2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in Virginia (With Aid)
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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.
This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts general studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts general studies programs that also have a lower cost than 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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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 Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.
Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in Virginia (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Harrisonburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 290 students in 2019-2020.
JMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $22,169 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid per year to attend JMU.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #2 spot on the 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 with aid list, GMU has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend GMU is $21,048 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The 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 Liberal Arts General Studies at George Mason University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Longwood University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Longwood University is a small school located in Farmville, Virginia that handed out 121 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Longwood did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $19,462 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid per year to attend Longwood.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Longwood University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bridgewater College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid. Bridgewater is a small school located in Bridgewater, Virginia that handed out 16 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Bridgewater also took the #6 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bridgewater College is $17,929 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Mary Washington landed the #5 spot on the list. UMW is a small school located in Fredericksburg, Virginia that handed out 129 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
UMW not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $21,907 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid per year to attend UMW.
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%.
Full University of Mary Washington Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Virginia State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Petersburg, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Virginia State, the school also landed 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 $16,970 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Virginia State
Eastern Mennonite University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Harrisonburg, 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 18 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Eastern Mennonite, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $23,763 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid 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.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Eastern Mennonite University
Mary Baldwin University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Staunton, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 36 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
Mary Baldwin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Mary Baldwin is $16,982 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.
University of Richmond landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in University of Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at URichmond, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for URichmond is $25,838 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Richmond
Ferrum College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Ferrum College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Ferrum, Virginia. It awarded 4 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Ferrum College also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Ferrum College is $22,159 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.
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 Getting Aid list. SVU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Buena Vista, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SVU, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $19,000 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid per year to attend SVU.
Averett University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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.
In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid list, AU has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Averett University is $23,516 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Averett University
Marymount University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Marymount is located in Arlington, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid list, Marymount has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Marymount is $26,078 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Liberty University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 94 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts students with aid list, Liberty University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Liberty University is $28,903 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students with aid.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at 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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