Best Christian Colleges in Virginia 2023

Best Christian Colleges in Virginia 2023

By James Barham

Published: May 5, 2021
Updated: Mar 13, 2023

For prospective college students looking for schools that align with their Christian faith and demonstrate academic excellence, here are the best Christian colleges and universities in Virginia.

10 Best Christian Colleges in Virginia

Liberty University

40%

Virginia Union University

35%

Regent University

32%

Emory and Henry College

31%

Randolph–Macon College

29%

Roanoke College

27%

Marymount University

26%

Eastern Mennonite University

25%

Shenandoah University

23%

Mary Baldwin University

22%

Liberty University

99%

University of Lynchburg

97%

Eastern Mennonite University

95%

Virginia Union University

94%

Mary Baldwin University

87%

Emory and Henry College

87%

Virginia Wesleyan University

86%

Marymount University

84%

Randolph–Macon College

84%

Roanoke College

80%

Virginia Union University

21 to 1

Regent University

19 to 1

Liberty University

17 to 1

Marymount University

14 to 1

Virginia University of Lynchburg

14 to 1

Bluefield University

14 to 1

Bridgewater College

13 to 1

13 to 1

Averett University

12 to 1

Virginia Wesleyan University

12 to 1

Roanoke College

$48,330

Randolph–Macon College

$45,150

Eastern Mennonite University

$39,990

Bridgewater College

$38,460

Averett University

$37,050

Virginia Wesleyan University

$36,910

$36,830

Marymount University

$36,050

Emory and Henry College

$35,165

Shenandoah University

$34,490

Emory and Henry College

$33,238

Shenandoah University

$22,080

Marymount University

$20,520

Bridgewater College

$18,544

Regent University

$15,590

Eastern Mennonite University

$15,000

Mary Baldwin University

$13,000

Averett University

$11,790

University of Lynchburg

$11,614

Virginia Union University

$11,275

Bluefield University

13%

Averett University

15%

19%

University of Lynchburg

20%

Virginia Wesleyan University

20%

Bridgewater College

20%

Virginia University of Lynchburg

21%

Mary Baldwin University

22%

Shenandoah University

23%

Eastern Mennonite University

25%

Regent University

41%

Averett University

48%

Bluefield University

72%

Shenandoah University

74%

Bridgewater College

75%

76%

Roanoke College

80%

Marymount University

84%

Randolph–Macon College

84%

Virginia Wesleyan University

86%

Shenandoah University

10 to 1

Eastern Mennonite University

10 to 1

Emory and Henry College

10 to 1

University of Lynchburg

10 to 1

Roanoke College

11 to 1

Mary Baldwin University

11 to 1

Randolph–Macon College

11 to 1

Averett University

12 to 1

Virginia Wesleyan University

12 to 1

Bridgewater College

13 to 1

Virginia University of Lynchburg

$10,136

Virginia Union University

$13,530

Regent University

$18,820

Liberty University

$22,713

Bluefield University

$28,870

Mary Baldwin University

$31,140

University of Lynchburg

$33,500

Shenandoah University

$34,490

Emory and Henry College

$35,165

Marymount University

$36,050

Liberty University

$7,847

Bluefield University

$8,640

Virginia Wesleyan University

$8,982

$10,800

Virginia University of Lynchburg

$11,170

Virginia Union University

$11,275

University of Lynchburg

$11,614

Averett University

$11,790

Mary Baldwin University

$13,000

Eastern Mennonite University

$15,000

Key Takeaways

The best Christian colleges in Virginia are well-known for their academic excellence, commitment to the Christian faith, close-knit community of students, faculty and staff members, and alumni. These Christian colleges propagate the faith, too, but welcome secular students.
These Christian colleges provide a wide range of benefits for their students, from quality education to spiritual formation. Students, however, don’t feel pressured to participate in religious activities but are encouraged to adopt an open mind.
Accredited Christian colleges offer financial aid options for qualified students, too. Regional and programmatic accreditations are a must among these institutions of higher learning.

Colleges and Universities in Virginia

Liberty University, a private Christian school in Lynchburg, is the largest school in Virginia, serving over 60,000 students. The largest public university, Virginia Tech, has a student population of about half that but offers many in-person degree programs as well as eight master’s programs and 19 certificate programs online. Students who attend Virginia Tech can pursue fields like engineering, criminal justice, education, and business.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

The majority of Virginia’s universities and colleges could be considered small schools, serving populations of less than 5,000 students. Included on this list are public schools, like Christopher Newport University in Newport News, and private schools, like Hampton University, a historically black university in Hampton. Though most of its higher education institutes charge tuition fees above the national average, Virginia offers several loan forgiveness programs for qualifying attorneys and medical, dental, behavioral health, and pharmaceutical professionals.

Virginia is perhaps most famous for its rich history - but the state is also home to many unique museums and famous landmarks. For example, those who love the classics can visit the Edgar Allen Poe Museum in Richmond. Those who harbor romantic dreams of espionage and intrigue might visit the CIA Museum in McLean. And, if you like your attractions random, you could check out Virginia’s 300-yard-long natural tunnel or its 29-ton spinning granite ball. While you’re here, you might consider attending one of the 78 colleges located in the state.

Learn more about Virginia’s higher education opportunities by checking out the state’s many colleges and universities.

What are Virginia’s Colleges & Universities?

Virginia’s Best Overall

The following list of the best Christian schools consists entirely of colleges and universities that offer four-year undergraduate degrees. We’ve identified 17 Christian colleges in Virginia. In order to be included in this ranking list of best Christian colleges and universities, a school must self-identify as Christian, be fully accredited, and offer a broad range of bachelor degree programs.

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Exploring Virginia’s Christian Colleges

Did you know that it wasn’t the Anglicans who were the first European colonizers of the modern-day Commonwealth of Virginia? Instead, it was the Catholics, particularly Spanish Jesuits under the leadership of Father Juan Baptista de Seguera, who established the Ajacan settlement in 1570. But it was the Church of England that became the established church of the colony when it was brought by settlers as early as 1607.

Today, the best Christian colleges in Virginia can thank the early settlers for introducing the Christian faith to the Old Dominion. The Commonwealth of Virginia is also the birthplace, so to speak, of the First Amendment. In 1786, Virginia passed the Thomas Jefferson-drafted Statute for Religious Freedom that established the clear separation between Church and State.

Such a rich history of the Christian faith has resulted in Christian colleges being crucial in Virginian society and economy!

Definition of a Christian College

Christian colleges are educational institutions that combine teaching and learning, research and development, and community engagement, among other aspects of higher education, with the Christian faith.

Many Christian colleges are owned and operated by. or affiliated with, a specific Christian denomination, such as Baptist, Anglican, or Roman Catholic. Unlike the standard liberal arts college, many Christian colleges, however, are non-denominational, meaning these institutions aren’t aligned with a specific organized religion and its leadership.

The best Christian colleges in Virginia usually have regional accreditation from one of the six regional accreditation agencies that are all US Department of Education-recognized. These include the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), and Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

Most, if not all, of these exceptional Christian colleges offer a wide range of academic disciplines, from the liberal arts to health sciences, social sciences, and STEM fields like computer science. Many of these Christian schools also offer programs that prepare students for the Christian ministry.

There’s a misconception that Christian colleges only accept Christians as students to their undergraduate and graduate degree programs. This is hardly a fact as most Christian colleges in Virginia welcome students regardless of their religious affiliation and beliefs—or the lack of it.

But students must also be prepared for different levels of religious instruction incorporated into the curricula—some Christian colleges may have more Christian-centered courses while others may have less. Students may not even be strong-armed into attending religious services and other related activities!

Benefits of Going to Christian Colleges

Attending outstanding Christian colleges in Virginia provides numerous benefits, including:

Track record of academic excellence. The best Christian colleges in the Old Dominion provide students with rigorous programs of study in diverse disciplines that, in turn, ensure world-class academics. Liberty University, for example, is known for its online programs, that have made it among the best online colleges in the United States. Regent University is also known for academic excellence in its online undergraduate and graduate programs, particularly its online MBA program.
Combine passion and purpose in your studies. College students are in the prime of their lives in many ways, from exploring their unique identity to finding their place under the sun. When you attend a Christian college, you will find many individuals who share your passion for the Christian faith—or who can share theirs—and be inspired and be an inspiration to others.

Your purpose in life can become clearer when you’re in meaningful interactions with professors and peers, thanks to the tight-knit community that Christian colleges usually build.

Even better, accredited Christian colleges in Virginia offer a wide range of financial aid options that defray the costs of a private education. Look into the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant, the FAFSA, and institutional scholarships.

How do we determine Virginia's best Christian colleges and universities?

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Best Christian Colleges in Virginia 2022

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2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.