WVU to Raise Staff Minimum Pay to $15 Hourly

West Virginia University's new $15 hourly minimum for staff takes effect Dec. 27, alongside a 6% increase in staff pay ranges.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Employment

Photograph of a brick walkway climbing a wooded hillside toward a stone academic building under a low winter sun. — West Virginia University will raise its minimum staff pay to $15 an hour effective Dec. 27, up $1 from the previous floor, and lift staff pay ranges by 6%. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

West Virginia University will raise its minimum entry pay rate for staff to $15 per hour effective Dec. 27, up $1 from the $14 minimum implemented June 30, 2024. Staff pay ranges will also increase by 6% across the university.

Why it matters

The increase is an effort to realign university compensation with current market rates. Staff employees below $15 who meet program eligibility requirements will be adjusted up to the new minimum.

The university's new minimum is a $1 increase over the prior $14/hour rate, with an estimated $600,000 cost including fringe benefits, within a $1.349 billion fiscal year 2027 budget that includes a $10 million compensation investment. The stub does not indicate how many of the 3,060 staff employees currently fall below the new minimum.

The players

West Virginia University

West Virginia University is the state's flagship public university, based in Morgantown, with a workforce of about 3,060 staff and 2,355 full-time instructional faculty.

The details

Current staff employees below $15 who meet program eligibility requirements will be adjusted up to the new minimum, and those whose pay falls below their newly adjusted range will move to the minimum of that range. Eligible employees must have an overall performance rating above "unsatisfactory" or "development needed" and must not be on active discipline.

June 30, 2024: The prior $14/hour minimum was implemented.
June 2026: The Board of Governors approved the FY2027 budget with a $10 million compensation investment.
Sept. 14, 2026: President Benson made the case for the increases during the State of the University address.
Mid-December 2026: Employees receiving increases will be notified.
Dec. 27, 2026: The new $15 minimum and salary increases take effect.

Market Landscape

The $15 minimum follows the university's own June 30, 2024 move to $14 per hour and extends that step by one dollar. The adjustment is framed as aligning pay with current market rates, though the source does not compare it to peer institutions.

Eligible staff earning below $15 per hour will see their pay raised to the new minimum, and others will receive increases tied to the 6% range adjustment. Employees should expect notification in mid-December and confirmation on their Jan. 22 pay statement.

The takeaway

Staff whose pay sits near the bottom of their range should confirm their eligibility and watch for the mid-December notice. Changes in pay ranges can shift how future raises are calculated, so reviewing the new range once it is published can help workers plan their budgets.

What happens next

Employees receiving increases based on the new minimum or the 6% market adjustment will be notified in mid-December, and salary increases take effect Dec. 27, reflected on the Jan. 22 pay statement.