Ranked #5 in popularity, general studies is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
College Factual looked at 8 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best General Studies Schools in Virginia ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,402 degrees in general studies during the 2021-2022 academic year.
The general studies program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for General Studies rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for general studies schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
The general studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best General Studies Schools in Virginia.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
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.
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the general studies degrees they offer, see the list below.
George Mason University is a good decision for students interested in a degree in general studies. GMU is a very large public university located in the suburb of Fairfax. A Best Colleges rank of #117 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 64 general studies students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year.
It is hard to beat Northern Virginia Community College if you want to pursue a degree in general studies. Located in the large suburb of Annandale, Northern Virginia Community College is a public college with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #385 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northern Virginia Community College is a great college overall.
There were approximately 1149 general studies students who graduated with this degree at Northern Virginia Community College in the most recent year we have data available.
Tidewater Community College is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in general studies. Tidewater Community College is a large public college located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk. A Best Colleges rank of #1488 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Tidewater Community College is a great college overall.
There were roughly 588 general studies students who graduated with this degree at Tidewater Community College in the most recent data year.
Piedmont Virginia Community College is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in general studies. PVCC is a medium-sized public college located in the suburb of Charlottesville. This college ranks 37th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were approximately 214 general studies students who graduated with this degree at PVCC in the most recent year we have data available.
Located in the suburb of Chester, John Tyler Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1395 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means John Tyler Community College is a great college overall.
There were approximately 171 general studies students who graduated with this degree at John Tyler Community College in the most recent year we have data available.
Hampton is a small private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Hampton. This university ranks 46th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were roughly 7 general studies students who graduated with this degree at Hampton in the most recent data year.
Virginia Western Community College is a moderately-sized public college located in the city of Roanoke. This college ranks 51st out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were approximately 85 general studies students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Western Community College in the most recent year we have data available.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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 the rest 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).
The general studies program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for General Studies rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for general studies schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
