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2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

14 Ranked Colleges
2,038 Degrees Awarded
$17,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

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 “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Liberal Arts is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 2nd of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 365,980 degrees were awarded to students with this major.

Across Virginia, there were 5,748 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,038 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the liberal arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia

#1

University of Richmond

University of Richmond, Virginia
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Richmond. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Richmond, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

URichmond also took the #4 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Richmond is $9,112 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%.

Full University of Richmond Liberal Arts Report

#2

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Harrisonburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 290 students in 2019-2020.

JMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $14,196 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend James Madison University.

The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. 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 full report on Liberal Arts at JMU

#3

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. George Mason University is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 82 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.

GMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend GMU is $16,204 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full George Mason University Liberal Arts Report

#4

Longwood University

Farmville, Virginia
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Longwood University landed the #4 spot on the list. Longwood University is a small school located in Farmville, Virginia that handed out 121 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Longwood also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for Longwood University is $14,704 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at Longwood University

#4

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, Virginia
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Mary Washington landed the #4 spot on the list. This small school is located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and it awarded 83 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UMW also took the #3 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMW is $12,988 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 Liberal Arts at University of Mary Washington

#6

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, Virginia
#6 in overall quality

Bridgewater College landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bridgewater is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bridgewater, Virginia. It awarded 16 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Bridgewater also took the #6 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bridgewater is $14,220 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Bridgewater College Liberal Arts Report

#7

Ferrum College

Ferrum, Virginia
#9 in overall quality

Ferrum College landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ferrum College is located in Ferrum, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.

Ferrum College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Ferrum College is $19,806 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Ferrum College Liberal Arts Report

#8

Virginia State University

Petersburg, Virginia
#8 in overall quality

Virginia State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Petersburg, Virginia, this small public school awarded 23 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.

Virginia State also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Virginia State University is $15,586 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at Virginia State

#9

Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#7 in overall quality

Eastern Mennonite University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 18 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.

Eastern Mennonite also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $22,935 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Eastern Mennonite University.

The impressive 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.

Full Eastern Mennonite University Liberal Arts Report

#10

Mary Baldwin University

Staunton, Virginia
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Mary Baldwin University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Staunton, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 36 students in 2019-2020.

Mary Baldwin also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $15,218 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Mary Baldwin.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at Mary Baldwin

#11

Southern Virginia University

Buena Vista, Virginia
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Southern Virginia University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Buena Vista, Virginia, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

SVU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $16,192 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Southern Virginia University.

Read more about Liberal Arts at SVU

#12

Marymount University

Arlington, Virginia
#11 in overall quality

Marymount University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Arlington, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 8 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Marymount, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $22,212 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Marymount.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts at Marymount University

#13

Averett University

Danville, Virginia
#12 in overall quality

Averett University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Danville, Virginia, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, AU has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend AU is $21,385 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Liberal Arts at AU

#14

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia
#10 in overall quality

Liberty University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 94 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.

Liberty University also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Liberty University is $27,896 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Liberal Arts at Liberty University

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

Footnotes

  • *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.

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