by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Liberal Arts General Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 1st of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 556,813 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $28,337 and had an average of $17,430 in loans still to pay off.
Across Virginia, there were 14,893 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,025 and $13,423 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,481 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,553 and $27,844 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia” ranking, we looked at 23 colleges that offer a degree in liberal arts general studies. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their liberal arts general studies program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia”.
Out of the 23 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Wise, Virginia, this small public school handed out 47 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at UVa - Wise
Out of the 23 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Virginia is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 1,289 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees 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%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Virginia - Main Campus
Out of the 23 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Patrick Henry College landed the #3 spot on the list. Patrick Henry College is a small school located in Purcellville, Virginia that handed out 8 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Patrick Henry College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Longwood University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia list. Farmville, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 108 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.
Out of the 23 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Mary Washington landed the #5 spot on the list. UMW is a small public school situated in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It awarded 118 bachelors’s liberal arts 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%.
Full University of Mary Washington Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Mary Baldwin University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia ranking. Mary Baldwin is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Staunton, Virginia. It awarded 33 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Southern Virginia University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #7. SVU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Buena Vista, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Southern Virginia University
Eastern Mennonite University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia ranking. This small school is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees 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%. 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.
Full Eastern Mennonite University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Hampton University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia list. Located in Hampton, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 58 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.
Bridgewater College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia ranking. Bridgewater is a small school located in Bridgewater, Virginia that handed out 18 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Bridgewater College
James Madison University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia ranking. Harrisonburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 263 students 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
George Mason University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia list. GMU is a public institution located in Fairfax, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 357 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Virginia State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia ranking. Virginia State University is a small public school situated in Petersburg, Virginia. It awarded 22 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Virginia State University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Virginia Wesleyan University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia ranking. Located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.
Randolph College ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia list. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 3 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. 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%.
Ferrum College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Ferrum, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 3 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Ferrum College
With a ranking of #17, Emory and Henry College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia list. Emory, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 5 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.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Emory and Henry College
With a ranking of #18, Marymount University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia list. Arlington, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Marymount University
University of Richmond came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia ranking. Located in University of Richmond, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 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.
Full University of Richmond Liberal Arts General Studies Report
University of Management and Technology did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #20. University of Management and Technology is located in Arlington, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full University of Management and Technology Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Shenandoah University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #21. Shenandoah is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Winchester, Virginia. It awarded 7 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees 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%. 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.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Shenandoah University
Liberty University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia ranking. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 69 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Liberty University
Sweet Briar College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #23. Sweet Briar is a small school located in Sweet Briar, Virginia that handed out 0 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Sweet Briar
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
