2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Liberal Arts 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 General Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 1st of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 559,661 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.
Across Virginia, there were 14,701 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $24,856 and $15,588 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,389 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in liberal arts general studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent liberal arts general studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the liberal arts general studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts General Studies Schools
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 Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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.
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Richmond. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. URichmond is located in University of Richmond, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
URichmond also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend URichmond is $9,112 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at URichmond
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. JMU is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 290 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
JMU also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $14,196 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend JMU.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. GMU is a public institution located in Fairfax, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 377 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, GMU has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $16,204 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend George Mason University.
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 low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at George Mason University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Longwood University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Farmville, Virginia, and it awarded 121 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, Longwood has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Longwood University is $14,704 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Longwood University
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 Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Mary Washington is a small public school situated in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It awarded 129 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, UMW has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $12,988 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Mary Washington.
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%.
Bridgewater College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Bridgewater, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 16 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
Bridgewater did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $14,220 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Bridgewater.
Ferrum College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ferrum, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.
Ferrum College also took the #9 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Ferrum College is $19,806 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Virginia State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Virginia State is a public institution located in Petersburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Virginia State also took the #8 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Virginia State is $15,586 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Virginia State
Eastern Mennonite University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Eastern Mennonite is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It awarded 18 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Eastern Mennonite did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Mennonite is $22,935 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Mary Baldwin University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Staunton, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 36 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mary Baldwin, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mary Baldwin is $15,218 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Mary Baldwin
With a ranking of #11, Southern Virginia University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southern Virginia University is a small school located in Buena Vista, Virginia that handed out 18 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, SVU has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SVU is $16,192 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Marymount University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Marymount is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Arlington, Virginia. It awarded 8 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees 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 General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $22,212 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Marymount.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Marymount University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Averett University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Danville, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at AU, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $21,385 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend AU.
Liberty University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 94 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
Liberty University also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $27,896 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend 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
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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