2023 Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia
9
Ranked Colleges
918
Degrees Awarded
$17,000
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
General Education is the 31st most popular major in the country with 29,810 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across Virginia, there were 918 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer a degree in general education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general education programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the general education program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank General Education Schools
The general education 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 “Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 9 Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general education degrees to 159 students in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia also made our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $12,476 for Virginia General Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Virginia.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 General Education at University of Virginia
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #2 spot on the list. JMU is a public institution located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 295 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
JMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend JMU is $14,288 for virginia general education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about General Education at JMU
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Commonwealth University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. Virginia Commonwealth University is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 116 ’s general education degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our virginia general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, VCU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $14,507 for virginia general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend VCU.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full VCU General Education Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Mary Washington. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. UMW is a small school located in Fredericksburg, Virginia that handed out 75 ’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, UMW has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMW is $14,589 for virginia general education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at University of Mary Washington
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fairfax, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general education degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.
GMU also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $14,781 for Virginia General Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend George Mason University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full George Mason University General Education Report
With a ranking of #6, Radford University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Radford University is a public institution located in Radford, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Radford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Radford is $11,420 for Virginia General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on General Education at Radford
Longwood University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Longwood is a small school located in Farmville, Virginia that handed out 75 ’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
Longwood not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Longwood University is $14,071 for virginia general education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 General Education at Longwood
Shenandoah University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Winchester, Virginia, and it awarded 24 ’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Shenandoah has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $27,173 for virginia general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Shenandoah University.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Shenandoah University General Education Report
Liberty University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s general education degrees to 93 students in 2020-2021.
Liberty University also took the #5 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $29,786 for Virginia General Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Liberty University.
Read full report on General Education at Liberty University
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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).
- 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
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- 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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