by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 8 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Liberal Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,641 bachelor's degrees in liberal arts to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of liberal arts for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality liberal studies program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for liberal arts students working on their bachelor's degree.
The liberal studies 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 the Best Liberal Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia.
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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts.
George Mason University is a wonderful choice for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from George Mason University
James Madison University is a good option for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from James Madison University
University of Mary Washington is a good choice for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Fredericksburg, UMW is a public university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from University of Mary Washington
Longwood University is a good option for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. Longwood is a small public university located in the distant town of Farmville.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Longwood University
Bridgewater is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Bridgewater.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Bridgewater College
Located in the city of Harrisonburg, Eastern Mennonite is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Eastern Mennonite University
Virginia State is a medium-sized public university located in the large suburb of Petersburg.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Virginia State University
Located in the city of Staunton, Mary Baldwin is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Mary Baldwin University
Explore all the Best Liberal Arts Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 492 | 693 |
| Tennessee | 460 | 404 |
| North Carolina | 453 | 751 |
| Georgia | 453 | 193 |
| South Carolina | 370 | 351 |
| Kentucky | 331 | 291 |
| Alabama | 320 | 163 |
| Louisiana | 306 | 66 |
| Arkansas | 294 | 61 |
| Mississippi | 275 | 155 |
| West Virginia | 223 | 58 |
One of 3 majors within the Liberal Arts General Studies area of study, Liberal Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Individualized Studies | 170 |
| General Studies | 107 |