Best-Value Colleges in Virginia
21 Virginia 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment — 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price — among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
The best-value college in Virginia is Virginia Military Institute, Lexington — a net price of $17,113 against $77,369 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 4.5×, with a 82% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA | $17,113 | $77,369 | 4.5× | 82% | $21,046 |
| 2 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA | $17,915 | $76,343 | 4.3× | 69% | $14,220 |
| 3 | University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA | $21,565 | $86,863 | 4.0× | 95% | $21,803 |
| 4 | Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA | $23,781 | $94,810 | 4.0× | 95% | $68,045 |
| 5 | William & Mary Williamsburg, VA | $19,096 | $73,490 | 3.8× | 91% | $25,914 |
| 6 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA | $24,953 | $81,698 | 3.3× | 86% | $15,948 |
| 7 | Riverside College of Health Careers Newport News, VA | $20,744 | $66,072 | 3.2× | 63% | $17,250 |
| 8 | Hampden-Sydney College Hampden-Sydney, VA | $22,400 | $67,640 | 3.0× | 65% | $54,550 |
| 9 | James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA | $23,322 | $69,954 | 3.0× | 81% | $14,250 |
| 10 | University of Mary Washington Fredericksburg, VA | $20,667 | $60,613 | 2.9× | 67% | $14,640 |
| 11 | Chamberlain University-Virginia Vienna, VA | $33,199 | $92,405 | 2.8× | 100% | $20,785 |
| 12 | Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA | $23,015 | $60,509 | 2.6× | 75% | $16,828 |
| 13 | University of Lynchburg Lynchburg, VA | $22,235 | $56,380 | 2.5× | 62% | $36,750 |
| 14 | Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA | $23,433 | $58,128 | 2.5× | 65% | $16,945 |
| 15 | University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA | $31,309 | $76,178 | 2.4× | 88% | $65,230 |
| 16 | Centra College Lynchburg, VA | $24,868 | $60,122 | 2.4× | 100% | $12,983 |
| 17 | Roanoke College Salem, VA | $24,503 | $58,047 | 2.4× | 66% | $38,068 |
| 18 | Hampton University Hampton, VA | $25,319 | $59,159 | 2.3× | 56% | $30,592 |
| 19 | Marymount University Arlington, VA | $29,137 | $67,516 | 2.3× | 58% | $40,920 |
| 20 | Randolph-Macon College Ashland, VA | $27,866 | $58,448 | 2.1× | 75% | $49,466 |
| 21 | Shenandoah University Winchester, VA | $30,298 | $58,433 | 1.9× | 71% | $36,950 |
How we ranked this
From every Virginia four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price — the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys — highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in Virginia?+
Virginia Military Institute in Lexington has the highest return on investment among Virginia 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $17,113 against $77,369 in 10-year median earnings — an ROI of 4.5× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) — with a 82% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance — a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among Virginia four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.