2026 Best Value Art Education Schools in Virginia
[Art Education](/majors/education/teacher-education-and-development/art-education/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools to find the best return on investment for art education students.
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2026 Best Value Art Education Schools in Virginia
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in art education, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Art Education Schools
Leading the list is Old Dominion University, our #1 best value for art education in Virginia. Located in the city of Norfolk, Old Dominion University is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,750, with out-of-state students paying around $33,780. Typical student debt for art education graduates is $25,000. Art Education graduates of Old Dominion University earn a median of $57,131 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $25,000 median debt. Old Dominion University admits about 90% of applicants.
A rank of #2 makes George Mason University one of the best values for art education. George Mason University is a very large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $14,220, while out-of-state students pay about $38,688. Typical student debt for art education graduates is $24,250. Soon after graduation, art education degree recipients from George Mason University generally make around $51,115. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 88% of applicants are accepted.
Virginia Commonwealth University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value art education schools. Located in the city of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $16,720, while out-of-state students pay about $39,884. Typical student debt for art education graduates is $26,901. Soon after graduation, art education degree recipients from Virginia Commonwealth University generally make around $34,677. Set against $26,901 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 93%.
A rank of #4 makes Averett University one of the best values for art education. Set in the town of Danville, Averett University is a small private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $38,550. Art Education graduates carry a median of $28,595 in student loans. Art Education graduates of Averett University earn a median of $53,876 early in their careers. Set against $28,595 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 57%.
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 7 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
