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2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid

14 Ranked Colleges
2,038 Degrees Awarded
$21,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in Virginia For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

With 365,980 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts is the 2nd most popular major in the United States.

Across Virginia, there were 5,748 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,038 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the liberal arts 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid.

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts in Virginia (With Aid)

#1

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid. JMU is a public institution located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 290 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

JMU also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend James Madison University is $22,169 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at James Madison University

#2

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #2 spot on the list. GMU is a large public school situated in Fairfax, Virginia. It awarded 82 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid list, GMU has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for George Mason University is $21,048 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid.

The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full George Mason University Liberal Arts Report

#3

Longwood University

Farmville, Virginia
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Longwood University landed the #3 spot on the list. This small school is located in Farmville, Virginia, and it awarded 121 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Longwood also took the #5 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Longwood is $19,462 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.

Read more about Liberal Arts at Longwood

#4

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, Virginia
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bridgewater College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Bridgewater, Virginia, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Bridgewater did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $17,929 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid per year to attend Bridgewater.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at Bridgewater College

#5

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, Virginia
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Mary Washington. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid. University of Mary Washington is a small school located in Fredericksburg, Virginia that handed out 83 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid list, UMW has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMW is $21,907 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts at University of Mary Washington

#6

Virginia State University

Petersburg, Virginia
#8 in overall quality

Virginia State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Petersburg, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

Virginia State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia State University is $16,970 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at Virginia State

#7

Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#7 in overall quality

Eastern Mennonite University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Eastern Mennonite is a small school located in Harrisonburg, Virginia that handed out 18 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Eastern Mennonite did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Mennonite is $23,763 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Eastern Mennonite Liberal Arts Report

#8

Mary Baldwin University

Staunton, Virginia
#13 in overall quality

Mary Baldwin University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking. Mary Baldwin is a private not-for-profit institution located in Staunton, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Mary Baldwin also took the #13 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mary Baldwin is $16,982 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.

Full Mary Baldwin University Liberal Arts Report

#9

University of Richmond

University of Richmond, Virginia
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of Richmond did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. University of Richmond is located in University of Richmond, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.

URichmond did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for URichmond is $25,838 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at URichmond

#10

Ferrum College

Ferrum, Virginia
#9 in overall quality

Ferrum College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. Ferrum, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

Ferrum College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Ferrum College is $22,159 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at Ferrum College

#11

Southern Virginia University

Buena Vista, Virginia
#14 in overall quality

Southern Virginia University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Buena Vista, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.

SVU also took the #14 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SVU is $19,000 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.

Full Southern Virginia University Liberal Arts Report

#12

Averett University

Danville, Virginia
#12 in overall quality

Averett University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Averett University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Danville, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

AU also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $23,516 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid per year to attend AU.

Full Averett University Liberal Arts Report

#13

Marymount University

Arlington, Virginia
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Marymount University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid list. Marymount is a small school located in Arlington, Virginia that handed out 8 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Marymount also took the #11 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Marymount University is $26,078 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts at Marymount University

#14

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia
#10 in overall quality

Liberty University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Liberty University is located in Lynchburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 94 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.

Liberty University also took the #10 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $28,903 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid per year to attend Liberty University.

Full Liberty University Liberal Arts Report

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

Footnotes

  • *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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