2023 Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia
9
Ranked Colleges
918
Degrees Awarded
$17,300
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 29,810 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 31st most popular in the United States.
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 $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer a degree in general education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general education programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general education program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 9 Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 159 ’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia general education students whose families make $30-$48k list, University of Virginia has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia is $10,063 for Virginia General Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about General Education at University of Virginia - Main Campus
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Harrisonburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s general education degrees to 295 students in 2020-2021.
JMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for James Madison University is $14,985 for Virginia General Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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 General Education Report
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Richmond, Virginia, this large public school awarded 116 degrees to qualified ’s general education students in 2020-2021.
VCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Commonwealth University is $15,891 for Virginia General Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Virginia Commonwealth University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Radford University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k. This medium-sized school is located in Radford, Virginia, and it awarded 38 ’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
Radford also took the #9 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Radford University is $13,026 for virginia general education students whose families make $30-$48k.
Full Radford General Education Report
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Mary Washington landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Mary Washington is a public institution located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 75 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UMW did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMW is $16,459 for virginia general education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 full report on General Education at University of Mary Washington
George Mason University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. George Mason University is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s general education degrees to qualified students.
GMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend George Mason University is $15,979 for virginia general education students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full George Mason University General Education Report
With a ranking of #7, Longwood University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Longwood is a public institution located in Farmville, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 75 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Longwood did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Longwood University is $14,936 for Virginia General Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Longwood
Shenandoah University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Shenandoah is a small school located in Winchester, Virginia that handed out 24 ’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
Shenandoah also made our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Shenandoah University is $26,784 for Virginia General Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
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. 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%.
Read more about General Education at Shenandoah
Liberty University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Liberty University is a large school located in Lynchburg, Virginia that handed out 93 ’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
Liberty University also took the #5 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Liberty University is $27,251 for Virginia General Education students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about General Education at Liberty University
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
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
- Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.