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2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid

14 Ranked Colleges
2,389 Degrees Awarded
$21,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor's in Virginia For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 3rd of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 559,661 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, liberal arts / sciences and humanities 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 / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,389 liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts / sciences and humanities. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the liberal arts / sciences and humanities program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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 / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid.

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in Virginia (With Aid)

#1

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #1 spot on the list. James Madison University is a large school located in Harrisonburg, Virginia that handed out 290 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

JMU also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $22,169 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid per year to attend JMU.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at James Madison University

#2

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 #2 for the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 377 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

GMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend George Mason University is $21,048 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at GMU

#3

Longwood University

Farmville, Virginia
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Longwood University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Longwood is a small school located in Farmville, Virginia that handed out 121 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Longwood did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $19,462 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid per year to attend Longwood.

Full Longwood Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#4

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, Virginia
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bridgewater College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Bridgewater, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

Bridgewater not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bridgewater College is $17,929 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Bridgewater

#5

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, Virginia
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Mary Washington. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid. This small school is located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and it awarded 129 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

UMW did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend UMW is $21,907 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

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 / Sciences & Humanities at UMW

#6

Virginia State University

Petersburg, Virginia
#8 in overall quality

Virginia State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. This small school is located in Petersburg, Virginia, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid list, Virginia State has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia State is $16,970 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Virginia State

#7

Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#7 in overall quality

Eastern Mennonite University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid list, Eastern Mennonite has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Mennonite is $23,763 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

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 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#8

Mary Baldwin University

Staunton, Virginia
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Mary Baldwin University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Staunton, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 36 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid list, Mary Baldwin has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mary Baldwin is $16,982 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Mary Baldwin University

#9

University of Richmond

University of Richmond, Virginia
#4 in overall quality

University of Richmond landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in University of Richmond, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

URichmond also took the #4 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for URichmond is $25,838 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Richmond

#10

Ferrum College

Ferrum, Virginia
#9 in overall quality

Ferrum College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. Ferrum, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

Ferrum College also took the #9 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ferrum College is $22,159 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

Full Ferrum College Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#11

Southern Virginia University

Buena Vista, Virginia
#14 in overall quality

Southern Virginia University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Buena Vista, Virginia, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid list, SVU has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Virginia University is $19,000 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Southern Virginia University

#12

Averett University

Danville, Virginia
#12 in overall quality

Averett University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking. Averett University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Danville, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

AU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for AU is $23,516 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students with aid.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at AU

#13

Marymount University

Arlington, Virginia
#11 in overall quality

Marymount University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking. Arlington, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

Marymount not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Marymount is $26,078 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 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%.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Marymount University

#14

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia
#10 in overall quality

Liberty University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 94 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

Liberty University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Liberty University is $28,903 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.

Full Liberty University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

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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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