7
Ranked Colleges
543
Degrees Awarded
$16,800
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value IS Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 18,325 people earned their degree in information science, making the major the 58th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, information science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $59,394 and had an average of $28,852 in loans still to pay off.
Across Virginia, there were 543 information science graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,519 and $37,450 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value IS Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 7 colleges that offered a degree in information science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent information science programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the information science program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value IS Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value IS Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value IS Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k.
Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value IS Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and it awarded 168 ’s IS degrees in 2020-2021.
JMU also took the #1 spot in our “Best Information Science Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend James Madison University is $14,288 for Virginia IS students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Information Science at JMU
Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value IS Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #2 spot on the list. Virginia Commonwealth University is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 193 ’s IS degrees to qualified students.
VCU also made our “Best Information Science Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Commonwealth University is $14,507 for Virginia IS students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 full report on Information Science at Virginia Commonwealth University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value IS Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Fairfax, Virginia, this large public school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified ’s IS students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at GMU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Information Science Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $14,781 for Virginia IS students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend GMU.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Information Science at George Mason University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Radford University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value IS Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Radford is a medium-sized public school situated in Radford, Virginia. It awarded 24 ’s IS degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our virginia is students whose families make $0-$30k list, Radford has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Information Science Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Radford University is $11,420 for virginia is students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Radford Information Science Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Christopher Newport University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value IS Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. This small school is located in Newport News, Virginia, and it awarded 31 ’s IS degrees in 2020-2021.
CNU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Information Science Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $15,862 for virginia is students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Christopher Newport University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read more about Information Science at CNU
With a ranking of #6, Strayer University - Virginia did quite well on the 2023 Best Value IS Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Strayer University - Virginia is a private for-profit institution located in Arlington, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 85 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Strayer University - Virginia, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Information Science Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Strayer University - Virginia is $22,996 for virginia is students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Strayer University - Virginia Information Science Report
With a ranking of #7, South University, Richmond did quite well on the 2023 Best Value IS Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Glen Allen, Virginia, and it awarded 3 ’s IS degrees in 2020-2021.
South University, Richmond also made our “Best Information Science Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend South University, Richmond is $24,079 for Virginia IS students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Information Science at South University, Richmond
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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
- *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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