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Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Virginia

2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Virginia

32 Colleges
$27,025 Avg Salary
$13,423 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies School for You

Liberal Arts General Studies is one of the most popular subjects to study in Virginia. With 9,302 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 2nd out of all the majors we track in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

The Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Virginia ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 32 schools in Virginia to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Virginia

The following schools top our list of the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges.

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools

#1

Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, VA

Our analysis found Eastern Mennonite University to be the best school for liberal arts general studies students who want to pursue a degree in Virginia. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, Eastern Mennonite is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, liberal arts graduates from Eastern Mennonite take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Virginia Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Virginia list. Northern Virginia Community College is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Annandale.

On average, liberal arts graduates from Northern Virginia Community College take out $11,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#3

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, VA

The excellent programs at Bridgewater College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts general studies schools in Virginia. Bridgewater is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Bridgewater.

After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from Bridgewater carry an average student debtload of $24,440.

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#4

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Virginia list. JMU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Harrisonburg.

While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at JMU accumulate an average of around $23,243 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $416, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#5

Shenandoah University

Winchester, VA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Shenandoah University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Virginia list. Located in the small city of Winchester, Shenandoah is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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#6

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, VA

University of Mary Washington ranked #6 on this year’s Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Virginia list. Located in the midsize suburb of Fredericksburg, UMW is a public school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at UMW take out is $22,552. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $398, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#7

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

George Mason University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for liberal arts general studies students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at GMU accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $376, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Tidewater Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best liberal arts general studies programs. Tidewater Community College is a large public school located in the midsize city of Norfolk.

Liberal Arts majors at Tidewater Community College take out an average of $12,577 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#9

Mary Baldwin University

Staunton, VA

Mary Baldwin University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for liberal arts general studies students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the small city of Staunton, Mary Baldwin is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at Mary Baldwin accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt.

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#10

Germanna Community College

Locust Grove, VA

Germanna Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Virginia ranking. Germanna Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Locust Grove.

After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from Germanna Community College carry an average student debtload of $9,285.

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Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 7,724
North Carolina 18,234
Florida 64,444
Tennessee 10,186
Kentucky 6,493
South Carolina 4,243
Louisiana 2,864
Arkansas 5,205
Alabama 5,890
Mississippi 5,696
West Virginia 3,558

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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