Cheapest Colleges in Virginia
Sticker prices at the 38 four-year colleges we rank in Virginia run from $10,043 to $68,045 a year in tuition and fees, a gap of $58,002 between the cheapest school and the most expensive one.
The 15 public colleges here charge a median of $14,640 a year, $4,700 (47%) above the national public median of $9,940. The 23 private nonprofit colleges on the list charge a median of $36,950, under the $39,582 national private median. Sticker price alone rarely settles the cheapest private option, so check the net price column.
Virginia State University ranks first at $10,043, ahead of Norfolk State University ($10,180) and University of Virginia's College at Wise ($11,780).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
- Ranked by in-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Virginia
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported in-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Virginia has 38
- Data period
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 38 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Virginia State University Petersburg, VA Public · 4-year | $10,043 | $22,650 | $15,840 | 40% | 5,074 |
| 2 | Norfolk State University Norfolk, VA Public · 4-year | $10,180 | $21,682 | $15,282 | 36% | 5,392 |
| 3 | University of Virginia's College at Wise Wise, VA Public · 4-year | $11,780 | $28,010 | $9,210 | 48% | 1,101 |
| 4 | Radford University Radford, VA Public · 4-year | $12,548 | $25,633 | $14,578 | 49% | 6,038 |
| 5 | Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA Public · 4-year | $12,750 | $33,780 | $14,638 | 45% | 17,514 |
| 6 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA Public · 4-year | $14,220 | $38,688 | $17,915 | 69% | 27,752 |
| 7 | James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA Public · 4-year | $14,250 | $31,604 | $23,322 | 80% | 20,888 |
| 8 | University of Mary Washington Fredericksburg, VA Public · 4-year | $14,640 | $27,560 | $20,667 | 67% | 3,566 |
| 9 | Longwood University Farmville, VA Public · 4-year | $15,744 | $27,978 | $19,066 | 61% | 3,015 |
| 10 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 4-year | $15,948 | $37,764 | $24,953 | 86% | 30,923 |
| 11 | Bridgewater College Bridgewater, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $16,090 | — | $17,800 | 51% | 1,400 |
| 12 | Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA Public · 4-year | $16,828 | $31,178 | $23,015 | 73% | 4,365 |
| 13 | Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA Public · 4-year | $16,945 | $40,109 | $23,433 | 64% | 20,753 |
| 14 | Virginia Union University Richmond, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $17,450 | — | $13,235 | 39% | 1,203 |
| 15 | Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA Public · 4-year | $21,046 | $52,638 | $17,113 | 79% | 1,527 |
| 16 | Southern Virginia University Buena Vista, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,280 | — | $22,213 | 36% | 936 |
| 17 | Regent University Virginia Beach, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,650 | — | $19,923 | 56% | 4,729 |
| 18 | University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA Public · 4-year | $21,803 | $59,512 | $21,565 | 95% | 17,597 |
| 19 | Liberty University Lynchburg, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,465 | — | $29,357 | 64% | 50,012 |
| 20 | William & Mary Williamsburg, VA Public · 4-year | $25,914 | $51,038 | $19,096 | 90% | 7,055 |
| 21 | Bluefield University Bluefield, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,770 | — | $25,573 | 22% | 614 |
| 22 | Ferrum College Ferrum, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $28,520 | — | $20,082 | 30% | 699 |
| 23 | Randolph College Lynchburg, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $30,310 | — | $15,921 | 49% | 658 |
| 24 | Hampton University Hampton, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $30,592 | — | $25,319 | 56% | 3,727 |
| 25 | Mary Baldwin University Staunton, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $34,152 | — | $12,756 | 43% | 1,090 |
| 26 | University of Lynchburg Lynchburg, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $36,750 | — | $22,235 | 60% | 1,577 |
| 27 | Shenandoah University Winchester, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $36,950 | — | $30,298 | 69% | 2,116 |
| 28 | Virginia Wesleyan University Virginia Beach, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $37,500 | — | $19,676 | 46% | 1,256 |
| 29 | Roanoke College Salem, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $38,068 | — | $24,503 | 67% | 1,767 |
| 30 | Averett University Danville, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $38,550 | — | $22,925 | 46% | 1,231 |
| 31 | Emory & Henry University Emory, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $39,000 | — | $19,061 | 55% | 1,078 |
| 32 | Marymount University Arlington, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $40,920 | — | $29,137 | 56% | 1,810 |
| 33 | Hollins University Roanoke, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $43,560 | — | $20,896 | 67% | 665 |
| 34 | Eastern Mennonite University Harrisonburg, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $43,920 | — | $24,588 | 57% | 754 |
| 35 | Randolph-Macon College Ashland, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $49,466 | — | $27,866 | 72% | 1,639 |
| 36 | Hampden-Sydney College Hampden-Sydney, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $54,550 | — | $22,400 | 64% | 946 |
| 37 | University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $65,230 | — | $31,309 | 86% | 2,980 |
| 38 | Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $68,045 | — | $23,781 | 94% | 1,881 |
How to compare these colleges
Start with the net price column rather than the sticker price. Net price is the average a student who receives aid pays after grants and scholarships, so a school that ranks lower here can still be the cheaper choice for your family. The out-of-state column applies only if you are not a legal resident of Virginia, and only public colleges charge a separate rate.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Virginia
Cheap colleges in Virginia for out-of-state students
23 schools
Best value colleges in Virginia
33 schools
Highest graduate earnings in Virginia
40 schools
Most affordable private colleges in Virginia
23 schools
Same list in nearby states
Cheapest colleges in North Carolina
47 schools
Cheapest colleges in Tennessee
36 schools
Cheapest colleges in Kentucky
25 schools
All 60 colleges in Virginia See the national version of this ranking