Ben Franklin Career Center
Dunbar, WV 25064
About Ben Franklin Career Center
Ben Franklin Career Center is a public certificate and vocational school in Dunbar, West Virginia, enrolling about 78 students. Programs focus on certificates and workforce credentials that prepare students for skilled trades and technical careers. The published completion rate is about 86.36% at 150% of normal time. Median earnings about ten years after entry reach about $37,962 among students who received federal aid.
Key findings
- Completion within 150% of normal time is 86.36%.
- Median earnings 10 years after entry are $37,962.
Research findings
Finding
Modeled return on investment at Ben Franklin Career Center is strong.
Estimated ROI reaches about 2706% using Scorecard cost and 10-year earnings fields in this extract.
Interpretation: On this institution-wide model, typical graduate earnings over a decade substantially exceed estimated net education cost.
Limitation: ROI is institution-wide and not program-specific; individual outcomes vary by major, aid package, and labor market.
Cost benchmarks
| Benchmark | Median Tuition | Median Net Price | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Franklin Career Center | — | $3,382 | 1 |
| Public (national median) | $5,512 | — | 1,688 |
| West Virginia (state median) | $9,574 | $9,114 | 36 |
| Rural (locale median) | $14,160 | $18,700 | 1,649 |
| United States (national median) | $11,900 | $17,156 | — |
Compares this campus to school-type, state, and locale medians plus a U.S. national median (College Scorecard–derived). Locale groups campuses by NCES locale type; state tuition is the median published tuition among campuses in that state.
How expensive is Ben Franklin Career Center really?
Key findings
- Average net price runs below the West Virginia median net price.
Evidence: average net price at Ben Franklin Career Center versus state, locale, and U.S. medians.
What undergraduates typically pay
Finding Average net price at Ben Franklin Career Center is $3,382.
Evidence College Scorecard average net price is $3,382 (cost of attendance minus average grant aid for aided undergraduates). That is about $5,732 below the West Virginia median net price. Versus rural campuses, net price runs $15,318 below the locale median.
Method Average net price from College Scorecard; compared with state, locale, and U.S. medians from EDsmart aggregates.
Interpretation Average net price is a stronger institutional cost signal than published tuition because it incorporates grant aid.
Limitation The campus average masks large differences by household income; income-band net prices can diverge sharply from the overall average.
Ben Franklin Career Center: research record
Canonical EDsmart Data findings for Ben Franklin Career Center—costs, outcomes, admissions, and programs—with evidence and methodology notes.
Research findings
Interpretation
The combination of completion and 10-year earnings is a multidimensional outcomes signal; it does not measure educational quality by itself.
Financial profile
Avg. net price
$3,382
Net price by family income
| Income bracket | Avg. annual net price |
|---|---|
| $0–$30,000 | $3,702 |
| $30,001–$48,000 | $1,956 |
| $48,001–$75,000 | $2,568 |
Student outcomes
Share of first-year students returning the following fall.
Graduation rate and 10-year earnings are in the hero strip above; see Graduates for more.
What Ben Franklin Career Center is known for
Top program completions
- Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor18
- Welding Technology/Welder17
- Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician16
- Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training15
- Electrical/Electronics Equipment Installation and Repair Technology/Technician, General14
See earnings & programs for more.
Is Ben Franklin Career Center a good school?
Data-framed fit—not a prestige rating.
Ben Franklin Career Center is a good school for those looking for strong completion alongside solid mid-career earnings.
EDsmart Data does not assign an opinion score; this framing summarizes the strongest Scorecard signals for this campus.
More from the data
Location, control, enrollment, and aid context for Ben Franklin Career Center.
Campus
Location
Dunbar, WV
City / state
- ZIP
- 25064
- NCES locale
- Rural distant
Compared with Rural campuses nationally, net price is about 0.2× the median for Rural campuses ($18,700 median).
Control
Institution type
Public
Control
- Region
- Southeast
Size
Enrollment
78
Total enrollment
- Undergraduate
- 134
- Full-time share
- 85%
Student aid
Debt & aid
- Pell grant share
- 45.90%
Total Cost, Aid & Default
Total Cost of Attendance
Costs include tuition and fees. Room & board, books, and other expenses are additional where not shown.
Tuition vs average net price after aid for Ben Franklin Career Center.
Financial Aid by Income Level
Financial aid distribution by income level.
Student Loan Default Rate
The published 3-year cohort default rate for borrowers at Ben Franklin Career Center was not reported in the College Scorecard extract for this institution.
Cohort default rates account for borrowers who default in the first three years.
Tuition tracker
Published tuition and average net price by reporting year come from the College Scorecard institution file. Values are not adjusted for inflation; missing cells mean the field was not reported or was suppressed for Ben Franklin Career Center in that year.
Reporting years in the table below: 2013–2023 (Scorecard labels refer to the institutional submission cycle).
| Year | In-state tuition & fees | Out-of-state tuition & fees | Average net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | $3,755 | $3,755 | $15,256 |
| 2014 | $3,760 | $3,760 | $14,616 |
| 2015 | $3,833 | $3,833 | $14,279 |
| 2016 | $4,166 | $4,166 | $15,481 |
| 2017 | $5,017 | $5,017 | $13,991 |
| 2018 | $5,430 | $5,430 | $11,189 |
| 2019 | $5,470 | $5,470 | $8,706 |
| 2020 | $6,192 | $6,192 | $11,758 |
| 2021 | — | — | $1,855 |
| 2022 | — | — | −$2,993 |
| 2023 | — | — | $2,161 |
Sticker tuition and net price over time
Where the institution reported separate in-state and out-of-state tuition, both appear. Gaps mean the value was not reported for that year.
College Scorecard reporting-year fields (not inflation-adjusted).
Net price by family income
Brackets follow Scorecard definitions for the series shown (public vs private institution).
Latest income-band net prices available in the processed extract.
How difficult is it to get in?
Acceptance Rate
Acceptance rate data is not available for this institution.
Admissions funnel data is not available for this institution.
Test Scores
Test score data is not available for this institution.
Score distribution is not available for this institution.
Academic Requirements
GPA requirements are not published by this institution. Contact the admissions office for specific academic requirements.
Estimated GPA range is not available for this institution.
Enrollment & Student Demographics
Ben Franklin Career Center reported total enrollment of about 78 students in the latest College Scorecard extract. The student body is about 59% male and 41% female. Enrollment by race and ethnicity includes White (83.3%), Black or African American (10.3%), and Two or More Races (6.4%). About 45.90% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Roughly 52.2% of students are first-generation college students.
Full-Time vs Part-Time Enrollment
84.6% Full-Time Enrollment
The total enrollment at Ben Franklin Career Center in 2024 is 78 students.
Undergraduate enrollment is about 134 students.
Full-time vs part-time enrollment comparison.
Retention Rate over Time
93.2%
2024 Retention Rate
Retention rate measures the number of first-time students who began their studies the previous fall and returned to school the following fall.
Retention rate over time compared to similar institutions.
Enrollment by Race & Ethnicity
Largest share of total enrollment in our College Scorecard extract.
College Scorecard student demographics (total enrollment shares).
Do students complete their programs?
Time to Complete
86.36% 100% Completion Time
86.36% 150% Completion Time
In 2024, 86.36% of students graduating from Ben Franklin Career Center completed their program within 100% "normal time".
Completion rates over time compared to similar institutions.
Completions by Sex (Top Programs)
- Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor: 94% male / 6% female
- Welding Technology/Welder: 88% male / 12% female
- Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician: 100% male / 0% female
IPEDS completions by sex for the five largest programs (aggregate CIPs excluded).
Completions by Race & Ethnicity
Largest group by summed IPEDS award counts across reported programs.
Summed across program completion records in our extract.
Ben Franklin Career Center graduates earn a median of $37,962 ten years after entry
Finding Earnings, debt, and program mix define the financial profile of Ben Franklin Career Center.
Evidence Median earnings 10 years after entry: $37,962. Average net price used in cost models: $3,382.
Method College Scorecard median earnings (10-year), median debt, and EDsmart ROI / payback models using campus net price.
Interpretation Institution-wide ROI and debt ratios summarize campus averages; program choice still drives individual outcomes.
Limitation Salary reflects median earnings ten years after entry; ROI is not program-specific.
Key takeaway Ben Franklin Career Center graduates report median earnings of $37,962 ten years after entry—an institution-wide outcomes signal, not a program guarantee.
Return on Investment
Debt and 4-year net cost vs. cumulative 10-year median earnings for Ben Franklin Career Center.
Top Programs by Completions
Largest 6 programs by IPEDS completions (7 reported codes; aggregate/unknown CIP buckets excluded).
IPEDS award counts for the largest programs at Ben Franklin Career Center.
Employment Outcomes
Median earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after entry for Ben Franklin Career Center graduates.
Institutional resources
Finding: federal finance and Scorecard instructional fields for Ben Franklin Career Center—instructional staffing and expenditure. Compared with state, regional, and U.S. medians from EDsmart Data institutional financials.
Instructional Resources
- Instructional expenditure per FTE: $6,741
- West Virginia median 0.92× the median ($7,346)
- Southeast median near the median ($6,602)
- U.S. median 0.92× the median ($7,288)
Instructional metrics from College Scorecard. Peer medians are campus-level; see the institutional financials deep dive. Detailed non-instructional staff counts are not included here.
Scorecard instructional metrics where reported.
Ben Franklin Career Center at a glance
Ben Franklin Career Center
Ben Franklin Career Center is a public institution in Dunbar, WV.
- Largest programs (IPEDS awards)
- Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and InstructorWelding Technology/WelderHeating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician
- Largest enrollment groups
- White or Caucasian83.3%Black or African American10.3%Two or More Races6.4%
Schools near Ben Franklin Career Center
Other campuses in Dunbar, WV when available, plus nearby institutions in West Virginia.
Similar schools
Peers matched by the same EDsmart outcomes grade (Grade B) within West Virginia, then by similar ownership and admissions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ben Franklin Career Center located?
Ben Franklin Career Center is located in Dunbar, WV.
How much does Ben Franklin Career Center cost?
Reported tuition is N/A and average net price is $3,382 in the latest College Scorecard data.
What explains Ben Franklin Career Center's return on investment in EDsmart Data?
EDsmart Data models ROI using campus average net price ($3,382), completion (86.4% within 150% of normal time where reported), and median earnings ten years after entry ($37,962). High completion and strong mid-career earnings relative to net cost raise modeled ROI; the estimate is institution-wide and not program-specific. Debt-to-earnings ratios, when available, further contextualize borrowing pressure. Limitations include suppressed fields, program mix, and labor-market variation over time.
What is the student body demographics at Ben Franklin Career Center?
Ben Franklin Career Center reports undergraduate enrollment of about 134 students, White (83.3%), Black or African American (10.3%) in federal College Scorecard data.
How many first-generation students attend Ben Franklin Career Center?
About 52.2% of students at Ben Franklin Career Center are first-generation college students.
What do graduates of Ben Franklin Career Center earn?
Median earnings are $28,611 six years after entry and $37,962 ten years after entry.
What is the graduation rate at Ben Franklin Career Center?
The 150%-time completion rate is 86.4% for the cohort reported to the College Scorecard.
Is Ben Franklin Career Center public or private?
Ben Franklin Career Center is a public institution located in Dunbar, WV.
Is Ben Franklin Career Center an HBCU?
No. Ben Franklin Career Center is not flagged as an HBCU in the IPEDS institutional directory.
Is Ben Franklin Career Center a tribal college?
No. Ben Franklin Career Center is not flagged as a tribal college in IPEDS.
Is Ben Franklin Career Center a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI)?
Using a 25% Hispanic enrollment threshold on College Scorecard demographics, Ben Franklin Career Center does not meet that proxy (reported share 0.0%).
Is Ben Franklin Career Center religiously affiliated?
No religious affiliation is reported for Ben Franklin Career Center in IPEDS institutional characteristics.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
- Related geography & profiles
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology & Data Scope
This profile uses institution-level fields from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, merged with IPEDS directory attributes where needed for locale, ownership, and program completions.
Benchmark rows compare this campus to NCES locale-type medians (for example Suburban) from our processed location extract. Implied U.S. medians are derived from locale-vs-national percentage fields in that extract—not a separate national Scorecard table.