Best value colleges for Nursing in Virginia.2026 Rankings
Virginia is home to 35 accredited institutions offering Nursing programs — from large public research universities to small private liberal arts colleges. This ranking evaluates each school on admission selectivity, four-year graduation rate, net price, and graduate earnings to surface the programs that deliver the strongest outcomes.
Among the schools listed here, Riverside College of Health Careers is the most selective, admitting 17% of applicants. Average in-state tuition across this group sits at $23,076, while out-of-state students can expect to pay around $30,059. Median early-career earnings for Nursing graduates in this state average $50,855 per year, and the average four-year graduation rate among ranked programs is 57%.
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ranked by value score
| # | College | Value Score | Admit Rate | Grad Rate | Net Price | Median Earnings | Student:Faculty | Majors Offered | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Excellent· 46 | 17% | 95% | $14,658 | $75,220 | 15:1 | 61 | 17,315 | |
| 2 | Great· 40 | 100% | 100% | $20,462 | $83,188 | 8:1 | 1 | 567 | |
| 3 | James Madison UniversityPublic | Great· 39 | 76% | 81% | $17,150 | $76,490 | 17:1 | 47 | 20,497 |
| 4 | Centra CollegePrivate | Strong· 37 | 100% | 100% | $31,771 | $80,832 | 6:1 | 1 | 212 |
| 5 | Randolph-Macon CollegePrivate | Strong· 36 | 83% | 75% | $28,921 | $40,654 | 10:1 | 40 | 1,489 |
| 6 | Shenandoah UniversityPrivate | Strong· 36 | 78% | 71% | $25,951 | $81,678 | 11:1 | 36 | 2,127 |
| 7 | University of LynchburgPrivate | Strong· 35 | 82% | 62% | $19,432 | $45,005 | 11:1 | 34 | 1,599 |
| 8 | Strong· 35 | 94% | 50% | $7,159 | $72,911 | 13:1 | 30 | 1,214 | |
| 9 | Averett UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 48% | 44% | $19,655 | $63,961 | 13:1 | 48 | 1,162 |
| 10 | George Mason UniversityPublic | Good· 33 | 89% | 69% | $16,296 | $78,365 | 16:1 | 68 | 27,083 |
| 11 | Longwood UniversityPublic | Good· 33 | 85% | 62% | $18,489 | $69,962 | 14:1 | 28 | 2,957 |
| 12 | Good· 33 | 86% | 67% | $19,886 | $76,013 | 13:1 | 27 | 3,504 | |
| 13 | Bluefield UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 63% | 27% | $20,952 | $70,698 | 15:1 | 33 | 683 |
| 14 | Old Dominion UniversityPublic | Good· 32 | 91% | 44% | $13,142 | $76,527 | 15:1 | 52 | 17,521 |
| 15 | Radford UniversityPublic | Good· 32 | 91% | 50% | $14,533 | $69,662 | 12:1 | 48 | 5,609 |
| 16 | Good· 32 | 93% | 65% | $16,455 | $71,847 | 17:1 | 56 | 20,797 | |
| 17 | Marymount UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 81% | 58% | $24,661 | $80,090 | 13:1 | 29 | 1,795 |
| 18 | Regent UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 41% | 54% | $16,647 | $42,499 | 20:1 | 38 | 4,282 |
| 19 | Eastern Mennonite UniversityPrivate | Good· 30 | 100% | 47% | $21,592 | $73,478 | 10:1 | 40 | 800 |
| 20 | Emory & Henry UniversityPrivate | Good· 30 | 96% | 54% | $19,781 | $31,937 | 12:1 | 42 | 1,107 |
| 21 | Ferrum CollegePrivate | Good· 30 | 100% | 29% | $20,145 | $33,980 | 11:1 | 40 | 745 |
| 22 | Norfolk State UniversityPublic | Good· 30 | 87% | 33% | $13,868 | $36,917 | 18:1 | 32 | 5,495 |
| 23 | Good· 30 | 89% | 41% | $17,511 | $31,713 | 13:1 | 33 | 4,787 | |
| 24 | ECPI UniversityPrivate | Average· 29 | 83% | 45% | $20,806 | $77,550 | 12:1 | 17 | 11,270 |
| 25 | Hampton UniversityPrivate | Average· 28 | 48% | 56% | $32,980 | $69,303 | 15:1 | 55 | 3,254 |
| 26 | Liberty UniversityPrivate | Average· 26 | 99% | 63% | $26,312 | $71,918 | 18:1 | 72 | 50,059 |
| 27 | Mary Baldwin UniversityPrivate | Fair· 25 | — | 56% | $16,899 | $38,267 | 14:1 | 38 | 1,188 |
| 28 | Weak· 20 | 17% | 63% | $29,743 | $53,737 | 12:1 | 1 | 325 | |
| 29 | American National UniversityPrivate | Poor· 16 | — | 26% | $20,392 | $27,592 | 11:1 | 7 | 643 |
| 30 | Poor· 15 | — | 28% | $14,371 | $71,701 | 19:1 | 8 | 1,327 |