Cheap Colleges in Virginia for Out-of-State Students
Out-of-state students pay between $11,440 and $59,512 a year in tuition and fees at the 23 public colleges and universities we rank in Virginia, a gap of $48,072 between the cheapest and the most expensive. This list ranks the non-resident price, not the in-state price.
The median public college charges nonresidents $27,560, $14,775 (116%) above the national median of $12,786 for public colleges. Residents pay a median of $12,548, so the typical out-of-state premium is $15,012, with nonresidents charged 2.2 times the in-state price.
Patrick & Henry Community College ranks first at $11,440, ahead of Paul D Camp Community College ($11,450) and Piedmont Virginia Community College ($11,510).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- All public colleges and universities, 4-year and 2-year (community colleges and state colleges included)
- Ranked by out-of-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 out-of-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 23
- Data period
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- 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 23 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Patrick & Henry Community College Martinsville, VA Public · 2-year | $11,440 | $5,002 | $4,102 | 43% | 1,350 |
| 2 | Paul D Camp Community College Franklin, VA Public · 2-year | $11,450 | $5,012 | $4,126 | 30% | 613 |
| 3 | Piedmont Virginia Community College Charlottesville, VA Public · 2-year | $11,510 | $5,072 | $5,963 | 37% | 3,045 |
| 4 | Virginia Peninsula Community College Hampton, VA Public · 2-year | $11,526 | $5,088 | $7,012 | 34% | 3,941 |
| 5 | Germanna Community College Locust Grove, VA Public · 2-year | $11,648 | $5,257 | $5,541 | 42% | 5,508 |
| 6 | Tidewater Community College Norfolk, VA Public · 2-year | $12,296 | $5,588 | $11,762 | 31% | 12,082 |
| 7 | Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA Public · 2-year | $12,409 | $5,891 | $9,919 | 35% | 33,048 |
| 8 | Richard Bland College South Prince George, VA Public · 2-year | $14,970 | $9,090 | $13,045 | 13% | 894 |
| 9 | Norfolk State University Norfolk, VA Public · 4-year | $21,682 | $10,180 | $15,282 | 36% | 5,392 |
| 10 | Virginia State University Petersburg, VA Public · 4-year | $22,650 | $10,043 | $15,840 | 40% | 5,074 |
| 11 | Radford University Radford, VA Public · 4-year | $25,633 | $12,548 | $14,578 | 49% | 6,038 |
| 12 | University of Mary Washington Fredericksburg, VA Public · 4-year | $27,560 | $14,640 | $20,667 | 67% | 3,566 |
| 13 | Longwood University Farmville, VA Public · 4-year | $27,978 | $15,744 | $19,066 | 61% | 3,015 |
| 14 | University of Virginia's College at Wise Wise, VA Public · 4-year | $28,010 | $11,780 | $9,210 | 48% | 1,101 |
| 15 | Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA Public · 4-year | $31,178 | $16,828 | $23,015 | 73% | 4,365 |
| 16 | James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA Public · 4-year | $31,604 | $14,250 | $23,322 | 80% | 20,888 |
| 17 | Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA Public · 4-year | $33,780 | $12,750 | $14,638 | 45% | 17,514 |
| 18 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 4-year | $37,764 | $15,948 | $24,953 | 86% | 30,923 |
| 19 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA Public · 4-year | $38,688 | $14,220 | $17,915 | 69% | 27,752 |
| 20 | Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA Public · 4-year | $40,109 | $16,945 | $23,433 | 64% | 20,753 |
| 21 | William & Mary Williamsburg, VA Public · 4-year | $51,038 | $25,914 | $19,096 | 90% | 7,055 |
| 22 | Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA Public · 4-year | $52,638 | $21,046 | $17,113 | 79% | 1,527 |
| 23 | University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA Public · 4-year | $59,512 | $21,803 | $21,565 | 95% | 17,597 |
How to compare these colleges
The ranked column is the out-of-state price. The in-state price is shown for comparison, and net price is the average for students who receive aid, measured mostly for in-state students at public colleges, so it is not a good guide to what a nonresident will pay. Many states cut the non-resident rate through regional exchange programs, reciprocity agreements or merit awards, and residency can change after a year of living in the state, so check each college's non-resident aid page before ruling a school out.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Virginia
Cheapest colleges in Virginia
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Best value colleges in Virginia
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Highest graduate earnings in Virginia
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Most affordable private colleges in Virginia
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Same list in nearby states
Cheap colleges in North Carolina for out-of-state students
43 schools
Cheap colleges in Maryland for out-of-state students
26 schools
Cheap colleges in Tennessee for out-of-state students
23 schools
All 60 colleges in Virginia See the national version of this ranking