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If you’re seeking for a state rich in modern-day U.S. culture, you could do far worse than trying to enroll to colleges in Virginia. The state was the birthplace of Jamestown. It is the first permanent English settlement in the world. Virginia is also the birthplace of other earlier failed colonization attempts. One of them is the Roanoke Colony.
Virginia is a coastal state. Its largest urban area is Virginia Beach, a city of 438,000 residents. The city locates on the Atlantic coastline as the name implies. Virginia is notable for being the location of the longest pleasure beach in the world.
Besides its breathtaking landscape view, Virginia also provides excellent career prospects for professionals. The state has many major metropolitan areas. People in the northern counties of Virginia enjoy lucrative job opportunities in Washington, D.C. The state’s main career fields include:
- office and administrative help,
- business and financial activities, and
- healthcare
You will read about some of the best colleges in Virginia to enroll in this list. Some are including information about tuition rates for schools and living costs among other important data. Visit the websites of the schools using the embedded links. There you can learn more and find contact details for admissions counselors.
1. College of William & Mary (Williamsburg)
- Estimated tuition fees: $23,628 (in-state) / $46,854 (out-of-state)
- Book and supplies: $1,000
- Living cost: $14,967 (on campus) / $14,967 (off campus)
- Total amount of financial aid (average per student): $20,591 (grants or scholarship aid), $4,778 (pell grants), $5,039 (federal student loans)
Located in the heart of historic Williamsburg, W&M dates back to 1693, making it the United States’ second-oldest institution.
The 8,700 students at the college can choose from several undergraduate and graduate majors. These majors lead to on-demand careers, including business management, global studies and physics. Also, students can take online classes during the summer. They can graduate within as little as three years.
W&M considers all incoming undergraduates to be granting merit-based scholarships for three scholars’ programs.
2. George Mason University (Fairfax)
- Estimated tuition fees: $12,564 (in-state) / $36,024 (out-of-state)
- Book and supplies: $1,278
- Living cost: $15,324 (on campus) / $18,582 (off campus)
- Total amount of financial aid (average per student): $9,518 (grants or scholarship aid), $4,890 (pell grants), $5,190 (federal student loans)
Mason is a public research university based in Fairfax. The college educates over 35,000 graduate and graduate students. Most undergraduate programs offer class sizes of 30 or fewer learners.
Some of Mason’s undergraduate majors include applied science, history and systems engineering. The university offers over three dozen medical science master’s and doctoral degrees. Those make it the ideal option for aspiring nurse practitioners and researchers.
3. James Madison University (Harrisonburg)
- Estimated tuition fees: $12,206 (in-state) / $29,106 (out-of-state)
- Book and supplies: $1,056
- Living cost: $14,920 (on campus) / $14,920 (off campus)
- Total amount of financial aid (average per student): $7,507 (grants or scholarship aid), $4,455 (pell grants), $6,210 (federal student loans)
JMU is located in Harrisonburg. The university offers over 100 undergraduate and graduate degrees, which are spread across nine colleges and schools. This Virginia university’s famous undergraduate majors include industrial design, statistics and education. Prospective graduates can seek JMU for online graduate degrees. These are including as Spanish language or political science.
4. Liberty University (Lynchburg)
- Estimated tuition fees: $22,747
- Book and supplies: $1,372
- Living cost: $16,858 (on campus) / $16,499 (off campus)
- Total amount of financial aid (average per student): $7,550 (grants or scholarship aid), $4,265 (pell grants), $7,526 (federal student loans)
Liberty is an evangelical university in Lynchburg. It provides one of the state’s most comprehensive online education divisions. Some common bachelor degrees at this university include accounting, criminal justice, and elementary education. Most online courses last eight weeks. At six dates during the year, new learners can start their programs.
Degree-seekers who attend on-campus courses can take part in many student life activities. The university hosts more than 100 competitions per year. There, basketball and volleyball are among the intramural sports options. Additionally, the students of Liberty reaffirm their faith through weekly worship services and community service programs.
5. Old Dominion University (Norfolk)
- Estimated tuition fees: $10,680 (in-state) / $30,840 (out-of-state)
- Book and supplies: $1,300
- Living cost: $15,090 (on campus) / $15,090 (off campus)
- Total amount of financial aid (average per student): $7,573 (grants or scholarship aid), $4,550 (pell grants), $7,034 (federal student loans)
ODU offers over 160 degree programs. Across areas such as accounting, communication, and electrical engineering technology, the university also offers hundreds of online bachelor degrees. Besides, ODU offers hundreds of on-campus and online training programs. Those programs improve the compensation opportunities of the work professionals. Some of it are such as advanced clinical practice and energy system engineering.
Opportunities for financial help at this Virginia university include freshman and departmental scholarships. The financial aid counselors of ODU help learners identify and apply for incentives for private scholarships.
6. Radford University (Radford)
- Estimated tuition fees: $11,350 (in-state) / $23,432 (out-of-state)
- Book and supplies: $1,200
- Living cost: $11,895 (on campus) / $12,295 (off campus)
- Total amount of financial aid (average per student): $8,833 (grants or scholarship aid), $4,768 (pell grants), $6,483 (federal student loans)
Radford University dates back to 1910. It is one of the eight colleges in Virginia that grant doctoral degrees. Undergraduate programs at the university have a student-to-teacher ratio of 18 to 1.
Radford offers various support programs facilitating academic achievement and social growth for students. Learners can get mental health services through the Student Counseling Services center.
In-state and out-of-state degree-seekers are eligible for the Red and White Academic Excellence Scholarship.
7. Regent University (Virginia Beach)
- Estimated tuition fees: $18,620
- Book and supplies: $1,000
- Living cost: $10,523 (on campus) / $14,148 (off campus)
- Total amount of financial aid (average per student): $7,801 (grants or scholarship aid), $4,992 (pell grants), $10,721 (federal student loans)
It is a Christian university based in Virginia Beach. Regent offers approximately 8,600 students both online and on-campus programs. This university provides undergraduates with over 130 majors in 10 study areas, including:
- religion,
- divinity, and
- general studies
Regent also offers the vast majority of its online programs for undergraduate and graduate students. Eight weeks of online courses run, making them ideal for students who can learn in an accelerated format.
Merit-based scholarships grant up to $9,000 a year for incoming degree-seekers. Even the university provides qualifying students with need-based grants.
8. Roanoke College (Salem)
- Estimated tuition fees: $45,559
- Book and supplies: $1,000
- Living cost: $16,384 (on campus) / $16,612 (off campus)
- Total amount of financial aid (average per student): $28,570 (grants or scholarship aid), $4,323 (pell grants), $6,618 (federal student loans)
Located in Salem, Roanoke attracts students from all 50 states and 40 countries. Academic programs at the college include 11 pre-professional degrees in various topics.
Aligned with America’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Roanoke provides several majors in Christianity. Moreover, all degree-seekers follow the core curriculum of the institution. The curriculum stresses critical thinking and analytical skills related to the coursework and diverse professions.
9. University of Mary Washington (Fredericksburg)
- Estimated tuition fees: $13,270 (in-state) / $29,696 (out-of-state)
- Book and supplies: $1,200
- Living cost: $14,720 (on campus) / $15,020 (off campus)
- Total amount of financial aid (average per student): $6,429 (grants or scholarship aid), $4,441 (pell grants), $6,363 (federal student loans)
Once a teachers college, UMW now educates about 4,800 students. The classes are conducted both on its Fredericksburg campus and online.
The Honors Program of UMW offers multi-topic courses that allow participants to create a personalized curriculum.
Students may improve their educational experience outside of college. This can be done by either studying abroad or doing an internship. On the other hand, the opportunities for studying abroad include week-long, faculty-led trips on six continents. Also, it includes conventional semester-long programs.
Degree-seekers can complete a credit internship. Additionally, UMW offers internship grants to talented academic students.
10. University of Richmond (Richmond)
- Estimated tuition fees: $54,690
- Book and supplies: $1,100
- Living cost: $13,960 (on campus) / $13,960 (off campus)
- Total amount of financial aid (average per student): $35,406 (grants or scholarship aid), $4,657 (pell grants), $6,251 (federal student loans)
UR hosts five schools that draw interested learners from the following fields:
- arts and sciences,
- business,
- leadership, and other subjects.
Most areas of study in undergraduate degree offer major as well as minor options.
Continuing the UR’s study courses help training professionals in the fields of IT management and human resources. In addition, prospective graduate students can choose from five diploma certificates.
For four years the Richmond Scholars Program has been granting full tuition. UR offers this financial support incentive to all new first-time college students.
Final thoughts
If you are like most high school students, then it can be a little confusing to determine which one of the colleges in Virginia is right for you. Hence, it’s a good idea if you make a list of considerations in choosing the best institution for you. Some of the factors that you should consider on your list include:
- availability of majors,
- affordability,
- location, and
- on-campus facilities.
These factors should be available from your preferred colleges in Virginia to support both your academic and non-academic performance.
All in all, if none of these colleges in Virginia are what you are looking for – or you want to explore another amazing region of the United States – then you can try checking out our list of the best colleges in San Antonio.
