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2025 Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia

9 Colleges in Virginia
863 Bachelor's Degrees
$42,225 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in international relations & national security, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #58 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 9 schools in Virginia to determine which ones were the best for international relations & national security students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 863 bachelor's degrees in international relations & national security during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great International Relations & National Security School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia Your choice of international relations & national security for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

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 schools for international relations & national security students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More International Relations Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study International Relations & National Security in Virginia

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in international relations & national security.

Top Virginia Schools for a Bachelor's in International Relations

1
203 Annual Graduates
$46,870 Median Starting Salary
$27,116 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat University of Virginia - Main Campus if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in international relations & national security. University of Virginia is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Charlottesville.

Those international relations & national security students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Virginia - Main Campus receive $4,645 more than the typical international relations grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from University of Virginia - Main Campus

2
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
130 Annual Graduates
$44,638 Median Starting Salary
$52,583 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat Virginia Tech if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in international relations & national security. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg.

International Relations & National Security bachelor's degree recipients from Virginia Tech receive an earnings boost of around $2,413 over the typical income of international relations & national security graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from Virginia Tech

3
166 Annual Graduates
$44,644 Median Starting Salary
$39,466 Median Student Debt

It's hard to beat George Mason University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in international relations & national security. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population.

International Relations & National Security bachelor's degree recipients from George Mason University earn a boost of about $2,419 over the average earnings of international relations & national security graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from George Mason University

4
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA

William & Mary is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in international relations & national security. William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of Williamsburg.

International Relations & National Security bachelor's degree recipients from William & Mary earn a boost of around $5,045 above the average earnings of international relations & national security graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from William & Mary

5

VMI is a small public school located in the town of Lexington.

Bachelor's recipients from the international relations & national security degree program at Virginia Military Institute get $2,204 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from Virginia Military Institute

6
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
82 Annual Graduates
$44,667 Median Starting Salary
$44,801 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the international relations & national security degree program at James Madison University get $2,442 more than the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from James Madison University

7

Old Dominion is a fairly large public university located in the city of Norfolk.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the international relations program earn an average of $33,581 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from Old Dominion University

8
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA

Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Lynchburg.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the international relations program report average early career income of $43,567.

More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from Liberty University

9
Hampden - Sydney crest
Hampden - Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney, VA
14 Annual Graduates

Hampden - Sydney is a small private not-for-profit college located in the rural area of Hampden-Sydney.More information about a bachelor’s in international relations & national security from Hampden - Sydney College

Best International Relations & National Security Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best International Relations & National Security Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 225 793
Georgia 224 443
Tennessee 220 90
North Carolina 213 26
South Carolina 195 59
Kentucky 187 41
Alabama 184 62
Louisiana 171 58
Mississippi 169 58
Arkansas 167 48
West Virginia 147 31

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International Relations & National Security is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

International Relations Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
International Relations 850
Other International Relations & National Security Studies 13

Majors Similar to International Relations

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 1,704
Economics 1,145
Sociology 877
Anthropology 194
Geography & Cartography 176
General Social Sciences 91
Urban Studies 32
Sociology & Anthropology 10
Other Social Sciences 1

Notes and References

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