by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
With 327,871 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, education is the 4th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $46,202 and had an average of $24,437 in loans still to pay off.
Across Virginia, there were 9,662 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,428 and $28,333 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia” ranking, we looked at 40 colleges that offer a degree in education. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in education.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia education students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Liberty University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia list. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 3,637 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia list. George Mason University is a public institution located in Fairfax, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,351 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 40 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #3 spot on the list. Virginia Commonwealth University is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 734 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
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 Education at Virginia Commonwealth University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Old Dominion University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia. Old Dominion University is located in Norfolk, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 691 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
Out of the 40 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Regent University landed the #5 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and it awarded 454 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
James Madison University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and it awarded 416 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia list. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school handed out 369 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
With a ranking of #8, Radford University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia list. Radford is located in Radford, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 289 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
Virginia Tech landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia ranking. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, this large public school handed out 276 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Longwood University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia ranking. Farmville, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 167 students in 2020-2021.
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%.
William & Mary came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia ranking. William & Mary is a medium-sized school located in Williamsburg, Virginia that handed out 156 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Mary Washington came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia ranking. UMW is a small public school situated in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It awarded 114 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Averett University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia list. Danville, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 92 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #14, University of Lynchburg did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia list. Lynchburg is located in Lynchburg, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 83 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
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.
Shenandoah University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia ranking. Located in Winchester, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 133 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.
Virginia State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia ranking. Virginia State is a small public school situated in Petersburg, Virginia. It awarded 64 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Marymount University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia list. Marymount University is a small school located in Arlington, Virginia that handed out 56 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Christopher Newport University ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia list. This small school is located in Newport News, Virginia, and it awarded 49 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Education at Christopher Newport University
Mary Baldwin University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia list. Located in Staunton, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 48 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #20, Hampton University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia list. Hampton University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hampton, Virginia. It awarded 38 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Emory and Henry College ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia list. Emory, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 38 students in 2020-2021.
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.
With a ranking of #22, Norfolk State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia list. This medium-sized school is located in Norfolk, Virginia, and it awarded 36 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Richmond landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia ranking. URichmond is located in University of Richmond, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 51 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Ferrum College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #24. Ferrum, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 30 students in 2020-2021.
Virginia Union University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in Virginia ranking. Located in Richmond, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 29 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
