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Best Health Professions Schools in Virginia

2023 Best Health Professions Schools in Virginia

60 Colleges
$48,642 Avg Salary
$22,271 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Health Professions School for You

In 2020-2021, health professions students earned 17,510 degrees and certificates from a Virginia school, making the subject the 2nd in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Health Professions Schools in Virginia ranking. Our analysis looked at 60 schools in Virginia to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Health Professions Schools in Virginia

The colleges and universities below are the best for health professions majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Health Professions Schools

Our analysis found Standard Healthcare Services - College of Nursing to be the best school for health professions students who want to pursue a degree in Virginia. Located in the large suburb of Falls Church, Standard College of Nursing is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

After completing their degree, health professions graduates from Standard College of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $21,015.

Full Health Professions at Standard Healthcare Services - College of Nursing Report

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Eastern Virginia Medical School is a great place for health professions students. Eastern Virginia Medical School is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk.

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#3

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Health Professions Schools in Virginia list. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Sentara College of Health Sciences is a great place for health professions students. Located in the large suburb of Chesapeake, Sentara College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

The average amount in student loans that health professions majors at Sentara College of Health Sciences take out is $24,343. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $155.

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#5

Eastern Virginia Career College

Fredericksburg, VA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Eastern Virginia Career College is a great place for health professions students. Eastern Virginia Career College is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Fredericksburg.

The average amount in student loans that health professions majors at Eastern Virginia Career College take out is $21,277.

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University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for health professions students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Health Professions majors at University of Virginia take out an average of $16,168 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#7

Shenandoah University

Winchester, VA

Shenandoah University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best health professions programs. Located in the small city of Winchester, Shenandoah is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that health professions majors at Shenandoah take out is $31,000.

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#8

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

James Madison University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for health professions students. It came in at #8 on the list. JMU is a very large public school located in the small city of Harrisonburg.

The average amount in student loans that health professions majors at JMU take out is $22,494. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $365, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#9

Centra College of Nursing

Lynchburg, VA

Centra College of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for health professions students. It came in at #9 on the list. Centra College of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

On average, health professions graduates from Centra College of Nursing take out $17,064 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Health Professions at Centra College of Nursing Report

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With a ranking of #10, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on this year’s best schools for health professions students. Located in the midsize city of Richmond, VCU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, health professions graduates from VCU carry an average student debtload of $26,795. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $238.

Full Health Professions at Virginia Commonwealth University Report

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Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Health Professions Schools in Virginia award.

Rank College Location
11 University of Lynchburg Lynchburg, VA
12 Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA

Best Health Professions Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Health Professions Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 18,617
West Virginia 5,590
South Carolina 7,283
Florida 49,046
Arkansas 6,286
Mississippi 6,374
Tennessee 13,576
Louisiana 7,992
Alabama 12,636
Kentucky 10,991
Georgia 15,658

Health Professions Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Nursing 322,592
Health & Medical Administrative Services 89,359
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 84,492
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274
Allied Health Professions 82,308
Public Health 40,596
Health Sciences & Services 35,945
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 29,833
Mental & Social Health Services 29,053
Medicine 28,629
Dental Support Services 26,399
Communication Sciences 22,298
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 20,393
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 18,901
Somatic Bodywork & Therapeutic Services 10,751
Health/Medical Prep Programs 9,210
Other Health Professions 7,984
Dentistry 6,770
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services 6,158
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 5,115
Alternative Medicine & Systems 3,564
Chiropractic 2,658
Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies 2,374
Medical Illustration & Informatics 2,089
Optometry 1,822
Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences 1,775
Ophthalmic & Optometric Support Services 960
Medical Science 909
Movement & Mind-Body Therapies 294
Alternative Medical Support Services 227
Energy & Biologically Based Therapies 68

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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