2023 Best Schools in Virginia
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. Or you may find the programs at a trade school or bootcamp to be a better alternative for you.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Schools in Virginia ranking. Our analysis looked at 57 schools in Virginia to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Schools in Virginia
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named University of Virginia - Main Campus the best school in Virginia for students working on their degree. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 10,004 students in .
On average, students take out $51,768 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, University of Virginia graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $69,126 during the early year of their career.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Virginia Military Institute is a great place for students. VMI is located in Lexington, Virginia and has a small student population. In , this school awarded 359 degrees to qualified students.
On average, students take out $59,811 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from VMI, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $47,915 during the early years of their career.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Virginia Tech is a great place for students. Blacksburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 11,215 students in .
Degree recipients from Virginia Tech accumulate an average of $45,501 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. During the early years of their career, Virginia Tech graduates make an average of $60,004 annually.
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The excellent programs at Randolph - Macon College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Virginia. Randolph - Macon is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Ashland, Virginia. It awarded 404 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $44,482 in student loans. During the early years of their career, Randolph - Macon graduates make an average of $40,317 annually.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend William & Mary. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Schools in Virginia list. William & Mary is located in Williamsburg, Virginia and has a medium-sized student population. In , this school awarded 3,281 degrees to qualified students.
On average, students take out $53,990 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from William & Mary, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $53,338 during the early years of their career.
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James Madison University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Schools in Virginia list. Harrisonburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 5,488 students in .
On average, students take out $45,730 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, JMU graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $52,997 during the early year of their career.
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With a ranking of #7, University of Richmond did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Located in University of Richmond, Virginia, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 1,261 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $63,836 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, URichmond graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $53,815 during the early year of their career.
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George Mason University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in Virginia ranking. GMU is a public institution located in Fairfax, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10,687 degrees in .
Degree recipients from GMU accumulate an average of $40,318 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. During the early years of their career, GMU graduates make an average of $63,131 annually.
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Christopher Newport University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in Virginia ranking. CNU is a public institution located in Newport News, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1,224 degrees in .
On average, students take out $48,592 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, CNU graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $41,656 during the early year of their career.
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Northern Virginia Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. Located in Annandale, Virginia, the large public school awarded 7,362 diplomas to qualifed students in .
Degree recipients from Northern Virginia Community College accumulate an average of $22,345 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. During the early years of their career, Northern Virginia Community College graduates make an average of $40,126 annually.
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Roanoke College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. Roanoke is a private not-for-profit institution located in Salem, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 477 degrees in .
On average, students take out $48,003 in loans while pursuing their degree. During the early years of their career, Roanoke graduates make an average of $33,725 annually.
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Shenandoah University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Schools in Virginia list. Shenandoah University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Winchester, Virginia that handed out 1,242 degrees in .
On average, students take out $56,186 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from Shenandoah, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $62,948 during the early years of their career.
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Eastern Mennonite University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in Virginia ranking. Eastern Mennonite is a private not-for-profit institution located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 405 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $26,840 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, Eastern Mennonite graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $55,325 during the early year of their career.
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University of Mary Washington did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #14 on the list. UMW is a public institution located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1,068 degrees in .
Degree recipients from UMW accumulate an average of $36,268 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.After graduating from UMW, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $43,243 during the early years of their career.
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University of Lynchburg ranked #15 on this year’s Best Schools in Virginia list. Lynchburg is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 970 degrees in .
During the early years of their career, Lynchburg graduates make an average of $107,159 annually.
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With a ranking of #16, Old Dominion University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Old Dominion is a large public school situated in Norfolk, Virginia. It awarded 5,264 degrees in .
Degree recipients from Old Dominion accumulate an average of $28,966 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. During the early years of their career, Old Dominion graduates make an average of $57,131 annually.
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Bridgewater College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. Bridgewater is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bridgewater, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 381 degrees in .
On average, students take out $35,747 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, Bridgewater graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $38,344 during the early year of their career.
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Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in Richmond, Virginia, the large public school handed out 7,409 degrees in .
On average, students take out $33,593 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from VCU, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $57,000 during the early years of their career.
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Radford University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in Radford, Virginia, the medium-sized public school awarded 2,222 diplomas to qualifed students in .
Degree recipients from Radford accumulate an average of $30,520 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.After graduating from Radford, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $47,271 during the early years of their career.
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Marymount University landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. Located in Arlington, Virginia, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 964 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $58,801 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, Marymount graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $58,028 during the early year of their career.
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John Tyler Community College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in Chester, Virginia, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,490 diplomas to qualifed students in .
Degree recipients from John Tyler Community College accumulate an average of $18,313 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.After graduating from John Tyler Community College, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $36,623 during the early years of their career.
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ECPI University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #22 on the list. This fairly large private for-profit school is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and it awarded 3,837 degrees in .
On average, students take out $17,225 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, ECPI University graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $48,429 during the early year of their career.
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Danville Community College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Schools in Virginia list. Danville Community College is a public institution located in Danville, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 715 degrees in .
During the early years of their career, Danville Community College graduates make an average of $44,922 annually.
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Longwood University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Schools in Virginia list. Located in Farmville, Virginia, the small public school handed out 1,150 degrees in .
On average, students take out $43,579 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from Longwood, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $43,800 during the early years of their career.
Full Longwood University Report
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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