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2025 Best Social Sciences Schools in Virginia

24 Colleges in Virginia
7,305 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$40,688 Avg Early-Career Salary
Social Sciences is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #5 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual reviewed 24 schools in Virginia to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of social sciences. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 7,305 degrees in social sciences annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Social Sciences School

Best Social Sciences Schools in Virginia The social sciences program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Social Sciences rankings. We derive our Best Overall Social Sciences School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Social Sciences Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Social Sciences
Bachelor's Degrees in Social Sciences
Master's Degrees in Social Sciences
Doctor's Degrees in Social Sciences

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Social Sciences Schools in Virginia list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Social Sciences in Virginia

The schools below may not offer all types of social sciences degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Virginia Schools in Social Sciences

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
989 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$52,493 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat University of Virginia - Main Campus if you wish to pursue a degree in social sciences. University of Virginia is a fairly large public university located in the midsize suburb of Charlottesville. A Best Colleges rank of #35 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.

There were approximately 989 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent year we have data available. Social Sciences degree recipients from University of Virginia - Main Campus earn a boost of approximately $11,804 above the average income of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Virginia - Main Campus

2
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
710 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$45,349 Median Starting Salary

Virginia Tech is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in social sciences. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.

There were about 710 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the social sciences major at Virginia Tech earn $4,660 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Virginia Tech

3
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
407 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$50,524 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat William & Mary if you want to pursue a degree in social sciences. William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of Williamsburg. A Best Colleges rank of #103 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means William & Mary is a great school overall.

There were about 407 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at William & Mary in the most recent data year. Those social sciences students who get their degree from William & Mary earn $9,836 more than the typical social sciences grad.

More information about a degree in social sciences from William & Mary

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
148 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
6.8% Growth in Graduates

Washington and Lee University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in social sciences. Washington and Lee is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Lexington. A Best Colleges rank of #77 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Washington and Lee is a great university overall.

There were approximately 148 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Washington and Lee in the most recent year we have data available. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Washington and Lee University earn $31,049 more than the average social sciences graduate.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Washington and Lee University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
739 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$53,284 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.

There were about 739 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the social sciences program at George Mason University make $12,596 above the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in social sciences from George Mason University

6
URichmond crest
University of Richmond
University of Richmond, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
120 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
9.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize city of University of Richmond, URichmond is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #126 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means URichmond is a great university overall.

There were about 120 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at URichmond in the most recent year we have data available. Social Sciences degree recipients from University of Richmond earn a boost of around $12,135 above the typical income of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Richmond

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
383 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$23,637 Median Starting Salary

Northern Virginia Community College is a very large public college located in the suburb of Annandale. A Best Colleges rank of #205 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Northern Virginia Community College is a great college overall.

There were about 383 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Northern Virginia Community College in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the social sciences program make around $23,637 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Northern Virginia Community College

8
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
421 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
1.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means JMU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 421 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at JMU in the most recent year we have data available. Those social sciences students who get their degree from James Madison University earn $3,870 more than the standard social sciences student.

More information about a degree in social sciences from James Madison University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
424 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
2.6% Growth in Graduates

Old Dominion is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk. A Best Colleges rank of #495 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Old Dominion is a great university overall.

There were approximately 424 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Old Dominion in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the social sciences program report average early career wages of $36,483.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Old Dominion University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
365 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$32,808 Median Starting Salary

VCU is a very large public university located in the city of Richmond. A Best Colleges rank of #189 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means VCU is a great university overall.

There were about 365 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at VCU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, social sciences degree recipients generally make about $32,808 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Virginia Commonwealth University

Best Social Sciences Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Social Sciences Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 38 5,094
West Virginia 38 783
Mississippi 38 722
South Carolina 38 1,873
Florida 38 8,144
Arkansas 38 895
Alabama 37 1,604
Kentucky 37 1,324
Georgia 37 3,895
Tennessee 37 2,193
Louisiana 37 1,518

View All Rankings >

Social Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 1,806
General Social Sciences 1,311
Economics 1,276
International Relations & National Security 1,125
Sociology 912
Geography & Cartography 248
Anthropology 221
Urban Studies 73
Other Social Sciences 11
Sociology & Anthropology 10

View All Social Sciences Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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