2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Virginia
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, liberal arts / sciences and humanities was ranked 4th in Virginia. In fact, 9,302 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
The Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate 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 21 schools in Virginia to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools
Our analysis found Northern Virginia Community College to be the best value school for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students who want to pursue a associate degree in Virginia. Located in the suburb of Annandale, Northern Virginia Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Northern Virginia Community College are $5,565 a year.
Northern Virginia Community College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Virginia list.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Northern Virginia Community College Report
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Lord Fairfax Community College is a great value for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. Located in the rural area of Middletown, Lord Fairfax Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Lord Fairfax Community College are $4,739 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Lord Fairfax Community College also is in the top 20% of our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Virginia ranking.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Lord Fairfax Community College Report
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The excellent associate degree programs at Southside Virginia Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts / sciences and humanities schools in Virginia. Located in the rural area of Alberta, Southside Virginia Community College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Southside Virginia Community College are $4,695 a year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Patrick Henry Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Virginia list. Patrick Henry is a small public school located in the rural area of Martinsville.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Patrick Henry are $4,720 per year.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Patrick Henry Community College Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Piedmont Virginia Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Virginia list. PVCC is a small public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at PVCC are $4,790 per year.
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John Tyler Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students to get a associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. John Tyler Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Chester.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at John Tyler Community College are $4,800 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, John Tyler Community College also did well on our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Virginia list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #7, Tidewater Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk, Tidewater Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Tidewater Community College are $5,561 a year.
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New River Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. NRCC is a small public school located in the town of Dublin.
NRCC undergraduate students pay an average of $4,697 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #9, Wytheville Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. WCC is a small public school located in the distant town of Wytheville.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCC are $4,725 per year.
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Germanna Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs. Located in the rural area of Locust Grove, Germanna Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Germanna Community College are $4,913 per year.
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Request InformationBest Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| North Carolina | 18,234 |
| West Virginia | 3,558 |
| Mississippi | 5,696 |
| South Carolina | 4,243 |
| Florida | 64,444 |
| Arkansas | 5,205 |
| Alabama | 5,890 |
| Kentucky | 6,493 |
| Georgia | 7,724 |
| Tennessee | 10,186 |
| Louisiana | 2,864 |
More Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Rankings in Virginia
Majors Related to Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 556,813 |
Majors Similar to Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Visual & Performing Arts | 149,215 |
| English Language & Literature | 54,635 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 33,333 |
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 27,459 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 19,993 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 21 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Jacques Sablet (Switzerland, Morges, 1749-1803).
More about our data sources and methodologies.