Best-Value Colleges in Virginia
21 Virginia 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment - 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price - among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
Quick answer
The best-value college in Virginia is George Mason University, Fairfax - a net price of $14,697 against $76,343 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 5.2×, with a 69% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  George Mason University Fairfax, VA | $14,697 | $76,343 | 5.2× | 69% | $14,316 |
| 2 |  Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA | $15,585 | $77,369 | 5.0× | 82% | $21,366 |
| 3 |  University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA | $18,056 | $86,863 | 4.8× | 95% | $22,431 |
| 4 |  William & Mary Williamsburg, VA | $18,880 | $73,490 | 3.9× | 91% | $26,456 |
| 5 |  Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA | $25,279 | $94,810 | 3.8× | 95% | $71,365 |
| 6 |  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA | $25,808 | $81,698 | 3.2× | 86% | $16,450 |
| 7 |  James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA | $23,550 | $69,954 | 3.0× | 81% | $14,620 |
| 8 |  Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA | $22,310 | $60,509 | 2.7× | 75% | $17,219 |
| 9 |  University of Mary Washington Fredericksburg, VA | $23,821 | $60,613 | 2.5× | 67% | $15,304 |
| 10 |  Hampden-Sydney College Hampden-Sydney, VA | $26,626 | $67,640 | 2.5× | 65% | $57,040 |
| 11 |  Riverside College of Health Careers Newport News, VA | $26,893 | $66,072 | 2.5× | 63% | $16,100 |
| 12 |  Centra College Lynchburg, VA | $24,868 | $60,122 | 2.4× | 100% | $13,430 |
| 13 |  Marymount University Arlington, VA | $28,521 | $67,516 | 2.4× | 58% | $42,986 |
| 14 |  Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA | $25,037 | $58,128 | 2.3× | 65% | $17,490 |
| 15 |  Hampton University Hampton, VA | $25,683 | $59,159 | 2.3× | 56% | $31,512 |
| 16 |  Roanoke College Salem, VA | $25,867 | $58,047 | 2.2× | 66% | $39,208 |
| 17 |  University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA | $34,256 | $76,178 | 2.2× | 88% | $67,840 |
| 18 |  Randolph-Macon College Ashland, VA | $28,145 | $58,448 | 2.1× | 75% | $50,950 |
| 19 |  University of Lynchburg Lynchburg, VA | $27,198 | $56,380 | 2.1× | 62% | $38,150 |
| 20 | CUV Chamberlain University-Virginia Vienna, VA | $44,710 | $92,405 | 2.1× | 100% | $20,845 |
| 21 |  Shenandoah University Winchester, VA | $31,149 | $58,433 | 1.9× | 71% | $37,860 |
How we ranked this
From every Virginia four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price - the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys - highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in Virginia?+
George Mason University in Fairfax has the highest return on investment among Virginia 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $14,697 against $76,343 in 10-year median earnings - an ROI of 5.2× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) - with a 69% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance - a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among Virginia four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “-” and never estimated. GetInto.College does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.