2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Virginia
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 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 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 value programs for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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 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 degree in Virginia. Located in the suburb of Annandale, Northern Virginia Community College is a public school with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northern Virginia Community College are $5,565 per year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at Northern Virginia Community College take out is $11,000.
Northern Virginia Community College also claimed a spot on our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Virginia list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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The excellent programs at Southside Virginia Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts / sciences and humanities schools in Virginia. Located in the rural area of Alberta, Southside Virginia Community College is a public college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southside Virginia Community College are $4,695 per year. While working on their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at Southside Virginia Community College accumulate an average of around $5,875 in student debt.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Southside Virginia Community College Report
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The excellent programs at Germanna Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts / sciences and humanities schools in Virginia. Located in the rural area of Locust Grove, Germanna Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Germanna Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,913 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities majors at Germanna Community College take out an average of $9,285 in student loans while working on their egree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend John Tyler Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Virginia list. John Tyler Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Chester.
John Tyler Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,800 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities majors at John Tyler Community College take out an average of $9,125 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at John Tyler Community College Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tidewater Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Virginia list. Located in the midsize city of Norfolk, Tidewater Community College is a public college with a large student population.
Tidewater Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,561 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at Tidewater Community College accumulate an average of around $12,577 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #6, Lord Fairfax Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. Located in the rural area of Middletown, Lord Fairfax Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Lord Fairfax Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,739 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities majors at Lord Fairfax Community College take out an average of $9,132 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Patrick Henry Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Virginia ranking. Patrick Henry is a small public school located in the rural area of Martinsville.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Patrick Henry are $4,720 a year. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities majors at Patrick Henry take out an average of $6,826 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Piedmont Virginia Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Virginia ranking. PVCC is a small public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at PVCC are $4,790 a year. While working on their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at PVCC accumulate an average of around $10,046 in student debt.
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New River Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs. NRCC is a small public school located in the town of Dublin.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NRCC are $4,697 per year. While working on their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at NRCC accumulate an average of around $8,467 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #10, Wytheville Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. WCC is a small public school located in the town of Wytheville.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCC are $4,725 per year. After completing their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from WCC carry an average student debtload of $9,589.
Request InformationBest Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges 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 25 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.