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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

13 Colleges
$25,862 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,881 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree 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 Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 13 schools in Virginia to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for liberal arts students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

Our analysis found James Madison University to be the best value school for liberal arts general studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Virginia. JMU is a very large public school located in the small city of Harrisonburg.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at JMU are $12,638 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, liberal arts graduates from JMU carry an average student debtload of $22,350. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $416, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

JMU also claimed a spot on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at James Madison University Report

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#2

Virginia State University

Petersburg, VA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Located in the large suburb of Petersburg, Virginia State is a public college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Virginia State are $9,154 per year. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $366.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Virginia State University Report

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#3

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, VA

Out of the 13 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Mary Washington landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Fredericksburg, UMW is a public school with a small student population.

UMW undergraduate students pay an average of $13,800 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from UMW take out $22,480 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $398, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Mary Washington Report

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#4

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

GMU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,119 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, liberal arts graduates from GMU carry an average student debtload of $25,160. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $376, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at George Mason University Report

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#5

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Liberty University is a great value for liberal arts general studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Liberty University undergraduate students pay an average of $16,160 in in-state tuition and fees each year. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $325, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Liberty University

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#6

Southern Virginia University

Buena Vista, VA

With a ranking of #6, Southern Virginia University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. SVU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Buena Vista.

SVU undergraduate students pay an average of $17,960 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, liberal arts majors at SVU accumulate an average of around $22,960 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $173.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Southern Virginia University

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#7

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, VA

Bridgewater College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree liberal arts general studies programs. Bridgewater is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Bridgewater.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Bridgewater are $38,460 a year.

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#7

Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, VA

With a ranking of #7, Eastern Mennonite University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, Eastern Mennonite is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Eastern Mennonite are $39,990 a year.

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#7

Shenandoah University

Winchester, VA

Shenandoah University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Located in the small city of Winchester, Shenandoah is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Shenandoah are $34,490 per year.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Shenandoah University Report

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#10

Mary Baldwin University

Staunton, VA

Mary Baldwin University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Located in the small city of Staunton, Mary Baldwin is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Mary Baldwin undergraduate students pay an average of $31,140 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value 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 13 schools only.

  • 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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