Virginia Wesleyan University

Virginia Wesleyan University logo
#6707 / #1767
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#277
Most Desirable School
Private university in Virginia, United States

Virginia Wesleyan University at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#1767
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
73%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$38,780
Graduation rate
45%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
1,256

Reviewed by , Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error

Virginia Wesleyan University Featured Rankings

About Virginia Wesleyan University

According to Wikipedia, Virginia Wesleyan University is a private university in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The university is nonsectarian but historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church. It enrolls 1,607 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs, 355 students at LUJ/VWU Global , and 1,403 in VWU Online . Virginia Wesleyan transitioned from a college to a university in 2017.

Virginia Wesleyan University's Online Degrees

BA in Digital Music
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 2 years
  • Format: Fully online
MBA in Business Administration
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: 2 years
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Business Administration
  • Required Credits: 128
  • Completion Time: 1 year
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Information Systems
  • Required Credits: 128
  • Completion Time: 1 year
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Criminal Justice
  • Required Credits: 128
  • Completion Time: 1 year
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Liberal Studies
  • Required Credits: 128
  • Completion Time: 1 year
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Social Sciences
  • Required Credits: 128
  • Completion Time: 1 year
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Sociology
  • Required Credits: 128
  • Completion Time: 1 year
  • Format: Fully online
DHA in Healthcare Administration
  • Required Credits: 60
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Environmental Studies
  • Required Credits: 128
  • Completion Time: 1 year
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Sustainability Management
  • Required Credits: 128
  • Completion Time: 1 year
  • Format: Fully online

Virginia Wesleyan University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation RateMedian SAT ScoreMedian ACT Score
2,65173%74%45%124528

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2023; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.

How Much Does Virginia Wesleyan University Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$38,780
Average Net Price by Family Income (2024–25)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$17,353
30K - 48K$18,467
48K - 75K$17,823
75K - 110K$18,631
110K+$25,153

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.

How Much Do Virginia Wesleyan University Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former Virginia Wesleyan University students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $54,390 a year, and 93% of those not still in school are working.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.

Virginia Wesleyan University's Demographics

Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
1,8811,750131

Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.

Where is Virginia Wesleyan University?

Virginia Wesleyan University is located at 5817 Wesleyan Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23455.

How Safe is Virginia Wesleyan University?

Virginia Wesleyan University reported 0.5 violent and property offenses on campus per 1,000 students in 2024, fewer than most small residential campuses. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.

Relative to its enrollment, Virginia Wesleyan University has a violent crime rate of 0.05% and a property crime rate of less than 0.01%. Virginia Beach has a violent crime rate of 0.10% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 1.67%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.

What Is Virginia Wesleyan University Known For?

Virginia Wesleyan University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

Virginia Wesleyan University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much Virginia Wesleyan University's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence

Literature
#2699
World Rank
#2743
Historical Rank
#894
USA Rank

Virginia Wesleyan University ranks #894 in the U.S. and #2699 worldwide for influence in Literature.

literature Degrees
Nursing
#3102
World Rank
#3103
Historical Rank
#1201
USA Rank

Virginia Wesleyan University ranks #1201 in the U.S. and #3102 worldwide for influence in Nursing.

nursing Degrees
Business
#5304
World Rank
#5305
Historical Rank
#1460
USA Rank

Virginia Wesleyan University ranks #1460 in the U.S. and #5304 worldwide for influence in Business.

business Degrees
Religious Studies
#6763
World Rank
#6778
Historical Rank
#1466
USA Rank

Virginia Wesleyan University ranks #1466 in the U.S. and #6763 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.

religious-studies-hub Degrees
Education
#6118
World Rank
#6120
Historical Rank
#1555
USA Rank

Virginia Wesleyan University ranks #1555 in the U.S. and #6118 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees
Mathematics
#6328
World Rank
#6353
Historical Rank
#1681
USA Rank

Virginia Wesleyan University ranks #1681 in the U.S. and #6328 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.

math Degrees
History
#5517
World Rank
#5525
Historical Rank
#1712
USA Rank

Virginia Wesleyan University ranks #1712 in the U.S. and #5517 worldwide for influence in History.

history Degrees
Sociology
#5698
World Rank
#5701
Historical Rank
#1931
USA Rank

Virginia Wesleyan University ranks #1931 in the U.S. and #5698 worldwide for influence in Sociology.

sociology Degrees
Communications
#7215
World Rank
#7231
Historical Rank
#1938
USA Rank

Virginia Wesleyan University ranks #1938 in the U.S. and #7215 worldwide for influence in Communications.

communications Degrees
Biology
#8032
World Rank
#8048
Historical Rank
#1996
USA Rank

Virginia Wesleyan University ranks #1996 in the U.S. and #8032 worldwide for influence in Biology.

biology Degrees
Chemistry
#7159
World Rank
#7167
Historical Rank
#2023
USA Rank

Virginia Wesleyan University ranks #2023 in the U.S. and #7159 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.

chemistry Degrees
Philosophy
#7446
World Rank
#7479
Historical Rank
#2218
USA Rank

Virginia Wesleyan University ranks #2218 in the U.S. and #7446 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.

philosophy Degrees
Political Science
#9463
World Rank
#9469
Historical Rank
#2229
USA Rank

Virginia Wesleyan University ranks #2229 in the U.S. and #9463 worldwide for influence in Political Science.

political-science Degrees
Psychology
#6177
World Rank
#6186
Historical Rank
#2310
USA Rank

Virginia Wesleyan University ranks #2310 in the U.S. and #6177 worldwide for influence in Psychology.

psychology Degrees
Medical
#9750
World Rank
#9752
Historical Rank
#2733
USA Rank

Virginia Wesleyan University ranks #2733 in the U.S. and #9750 worldwide for influence in Medical.

medicine Degrees
Computer Science
#11481
World Rank
#11489
Historical Rank
#3126
USA Rank

Virginia Wesleyan University ranks #3126 in the U.S. and #11481 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.

computer-science Degrees
Criminal Justice
#6916
World Rank
#6918
Historical Rank
#3264
USA Rank

Virginia Wesleyan University ranks #3264 in the U.S. and #6916 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.

criminal-justice Degrees

Who Are Virginia Wesleyan University's Most Influential Alumni?

Keller Williams
Keller Williams
An American musician.
Gary DePalma
An American soccer player.

Who Are Virginia Wesleyan University's Most Influential Faculty?

Tripp York
An American religious studies scholar.