2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Virginia
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Social Sciences School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, social sciences was ranked 5th in Virginia. In fact, 7,636 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. 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 Value Social Sciences Schools in Virginia ranking. Our analysis looked at 22 schools in Virginia to see which programs offered the best value experiences for social sciences 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. 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.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Social Sciences Schools
Our analysis found Northern Virginia Community College to be the best value school for social sciences students who want to pursue a degree in Virginia. Northern Virginia Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Annandale.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northern Virginia Community College are $5,565 per year. Social Sciences majors at Northern Virginia Community College take out an average of $11,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Northern Virginia Community College also did well on our Best Social Sciences Schools in Virginia list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Old Dominion University is a great value for social sciences students. Located in the city of Norfolk, Old Dominion is a public college with a very large student population.
Old Dominion undergraduate students pay an average of $10,800 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Social Sciences majors at Old Dominion take out an average of $24,895 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $197, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Virginia list. JMU is a very large public school located in the city of Harrisonburg.
JMU undergraduate students pay an average of $12,638 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Social Sciences majors at JMU take out an average of $20,378 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $448.
In addition to its great value ranking, JMU is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Social Sciences Schools in Virginia list.
Read full report on Social Sciences at James Madison University
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The excellent programs at Virginia Tech helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best social sciences schools in Virginia. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Virginia Tech are $14,174 a year. While working on their degree, social sciences majors at Virginia Tech accumulate an average of around $23,198 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $450.
Virginia Tech did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Social Sciences Schools in Virginia list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Christopher Newport University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Virginia list. Located in the midsize city of Newport News, CNU is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CNU are $14,924 a year. After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from CNU carry an average student debtload of $24,150. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $427.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, CNU also is in the top 15% of our Best Social Sciences Schools in Virginia ranking.
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University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value social sciences programs. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at University of Virginia are $19,785 a year. After completing their degree, social sciences graduates from University of Virginia carry an average student debtload of $18,255. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $386.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, University of Virginia is ranked #1 for overall quality for social sciences in Virginia.
Full Social Sciences at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report
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George Mason University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value social sciences programs. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at GMU are $13,119 a year. The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at GMU take out is $22,401. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $359, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, GMU also did well on our Best Social Sciences Schools in Virginia list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of Mary Washington did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for social sciences students. It came in at #8 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. The average amount in student loans that social sciences majors at UMW take out is $24,746.
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With a ranking of #9, Liberty University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for social sciences students. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Liberty University are $16,160 per year. While working on their degree, social sciences majors at Liberty University accumulate an average of around $25,813 in student debt.
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Radford University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value social sciences programs. Radford is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Radford.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Radford are $11,542 a year. Social Sciences majors at Radford take out an average of $25,414 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Radford University
Request InformationBest Value Social Sciences Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Value Social Sciences Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| North Carolina | 5,208 |
| West Virginia | 788 |
| Mississippi | 722 |
| South Carolina | 1,876 |
| Florida | 8,162 |
| Arkansas | 897 |
| Alabama | 1,640 |
| Kentucky | 1,344 |
| Georgia | 3,932 |
| Tennessee | 2,210 |
| Louisiana | 1,534 |
More Social Sciences Rankings in Virginia
Majors Related to Social Sciences
Social Sciences Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Political Science & Government | 49,282 |
| Economics | 49,055 |
| Sociology | 38,475 |
| General Social Sciences | 18,997 |
| International Relations & National Security | 14,306 |
| Anthropology | 11,415 |
| Criminology | 11,039 |
| Geography & Cartography | 8,526 |
| Other Social Sciences | 2,414 |
| Urban Studies | 1,507 |
| Sociology & Anthropology | 541 |
| Archeology | 339 |
| Demography & Population Studies | 88 |
Majors Similar to Social Sciences
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Education | 327,871 |
| Psychology | 195,678 |
| Communication & Journalism | 120,571 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 55,820 |
| History | 32,731 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 22 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 AndrГ© KГјnzelmann.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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