Higher Education Outcome Report · South

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Virginia Higher Education Outcome Report

Updated continuously · 80 degree-granting institutions graded

Virginia's higher education system is a below-average mobility system. Median 10-year earnings sit at $54,176, +5% vs the national median.

federal & defense
technology & data centers
shipbuilding

138
INSTITUTIONS: $54,176
MEDIAN EARNINGS: ▲ 5% vs natl; $20,419
AVG NET PRICE: 43 / 43
PUBLIC / PRIVATE

OUTCOME GRADE

59/100 · #19 of 50

Virginia At A Glance

State-Level Intelligence

Institutions

80

339,647 students enrolled
Graduates / Year

~51,119

Estimated annual completers
Median Earnings
80th pct

$53,409

10th of 50 states
Mobility Score
39th pct

1.4%

28th of 46 states
Talent Retention
68th pct

76%

First-year retention rate
Value Ratio
30th pct

2.6x

Earnings per net-price dollar

Top Industries Hiring Graduates:

Business
Social Sciences
Healthcare

Executive Summary

Virginia graduates earn a median of $53,409 a decade after entry, 9% above the national state average, ranking 10th of 50 states.
Upward mobility sits mid-pack: the state's institutions move bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 1.4% rate, in the 39th percentile nationally.
Degree production is led by Business and Social Sciences, which together account for 34% of graduates. That diversified mix sets what the state's labor pipeline can supply.
Sciences is the standout sector: graduates earn $60,812, +17.9% versus the national median. That premium points to a real wage advantage rather than sheer volume.
On value, Virginia returns 2.6x earnings per dollar of net price, below average cost-to-outcome efficiency in the country.
The state's strongest mobility engine is Norfolk State University, which moves bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 3.4% rate, the highest in Virginia.

Key Insights

Earnings vs National

+4.9%

Median graduate earnings in Virginia are above the national average by 5%.
Cost vs National

-0.1%

Net price in Virginia is lower than the national average by 0%.
Mobility Rate

-0.3pp

Upward mobility rate is 0.3 percentage points below the national average.
Completion Rate

-2.7pp

Virginia's graduation rate is 2.7 percentage points below the national average.
Best Value

13x

Top value school: Eastern Shore Community College ($32,418 earnings vs $2,495 net price).
Low-Income Access

11.4%

11% of students come from bottom-quintile households, a measure of how open the state's colleges are to low-income students.

Education Output Profile

Business (19% of graduates) and Social Sciences (15% of graduates) dominate Virginia's higher education output. Graduates in the top field earn a weighted average of $52,898.

Business

19%

$52,898 avg
Social Sciences

15%

$57,448 avg
Healthcare

14%

$57,122 avg
Technology

12%

$54,718 avg
Humanities

9%

$45,380 avg

Concentration: diversified HHI: 12

Outcome Performance

Virginia's highest-ROI degree cluster is Trades (Precision Production), where graduates average $40,315 against a net cost of $7,477, a 5.4x return. That's -21.8% vs the national median. At the other end, Transportation produces $46,367 at a 2.4x return, less than half what the top cluster delivers.

Precision Production
5.4x

$40,315 earnings $7,477 net -21.8% vs natl
Mechanic & Repair Tech
4.2x

$40,558 earnings $9,723 net -21.4% vs natl
Construction Trades
3.5x

$42,479 earnings $12,141 net -17.6% vs natl
Culinary & Personal Services
3.5x

$43,874 earnings $12,652 net -14.9% vs natl
Engineering
3.1x

$57,648 earnings $18,789 net +11.8% vs natl
Humanities
2.9x

$51,050 earnings $17,526 net -1% vs natl

State Talent Profile

Three lenses on Virginia's talent pipeline: which fields produce the most graduates, which command the highest earnings, and where high-pay demand outruns local supply.

Dominant Fields

Business & Marketing 19%
Health Professions 14%
Computer Science & IT 11%
Psychology 8%
Social Sciences 7%

Highest-Earning Fields

Engineering $67,379
Social Sciences $59,901
Biology & Biomedical $59,023
Health Professions $57,122
Communications $56,849

Opportunity Gaps

High earnings, low local production — fields where demand may outrun Virginia's graduate supply.

Engineering $67,379 5% of grads
Biology & Biomedical $59,023 5% of grads
Communications $56,849 3% of grads

Mobility & Retention

Opportunity Insights

Virginia's colleges post an average mobility rate of 1.4%, which puts the state in the 39th percentile nationally. 9% of students arrive from bottom-quintile households. Cross-class social connectedness averages 1.57, a proxy for the networks that help graduates convert a degree into mobility.

MOBILITY RATE

1.4%

▼ -0.3pp vs natl

Bottom 20% → Top 20%
LOW-INCOME ACCESS

9%

From bottom quintile
SUCCESS RATE

24%

If bottom 20% enroll
FIRST-GENERATION

36%

First-gen students
TALENT RETENTION

76%

First-year retention
SOCIAL CAPITAL

1.57

Economic connectedness

Mobility Leaders — Institutions Driving Upward Movement

Labor Market Alignment

Virginia's Sciences programs produce graduates earning $60,812, +17.9% relative to the national median.

Business
19% of enrollment

$53,241 +3.2% vs natl

52 schools
Social Sciences
15% of enrollment

$55,949 +8.5% vs natl

40 schools
Healthcare
14% of enrollment

$53,118 +3% vs natl

45 schools
Technology
12% of enrollment

$58,464 +13.4% vs natl

24 schools
Humanities
9% of enrollment

$49,191 -4.6% vs natl

21 schools
Sciences
7% of enrollment

$60,812 +17.9% vs natl

29 schools

Overperforming Sectors

Sciences: +17.9% vs national earnings ($60,812)

Technology: +13.4% vs national earnings ($58,464)

Social Sciences: +8.5% vs national earnings ($55,949)

Institutional Landscape

Virginia's higher education system includes 7 research-oriented, 22 specialized, 12 access-oriented, 39 regional institutions. Each group plays a different role in the state's outcomes.

7

Research Universities
39

Regional Universities
12

Access-Oriented Institutions
22

Specialized Institutions

Research Universities

Access-Oriented Institutions

Cost & Access Corridors

23% of Virginia's colleges charge under $15K net. Graduates of those schools average $42,168 at 10 years.

NET PRICE UNDER $15K

14

23% of schools
Avg earnings: $42,168
NET PRICE $15K–$25K

33

54% of schools
Avg earnings: $56,702
NET PRICE $25K–$40K

14

23% of schools
Avg earnings: $53,677

Top Earners

Schools ranked by median graduate earnings 10 years after enrolling.

Higher education in Virginia

Virginia is home to 138 colleges and universities, from 43 public institutions to 43 private nonprofits. Northern Virginia Community College anchors the public system, and graduates across the state earn a median of about $45,997 ten years after enrolling.

Higher education clusters around Richmond, Virginia Beach and Norfolk, and the strongest programs by enrollment are Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Computer Science & IT. We rank every school here by what its graduates actually earn and how far they move up — not by reputation or sticker price.

What college costs in Virginia

The average net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — runs about $18,057 a year across Virginia. Laurel Ridge Community College stands out on return: strong graduate earnings against a comparatively low net price. Public universities and in-state tuition remain the clearest path to a low-debt degree, while need-based aid can make selective private schools surprisingly competitive.

Most Affordable Schools

Jobs & industries

Virginia's economy leans on federal & defense, technology & data centers and shipbuilding, which shapes which degrees pay off fastest in-state. Programs in Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Computer Science & IT feed directly into those employers, and graduates who stay in-region benefit from established hiring pipelines and alumni networks.

Licensure & transfer

Licensure and articulation are state-specific: nursing, teaching, law, and the health professions are regulated at the Virginia level, so an in-state program is often the most direct route to practicing here. Community-college transfer agreements with public universities can also cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.

Cost vs Return

What graduates in Virginia earn relative to what they pay for college.

MEDIAN EARNINGS (10YR)

$45,997

▲ +$2,160 vs natl

AVG NET PRICE

$18,057

▲ $-19 vs natl

EARNINGS / COST RATIO

2.5x

Return per dollar invested

Best Value Schools

HBCUs in Virginia

Is Virginia Right for You?

Virginia is a strong fit if you want to build a career in federal & defense and technology & data centers, value in-state tuition, or plan to work in the region after graduation. Use the rankings and filters below to weigh earnings, cost, and mobility for every school in the state.

Every figure on this page is derived from public federal data and read within its regional and economic context. Information Gain Policy →

Related Rankings

Top Schools

Washington and Lee University · VA Chamberlain University-Virginia · VA University of Virginia-Main Campus · VA Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University · VA Sentara College of Health Sciences · VA Virginia Military Institute · VA

FAQ

How many colleges are in Virginia?

There are 138 colleges and universities in Virginia in our dataset — 43 public, 43 private nonprofit, including 5 HBCUs.

What is the highest-earning college in Virginia?

By median graduate earnings 10 years out, Washington and Lee University leads, followed by schools like Chamberlain University-Virginia and University of Virginia-Main Campus.

How much does college cost in Virginia?

The average net price — tuition and living costs after grants — is about $18,057 per year. In-state public tuition is typically the lowest-cost path.

What are the best-paying career fields in Virginia?

Virginia's economy is anchored by federal & defense, technology & data centers and shipbuilding, so degrees feeding those industries tend to pay off fastest in-state.

Is it worth going to college in Virginia?

For most students, yes — especially at in-state public universities and high-value private schools. Laurel Ridge Community College, for example, pairs strong earnings with a low net price. Weigh earnings against net price using the data on this page.

All 138 schools in Virginia

Data Behind This Page Updated 2026

138 institutions in Virginia

2026 Last updated

100% Public / federal sources

Source datasets

Methodology

States are graded on graduate earnings, social mobility, completion, and cost — each drawn from federal data and Opportunity Insights research, then normalized into a single Outcomes Index (0–100).

See the full methodology and weights →

Confidence notes

Earnings, completion, and debt figures come from federal administrative records — tax data and student-aid filings — not surveys or self-reports, the highest-confidence tier of education data available.
Social-mobility estimates are drawn from de-identified tax records covering more than 30 million students (Opportunity Insights).
Where an institution is missing a metric, it is excluded from that metric rather than imputed, so averages are never inflated by guesses.

Limitations

Federal earnings data primarily cover students who received federal financial aid; outcomes for non-aided students may differ.
Earnings are measured roughly ten years after enrollment, so they describe how earlier cohorts fared — historical outcomes, not guarantees of future results.
An institution's field-of-study mix affects raw earnings; scores reflect measured outcomes and are not fully major-adjusted unless explicitly noted.
Net price is an average; the actual cost a given student pays varies widely by family income.

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