Best Small Colleges in Virginia 2023

Best Small Colleges in Virginia 2023

By James Barham

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

Small colleges in Virginia are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.

10 Best Small Colleges in Virginia 2022

Washington and Lee University

50%

University of Richmond

46%

Virginia Military Institute

45%

Hampton University

43%

Hampden–Sydney College

37%

Virginia State University

36%

Virginia Union University

35%

University of Mary Washington

33%

Christopher Newport University

32%

Emory and Henry College

31%

Southern Virginia University

100%

Virginia State University

96%

Eastern Mennonite University

95%

Virginia Union University

94%

Randolph College

94%

Longwood University

90%

Christopher Newport University

89%

Emory and Henry College

87%

Virginia Wesleyan University

86%

Marymount University

84%

Virginia Union University

21 to 1

Southern Virginia University

17 to 1

Longwood University

15 to 1

Hampton University

15 to 1

Marymount University

14 to 1

Christopher Newport University

14 to 1

Bridgewater College

13 to 1

13 to 1

University of Mary Washington

13 to 1

Virginia State University

12 to 1

Washington and Lee University

$59,380

University of Richmond

$58,570

Hampden–Sydney College

$49,504

Roanoke College

$48,330

Randolph–Macon College

$45,150

Hollins University

$40,170

Eastern Mennonite University

$39,990

Bridgewater College

$38,460

Virginia Wesleyan University

$36,910

$36,830

Emory and Henry College

$33,238

University of Richmond

$25,620

Shenandoah University

$22,080

Marymount University

$20,520

Bridgewater College

$18,544

Hollins University

$17,269

Randolph College

$17,100

Eastern Mennonite University

$15,000

Stratford University

$13,368

Hampton University

$13,099

19%

Virginia Wesleyan University

20%

Bridgewater College

20%

University of Virginia's College at Wise

20%

Southern Virginia University

21%

Stratford University

22%

Shenandoah University

23%

Eastern Mennonite University

25%

Marymount University

26%

Randolph College

26%

Washington and Lee University

19%

University of Richmond

29%

Hampden–Sydney College

37%

Virginia Military Institute

64%

Shenandoah University

74%

Hollins University

75%

Bridgewater College

75%

76%

Sweet Briar College

80%

Roanoke College

80%

Washington and Lee University

8 to 1

University of Richmond

8 to 1

Randolph College

8 to 1

Sweet Briar College

8 to 1

Hampden–Sydney College

9 to 1

Hollins University

9 to 1

Stratford University

9 to 1

Shenandoah University

10 to 1

Eastern Mennonite University

10 to 1

Emory and Henry College

10 to 1

Virginia State University

$5,540

University of Virginia's College at Wise

$5,864

Longwood University

$8,180

University of Mary Washington

$8,678

Christopher Newport University

$9,100

Virginia Military Institute

$9,782

Virginia Union University

$13,530

Stratford University

$15,135

Southern Virginia University

$17,960

Sweet Briar College

$23,080

Longwood University

$6,480

Christopher Newport University

$7,614

Virginia State University

$8,375

University of Mary Washington

$8,676

Virginia Wesleyan University

$8,982

$10,800

Virginia Union University

$11,275

Sweet Briar College

$11,400

Hampton University

$13,099

Stratford University

$13,368

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

Virginia's Best Small Colleges and Universities Badge — Download Badge

The following list of the best small colleges and universities in Virginia is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 31 small colleges in Virginia. The list below of the 25 best small colleges in Virginia. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.

How do we determine Virginia's best small 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 Small Colleges in Virginia 2022

Virginia’s Best Small College in Your Area of Interest

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.