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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in Virginia

30 Ranked Colleges
2,067 Degrees Awarded
$28,300 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 66,787 communication and media studies students received their degree, making the major the 10th most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, communication and media studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,115 and had an average of $25,414 in loans still to pay off.

Across Virginia, there were 2,067 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,169 and $28,330 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia” ranking, we looked at 30 colleges that offer a degree in communication and media studies. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in communication and media studies.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 “Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia” list to help you make the college 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia

The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia communications students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in Virginia

1
Randolph - Macon crest
Randolph - Macon College
Ashland, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Randolph - Macon College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia list. Randolph - Macon College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Ashland, Virginia. It awarded 41 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 Communication & Media Studies at Randolph - Macon College

2
CNU crest
Christopher Newport University
Newport News, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Christopher Newport University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia list. CNU is a public institution located in Newport News, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 107 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Christopher Newport University

3
Virginia State crest
Virginia State University
Petersburg, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia State University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia. Petersburg, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s communications degrees to 58 students in 2020-2021.

Full Virginia State Communication & Media Studies Report

4
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia. JMU is a large public school situated in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It awarded 446 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full James Madison University Communication & Media Studies Report

5
Randolph crest
Randolph College
Lynchburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Randolph College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia list. Randolph College is a small school located in Lynchburg, Virginia that handed out 10 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Randolph College

6
Longwood crest
Longwood University
Farmville, Virginia

Longwood University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia ranking. This small school is located in Farmville, Virginia, and it awarded 54 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.

Full Longwood Communication & Media Studies Report

7
Bridgewater crest
Bridgewater College
Bridgewater, Virginia

Bridgewater College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #7. Bridgewater College is located in Bridgewater, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Bridgewater Communication & Media Studies Report

8
Roanoke crest
Roanoke College
Salem, Virginia

Roanoke College ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia list. This small school is located in Salem, Virginia, and it awarded 22 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Roanoke College

9
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, Virginia

With a ranking of #9, Regent University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia list. This fairly large school is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and it awarded 95 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Regent

10
VUU crest
Virginia Union University
Richmond, Virginia

Virginia Union University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia ranking. Virginia Union University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 11 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at VUU

11
VWU crest
Virginia Wesleyan University
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Wesleyan University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia ranking. This small school is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and it awarded 14 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Full VWU Communication & Media Studies Report

12

Virginia Commonwealth University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia ranking. VCU is a large public school situated in Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 258 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad 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 more about Communication & Media Studies at VCU

13
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

Radford University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia ranking. Radford is a public institution located in Radford, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 74 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Radford

14
Emory & Henry College crest
Emory and Henry College
Emory, Virginia

Emory and Henry College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia ranking. Emory and Henry College is located in Emory, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Emory & Henry College

15
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Tech landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia ranking. Virginia Tech is a public institution located in Blacksburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 266 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad 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 more about Communication & Media Studies at Virginia Tech

16
Ferrum College crest
Ferrum College
Ferrum, Virginia

Ferrum College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia ranking. This small school is located in Ferrum, Virginia, and it awarded 4 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Ferrum College

17
Lynchburg crest
University of Lynchburg
Lynchburg, Virginia

University of Lynchburg did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #17. Lynchburg is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 20 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Lynchburg Communication & Media Studies Report

18
Hollins crest
Hollins University
Roanoke, Virginia

Hollins University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia ranking. Located in Roanoke, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 4 degrees to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Hollins

19
Marymount crest
Marymount University
Arlington, Virginia

Marymount University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia ranking. This small school is located in Arlington, Virginia, and it awarded 18 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Marymount

20
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

George Mason University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #20. George Mason University is a large school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 179 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

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 undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 George Mason University Communication & Media Studies Report

21
Bluefield College crest
Bluefield College
Bluefield, Virginia

Bluefield College ranked #21 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia list. Bluefield College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bluefield, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Bluefield College

22
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia ranking. Liberty University is located in Lynchburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 316 ’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Liberty University

23
Shenandoah crest
Shenandoah University
Winchester, Virginia

Shenandoah University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #23. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Winchester, Virginia. It awarded 10 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Shenandoah

24

John Tyler Community College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia ranking. John Tyler Community College is a medium-sized school located in Chester, Virginia that handed out 9 ’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at John Tyler Community College

25
Eastern Mennonite crest
Eastern Mennonite University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

Eastern Mennonite University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Communications Major in Virginia ranking. Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified ’s communications students in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.

Full Eastern Mennonite Communication & Media Studies Report

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