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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in Virginia

14 Ranked Colleges
2,389 Degrees Awarded
$21,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor's in Virginia

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia” ranking is part of that endeavor.

With 559,661 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts / sciences and humanities is the 3rd most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.

Across Virginia, there were 14,701 liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,389 liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts / sciences and humanities. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts / sciences and humanities 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 / sciences and humanities 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.

More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia.

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in Virginia

#1

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #1 spot on the list. James Madison University is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 290 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, JMU has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for JMU is $22,169 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at JMU

#2

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #2 spot on the list. Fairfax, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 377 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, GMU has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $21,048 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students per year to attend George Mason University.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at George Mason University

#3

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 #3 for the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia. Fredericksburg, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 129 students in 2019-2020.

UMW also took the #3 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $21,907 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend UMW.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Mary Washington

#4

Longwood University

Farmville, Virginia
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Longwood University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. This small school is located in Farmville, Virginia, and it awarded 121 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Longwood also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $19,462 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students per year to attend Longwood University.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Longwood University

#5

Virginia State University

Petersburg, Virginia
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Virginia State University is located in Petersburg, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

Virginia State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $16,970 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend Virginia State University.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Virginia State University

#6

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia
#10 in overall quality

Liberty University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 94 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

Liberty University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $28,903 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend Liberty University.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Liberty University

#7

Southern Virginia University

Buena Vista, Virginia
#14 in overall quality

Southern Virginia University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Buena Vista, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, SVU has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $19,000 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend SVU.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Southern Virginia University

#8

Mary Baldwin University

Staunton, Virginia
#13 in overall quality

Mary Baldwin University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking, coming in at #8. This small school is located in Staunton, Virginia, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mary Baldwin, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mary Baldwin University is $16,982 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Mary Baldwin University

#9

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, Virginia
#6 in overall quality

Bridgewater College landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Bridgewater, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bridgewater, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bridgewater College is $17,929 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Bridgewater

#10

Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#7 in overall quality

Eastern Mennonite University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Eastern Mennonite University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It awarded 18 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Eastern Mennonite also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $23,763 for virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend Eastern Mennonite.

The impressive 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 / Sciences & Humanities at Eastern Mennonite University

#11

Averett University

Danville, Virginia
#12 in overall quality

Averett University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Located in Danville, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

AU also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for AU is $23,516 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

Full Averett University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#12

Marymount University

Arlington, Virginia
#11 in overall quality

Marymount University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. Marymount is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Arlington, Virginia. It awarded 8 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, Marymount has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $26,078 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students per year to attend Marymount.

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 full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Marymount

#13

Ferrum College

Ferrum, Virginia
#9 in overall quality

Ferrum College landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia ranking. Ferrum College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Ferrum, Virginia. It awarded 4 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Ferrum College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Ferrum College is $22,159 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Ferrum College

#14

University of Richmond

University of Richmond, Virginia
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of Richmond did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in Virginia list. This small school is located in University of Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

URichmond not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend URichmond is $25,838 for Virginia Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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 more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at URichmond

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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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