WV receives low marks in higher ed report - WOWK 13 Charleston, Huntington WV News, Weather, Sports

WV receives low marks in higher ed report

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CHARLESTON (AP) — A report gives West Virginia's four-year college and university system a failing grade for the way its graduates fare in the labor market.

The report was released Wednesday by the Institute for a Competitive Workforce, a nonprofit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

It says bachelor's degree holders in West Virginia earn only $12,700 more and have an unemployment rate only 2 percentage points lower than high school graduates.

The report also says the state does a poor job of retaining and graduating its four-year students, and gives the state a low mark for its "highly restrictive" barriers to innovative higher education providers.

A message left with the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission wasn't immediately returned.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press