by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 32,731 people earned their degree in history, making the major the 23rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, history graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $30,467 and had an average of $23,587 in loans still to pay off.
Across Virginia, there were 1,502 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,994 and $24,301 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,213 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,553 and $27,844 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 39 colleges that offer a degree in history. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular history programs in the United States.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Liberty University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s list. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 198 bachelors’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s list. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 137 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Out of the 39 schools in the Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, William & Mary landed the #3 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, and it awarded 112 bachelors’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s list. George Mason University is a large public school situated in Fairfax, Virginia. It awarded 79 bachelors’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s list. Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 73 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
James Madison University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and it awarded 66 bachelors’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Virginia Commonwealth University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s list. Virginia Commonwealth University is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 64 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.
University of Mary Washington came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking. University of Mary Washington is a public institution located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Christopher Newport University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Newport News, Virginia, this small public school awarded 49 degrees to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Old Dominion University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #10. Norfolk, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 38 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #11, Virginia Military Institute did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s list. VMI is a small school located in Lexington, Virginia that handed out 33 bachelors’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Washington and Lee University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking. Lexington, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, 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 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Longwood University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #13. Longwood is located in Farmville, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Emory and Henry College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking. Emory, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Roanoke College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking. Roanoke is a small school located in Salem, Virginia that handed out 21 bachelors’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Hampden - Sydney College ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s list. Hampden - Sydney is a small school located in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia that handed out 21 bachelors’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Radford University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s list. Radford is a public institution located in Radford, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Norfolk State University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking. Norfolk State University is a public institution located in Norfolk, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Richmond came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in University of Richmond, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 1.9% 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%.
Randolph College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 13 students 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
The University of Virginia’s College at Wise came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in Wise, Virginia, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on History at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise
With a ranking of #22, Bridgewater College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Bridgewater, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 degrees to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2020-2021.
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%.
Regent University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking. Regent is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It awarded 11 bachelors’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
Virginia Wesleyan University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s ranking. Virginia Wesleyan University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It awarded 10 bachelors’s history degrees in 2020-2021.
Randolph - Macon College ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended History Major in Virginia for a Bachelor’s list. Randolph - Macon College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ashland, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 our data sources and methodologies
