparable standards for interstate postsecondary distance education courses and programs. West Virginia joined SARA in October 2014 through the Southern Regional Education Board Compact.
• Regents Bachelor of Arts (RBA) Degree Flexible degree program designed for adult students with work and family commitments, offering credit for prior learning and experience. The program marked its 50th anniversary in 2025.
• West Virginia-Ireland Education Alliance Statewide initiative to strengthen academic, cultural, and workforce connections between West Virginia and Ireland through collaborative partnerships between WV four-year institutions, community colleges, and Irish colleges. Funding available through Implementation-Level Partnerships (up to $50,000) and Development-Level Partnerships (up to $25,000).
• West Virginia Higher Education Data Portal Data and Publication Center providing research, degree inventory, county profiles, and institutional data for West Virginia's two- and four-year institutions.
• Hope Pathways Program Partnership between Hope Gas and West Virginia state Board of Education offering energy industry certifications to high school juniors and seniors at Ralph R. Willis Career and Technical Center in Logan County, with starting salaries up to $80,000 for those earning certifications.
• Txt 4 Success West Virginia's text-message college counseling program providing direct outreach and engagement to students for college access and success.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students saved $7.75 million+ on course materials through Open Educational Resources since 2021
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Hope GasminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2026Hope Pathways program launched at Ralph R. Willis Career and Technical Center in Logan County, offering energy industry certifications to high school juniors and seniors starting next year. Hope Gas CEO noted starting salaries for certain jobs could reach $80,000 for those earning certifications, designed to build a local energy workforce aligned with Governor Morrisey's '50 by 50' energy plan.
• Learning Mobility Collaborative (Education Design Lab)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 February 2026West Virginia joined the LMC to build sustainable, statewide framework making credentials more portable, skills more visible, and transitions more seamless for learners. Supported by Education Design Lab with key partners AACRAO and Strada Education Foundation. Creates WV CALM to establish working groups on micro-credential validation, prior learning assessment, and credential pathway design.
• NC-SARA (National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2014SARA is an agreement among member states establishing comparable national standards for interstate postsecondary distance education. WV participates through the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Compact. HEPC serves as the portal agency responsible for leading SARA activities in West Virginia.
• West Virginia Community and Technical College SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Commission works together with the WVCTCS on the College for West Virginia initiative as the state's postsecondary planning centerpiece, joint financial aid programs, and the shared goal of arming 60% of the state's workforce with a formal credential beyond high school by 2030.
• West Virginia Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with WV Department of Education as part of West Virginia's Climb initiative to increase the state's educational attainment rate, along with WorkForce West Virginia and the private sector.
• WorkForce West VirginiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in WV Climb collaborative effort to increase educational attainment rate through coordination between higher education, K-12 education, workforce development, and private sector.
• West Virginia-Ireland Education AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide initiative to strengthen academic, cultural, and workforce connections between West Virginia and Ireland through collaborative partnerships between WV four-year institutions, community colleges, and Irish institutions. Funding available through Implementation-Level Partnerships (up to $50,000) and Development-Level Partnerships (up to $25,000). Proposals due August 14, 2026.
• Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWV participates in SARA through the SREB Compact. SREB is one of four regional education compacts administering the national SARA program for interstate distance education.
• Academic Common MarketminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSREB program allowing students in 15 southern states (including West Virginia) to enroll in select programs at public institutions in other states while paying in-state tuition rates for specialized programs not available in their home state.
• West Virginia GEAR UPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal TRIO program providing information and support to help West Virginia students succeed in higher education, working to increase college access and success for low-income and first-generation college students.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• College Board: National nonprofit offering college planning, SAT, and financial aid tools that overlap with WV HEPC's CFWV.com portal. Operates at much larger scale as a broad incumbent in the college-access space.
• National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA): National entity overseeing the SARA framework that WV HEPC administers at the state level. Comparable in policy remit over interstate distance education, with broader multi-state scope.

Others

• State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO): National membership association of state higher education executive officers. WV HEPC's Chancellor is a constituent member; SHEEO provides benchmarking, research, and convening services across the same state-coordinator ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Indiana Commission for Higher Education: Indiana's state-level higher education coordinating body with statutory authority over public institutions and administration of state financial aid programs. Directly comparable in function, governance structure, and policy remit to WV HEPC.
• Ohio Department of Higher Education: Ohio's cabinet-level state agency overseeing higher education policy, financial aid administration, and institutional coordination. Closely mirrors WV HEPC's coordinating and aid-administration role at a larger scale.
• Virginia State Council of Higher Education for Virginia: Virginia's statewide higher education policy, planning, and coordinating council. Comparable in administering state financial aid, coordinating public institutions, and publishing statewide higher education data.
• Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education: Kentucky's statewide coordinating body for higher education policy and strategic planning. Comparable mandate to WV HEPC, including statewide attainment goals and oversight of public institutions.
• Tennessee Higher Education Commission: Tennessee's higher education coordinating agency with regulatory authority over public institutions and statewide financial aid programs. Functionally equivalent to WV HEPC in coordinating, funding, and policy oversight roles.

Emerging players

• Education Design Lab: Nonprofit that supports the Learning Mobility Collaborative, which WV HEPC joined in February 2026. Operates in adjacent microcredential and learner-mobility space and partners with WV HEPC on Credential WV and WV CALM.

Regional players

• Southern Regional Education Board (SREB): Multi-state compact through which West Virginia participates in SARA. Operates parallel state-coordination functions at a regional level and is a direct partner of WV HEPC for interstate distance education and the Academic Common Market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wvhepc
• Facebookfacebook.com/HEPCMediaCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/west-virginia-higher-education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission