19 Virginia Schools Ranked ‘Best Colleges For Your Money’

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — Buying a house and sending kids to college are two of the biggest spending decisions most Americans will ever make. Fortunately for Virginia families, 19 universities in the state are among the best college values in America, according to a new “Best Colleges for Your Money” ranking from Money magazine.

The University of Virginia in Charlottesville is ranked No. 11, and Washington and Lee University in Lexington is ranked at No. 16 for best value in the country, according to the analysis of more than 700 of the nation’s best-performing colleges. A total of 711 schools nationwide made the list, including 19 from Virginia.

Money said the ranking is a “new, uniquely practical analysis” that draws on research and advice from some of the nation’s leading experts on education quality, financing and value. (Get Patch’s daily newsletter and real-time news alerts, or like us on Facebook. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Other Virginia schools on the magazine's list are:

• No. 23 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
• No. 41 Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA
• No. 46 James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
• No. 73 University of Richmond, Richmond, VA
• No. 76 College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA
• No. 127 George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
• No. 314 University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA
• No. 425 Radford University, Radford, VA
• No. 438 Hampton University, Hampton, VA
• No. 493 Longwood University, Farmville, VA
• No. 518 Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA
• No. 567 Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
• No. 573 Christopher Newport University, Newport News, VA
• No. 591 Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA
• No. 628 Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
• No. 629 Roanoke College, Salem, VA
• No. 641 Randolph College, Lynchburg, VA

Here’s why the University of Virginia rose to the top 20 in the Money 2017 Best Colleges For Your Money ranking for 2017-2018:

• Estimated net cost without financial aid: $31,200
• Estimated net cost with average state grant: $15,700
• Percent receiving need-based assistance: 27
• Percent receiving merit-based assistance: 2
• Average early-career earnings for graduates: $58,000

Here’s how the magazine describes the University of Virginia:

Known as a 'public Ivy,' the University of Virginia offers in-staters a top-notch education with one of the country's lowest total college costs. What's more, students live and study inside a UNESCO World Heritage Site (the only U.S. college to have that designation), featuring a spectacularly beautiful campus designed by university founder Thomas Jefferson.

Students seem to thrive: UVA has the highest graduation rate of any public university in the country, at 93%. The undergraduate programs in English, history, education, business, and many sciences (especially astronomy) are especially well-regarded.

The school is not particularly diverse, economically, with just 13% of undergrads from low-income families. Virginia fields 25 Division I varsity sports, and many of the teams are very strong. Its men's soccer team has won five national championships and its baseball team recently won its first-ever national championship. In 2016, the men's tennis team won its second consecutive national championship. Greek life also plays a major role in the social scene, as do some secret societies.

The top 10 education values were at:

1. Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
2. CUNY Bernard M Baruch College, New York City
3. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
4. University of California-Berkeley
5. University of California-Los Angeles
6. Stanford University, Stanford, California
7. University of California-Irvine
8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
9. University of California-Davis
10. Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Read the full list, see where other Virginia schools landed.
Photo courtesy of the University of Virgina