2026 Best Value African American Studies Schools in Virginia
[African American Studies](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/ethnic-studies/african-american-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for african american studies students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value African American Studies Schools in Virginia
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in african american studies, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value African American Studies Schools
Leading the list is Virginia Commonwealth University, our #1 best value for african american studies in Virginia. Virginia Commonwealth University is a very large public school located in the city of Richmond. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $16,720, with out-of-state students paying around $39,884. Typical student debt for african american studies graduates is $26,000. Soon after graduation, african american studies degree recipients from Virginia Commonwealth University generally make around $29,607. Set against $26,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 93% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in african american studies will find it at University Of Virginia Main Campus, which ranked #2. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University Of Virginia Main Campus is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $23,118, with out-of-state students paying around $61,591. Typical student debt for african american studies graduates is $14,100. African American Studies graduates of University Of Virginia Main Campus earn a median of $34,197 early in their careers. Set against $14,100 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 17% of applicants are accepted.
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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 · 5 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.
