Interested in attending a STEM school in Virginia? Our ranking of top research universities for bachelor’s degrees displays schools that will best prepare you for STEM careers.
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.
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The best colleges pound for pound!
The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why, at the undergraduate level, we rank the best colleges and universities based on what we call Concentrated Influence.
Concentrated Influence takes the combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers (including faculty and alums) and divides it by the school’s total number of undergraduates.
Using concentrated influence gives small and mid-sized schools an opportunity to shine by taking away the size advantage of larger universities. A small school with proportionately more influential faculty than a large school, whose influence in absolute terms may be bigger, will nonetheless score higher in a concentrated influence ranking. Our approach highlights undergraduate schools that truly rank for excellence, regardless of size.
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.
Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.
Find out more about our ranking methodology here.
Less Related: Differences between research universities and teaching colleges
A research university is a great option for students interested in obtaining STEM degrees. Research universities invest heavily in research, which consequently provides meaningful and extensive opportunities for its students and faculty to participate in research. There are 11 research universities in Virginia, all of which satisfy our criteria. The list below of the best research universities in the state satisfies the following four conditions:
Tuition + fees
$18K
Acceptance
23%
Graduation
94%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1430/32
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University of Virginia’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$23K
Acceptance
42%
Graduation
91%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1415/32
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William & Mary’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
89%
Graduation
72%
Student body
31K
Median SAT/ACT
1215/27
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George Mason University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$14K
Acceptance
66%
Graduation
86%
Student body
35K
Median SAT/ACT
1285/28
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Virginia Tech’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$28K
Acceptance
36%
Graduation
57%
Student body
4K
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Hampton University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$19K
Acceptance
50%
Graduation
61%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1105/22
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Regent University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
91%
Graduation
66%
Student body
26K
Median SAT/ACT
1165/24
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Virginia Commonwealth University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$31K
Acceptance
87%
Graduation
42%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1030/20
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Mary Baldwin University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
95%
Graduation
53%
Student body
19K
Median SAT/ACT
1080/21
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Old Dominion University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$16K
Acceptance
50%
Graduation
54%
Student body
67K
Median SAT/ACT
1150/24
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Liberty University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
74%
Graduation
61%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1100/22
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Shenandoah University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
What are Custom College Rankings?
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