14
Ranked Colleges
2,067
Degrees Awarded
$28,900
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Communication & Media Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 10th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 66,787 degrees were awarded to students with this major. 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.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in communication and media studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality communication and media studies programs as well as strong veteran support.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
The communications 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications”.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications
The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia vets studying communications.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications list. JMU is a large school located in Harrisonburg, Virginia that handed out 446 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.
JMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 842 of the 21,594 students enrolled at JMU were GI Bill® students, of which 464 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,824. During this same period, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full James Madison University Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #2 spot on the list. Virginia Commonwealth University is a large public school situated in Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 258 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at VCU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Virginia Commonwealth University supports 29,070 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 2 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,085. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Virginia Commonwealth University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Virginia Commonwealth University Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Tech landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Blacksburg, Virginia, and it awarded 266 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.
Virginia Tech also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 119 of the 37,024 students enrolled at Virginia Tech were GI Bill® students, of which 108 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,314. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Liberty University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 316 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Liberty University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 93,349 students enrolled at Liberty University, 13,282 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 8,897 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,888. In addition to receiving other benefits, 386 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Liberty University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Liberty University]](/colleges/liberty-university/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications that were part of this year’s ranking, Christopher Newport University landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Newport News, Virginia, and it awarded 107 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CNU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 4,868 students enrolled at Christopher Newport University, 344 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 196 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,614. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, 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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Radford University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Radford, Virginia, this medium-sized public school handed out 74 degrees to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.
Radford also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Radford supports 10,695 students, and 460 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 225 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,142. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
Marymount University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications ranking. Located in Arlington, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 18 degrees to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.
Marymount not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 175 of the 3,294 students enrolled at Marymount University were GI Bill® students, of which 172 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $15,047. In addition to receiving other benefits, 35 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Marymount University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 full report on veteran student life at Marymount]](/colleges/marymount-university/student-life/veterans/)
Regent University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications ranking. Regent is a fairly large school located in Virginia Beach, Virginia that handed out 95 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Regent, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Regent supports 10,483 students, and 1,414 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1,139 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,203. On top of their other funding sources, 42 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
Roanoke College ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications list. Roanoke College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Salem, Virginia. It awarded 22 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.
Roanoke did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 1,920 students enrolled at Roanoke College, 68 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 50 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,471. To help with additional expenses, 26 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 College Veteran Student Life Report
University of Lynchburg came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications ranking. This small school is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and it awarded 20 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.
Lynchburg also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Lynchburg supports 2,692 students, and 180 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 125 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,684. In addition to receiving other benefits, 8 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full University of Lynchburg Veteran Student Life Report
Bridgewater College did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications ranking, coming in at #11. This small school is located in Bridgewater, Virginia, and it awarded 19 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia vets studying communications list, Bridgewater has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 52 of the 1,597 students enrolled at Bridgewater were GI Bill® students, of which 25 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,809. During this same period, 19 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Bridgewater]](/colleges/bridgewater-college/student-life/veterans/)
Virginia State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications ranking. Virginia State University is a small public school situated in Petersburg, Virginia. It awarded 58 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia vets studying communications list, Virginia State has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Virginia State supports 4,020 students, and 368 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 112 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,578. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Virginia State]](/colleges/virginia-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Randolph - Macon College ranked #13 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications list. Randolph - Macon is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ashland, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia vets studying communications list, Randolph - Macon has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 70 of the 1,554 students enrolled at Randolph - Macon were GI Bill® students, of which 52 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,291. During this same period, 34 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Randolph - Macon Veteran Student Life Report
Virginia Union University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Communications ranking. Located in Richmond, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 11 diplomas to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.
VUU also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 1,516 students enrolled at VUU, 22 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 13 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,473. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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Notes and References
References
- 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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
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