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2023 Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid

14 Ranked Colleges
2,067 Degrees Awarded
$22,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 66,787 communication and media studies students received their degree, making the major the 10th most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, communication and media studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,115 and had an average of $25,414 in loans still to pay off.

Across Virginia, there were 2,067 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,169 and $28,330 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in communication and media studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality communication and media studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid.

Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in Virginia (With Aid)

1
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid. Virginia Tech is a large public school situated in Blacksburg, Virginia. It awarded 266 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Virginia Tech, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $21,301 for Virginia Communications students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Virginia Tech

2
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and it awarded 446 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

JMU also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend James Madison University is $22,562 for Virginia Communications students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full James Madison University Communication & Media Studies Report

3
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Radford University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Radford is a medium-sized public school situated in Radford, Virginia. It awarded 74 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Radford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Radford is $16,505 for virginia communications students with aid.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Radford

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Virginia Commonwealth University is a public institution located in Richmond, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 258 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at VCU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Commonwealth University is $20,490 for virginia communications students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University

5
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Regent University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid. Regent is a fairly large school located in Virginia Beach, Virginia that handed out 95 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia communications students with aid list, Regent has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $24,888 for Virginia Communications students with aid per year to attend Regent University.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Regent

6
Bridgewater crest
Bridgewater College
Bridgewater, Virginia

Bridgewater College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Bridgewater, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 19 diplomas to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia communications students with aid list, Bridgewater has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bridgewater is $20,457 for virginia communications students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Bridgewater College

7
CNU crest
Christopher Newport University
Newport News, Virginia

Christopher Newport University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Newport News, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communications degrees to 107 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CNU, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Christopher Newport University is $25,855 for virginia communications students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Christopher Newport University Communication & Media Studies Report

8
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 316 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia communications students with aid list, Liberty University has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Liberty University is $29,382 for virginia communications students with aid.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Liberty University

9
Roanoke crest
Roanoke College
Salem, Virginia

With a ranking of #9, Roanoke College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Roanoke College is a small school located in Salem, Virginia that handed out 22 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Roanoke not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Roanoke is $26,997 for Virginia Communications students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Roanoke Communication & Media Studies Report

10
Randolph - Macon crest
Randolph - Macon College
Ashland, Virginia

With a ranking of #10, Randolph - Macon College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Randolph - Macon College is located in Ashland, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Randolph - Macon also took the #6 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Randolph - Macon is $25,551 for Virginia Communications students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Randolph - Macon

11
Virginia State crest
Virginia State University
Petersburg, Virginia

Virginia State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Petersburg, Virginia, and it awarded 58 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Virginia State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $17,237 for Virginia Communications students with aid per year to attend Virginia State.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Virginia State University

12
Marymount crest
Marymount University
Arlington, Virginia

With a ranking of #12, Marymount University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Arlington, Virginia, and it awarded 18 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Marymount not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Marymount is $22,856 for virginia communications students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Marymount University

13
Lynchburg crest
University of Lynchburg
Lynchburg, Virginia

With a ranking of #13, University of Lynchburg did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 20 diplomas to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.

Lynchburg also took the #12 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lynchburg is $23,134 for virginia communications students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Lynchburg Communication & Media Studies Report

14
VUU crest
Virginia Union University
Richmond, Virginia

Virginia Union University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Communications Schools in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. VUU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 11 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

VUU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $19,736 for Virginia Communications students with aid per year to attend Virginia Union University.

Full Virginia Union University Communication & Media Studies Report

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