General Business/Commerce is of the hottest associate degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #9 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 2 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best General Business/Commerce Associate Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 276 associate degrees in general business/commerce to qualified students.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their associate degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their associate degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to general business/commerce students as compared to other majors.
Major Demand - The number of general business/commerce students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
Student Debt - How much debt general business/commerce students go into to obtain their associate degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized general business/commerce related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for general business/commerce students working on their associate degree.
More Ways to Rank General Business/Commerce Schools
The general business school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best General Business/Commerce Associate Degree Schools in Virginia.
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study General Business/Commerce in Virginia
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for general business/commerce students seeking a an associate degree.
Top Virginia Schools for an Associate in General Business
Liberty University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in general business/commerce. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
General Business/Commerce associate degree recipients from Liberty University receive an earnings boost of about $4,212 above the typical earnings of general business/commerce majors.
Every student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in general business/commerce needs to check out Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach. Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Virginia Beach.
Associate graduates who receive their degree from the general business program earn an average of $30,059 in the first couple years of working.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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).