Top colleges in VA by 10-year ROI
Executive Summary
Bachelor’s-predominant institutions located in VA with at least 200 students, sorted by the same 10-year ROI estimate used nationally. Washington and Lee University leads this list at $317,628 (10 Yr. ROI).
Leaders: top 3
Washington and Lee University
10 Yr. ROI
$317,628
University of Virginia-Main Campus
10 Yr. ROI
$291,320
Virginia Military Institute
10 Yr. ROI
$282,064
Top 25 Top colleges in VA by 10-year ROI
| Rank | Institution | State | Control | Enrollment | 10 Yr. ROI | Also see |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington and Lee University | VA | Private nonprofit | 1,881 | $317,628 | Grad 93.9% · Net $23,781 |
| 2 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | VA | Public | 17,597 | $291,320 | Grad 95.6% · Net $21,565 |
| 3 | Virginia Military Institute | VA | Public | 1,527 | $282,064 | Grad 76.2% · Net $17,113 |
| 4 | Chamberlain University-Virginia | VA | Private for-profit | 557 | $276,134 | Grad 100.0% · Net $33,199 |
| 5 | George Mason University | VA | Public | 27,752 | $251,850 | Grad 67.8% · Net $17,915 |
| 6 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | VA | Public | 30,923 | $250,282 | Grad 86.2% · Net $24,953 |
| 7 | William & Mary | VA | Public | 7,055 | $244,636 | Grad 89.4% · Net $19,096 |
| 8 | University of Richmond | VA | Private nonprofit | 2,980 | $207,508 | Grad 85.2% · Net $31,309 |
| 9 | James Madison University | VA | Public | 20,888 | $202,618 | Grad 79.7% · Net $23,322 |
| 10 | Hampden-Sydney College | VA | Private nonprofit | 946 | $199,701 | Grad 62.2% · Net $22,400 |
| 11 | Old Dominion University | VA | Public | 17,514 | $182,755 | Grad 46.3% · Net $14,638 |
| 12 | Radford University | VA | Public | 6,038 | $176,510 | Grad 48.7% · Net $14,578 |
| 13 | University of Mary Washington | VA | Public | 3,566 | $171,673 | Grad 66.4% · Net $20,667 |
| 14 | Marymount University | VA | Private nonprofit | 1,810 | $168,328 | Grad 53.5% · Net $29,137 |
| 15 | Christopher Newport University | VA | Public | 4,365 | $167,823 | Grad 71.6% · Net $23,015 |
| 16 | University of Virginia's College at Wise | VA | Public | 1,101 | $164,551 | Grad 47.1% · Net $9,210 |
| 17 | Bridgewater College | VA | Private nonprofit | 1,400 | $160,088 | Grad 53.0% · Net $17,800 |
| 18 | Longwood University | VA | Public | 3,015 | $149,996 | Grad 61.2% · Net $19,066 |
| 19 | Virginia Commonwealth University | VA | Public | 20,753 | $149,192 | Grad 63.2% · Net $23,433 |
| 20 | Mary Baldwin University | VA | Private nonprofit | 1,090 | $146,763 | Grad 39.3% · Net $12,756 |
| 21 | Randolph College | VA | Private nonprofit | 658 | $146,668 | Grad 46.4% · Net $15,921 |
| 22 | University of Lynchburg | VA | Private nonprofit | 1,577 | $139,778 | Grad 57.4% · Net $22,235 |
| 23 | Eastern Mennonite University | VA | Private nonprofit | 754 | $138,312 | Grad 67.0% · Net $24,588 |
| 24 | Roanoke College | VA | Private nonprofit | 1,767 | $137,280 | Grad 67.4% · Net $24,503 |
| 25 | Sweet Briar College | VA | Private nonprofit | 443 | $134,932 | Grad 51.8% · Net $17,758 |
Method notes
- Underlying institution file: EDsmart Data processed College Scorecard extract merged to IPEDS 2023 directory for HBCU and Carnegie fields.
- ROI column matches the processed college_roi_rankings series in this site build; see College Scorecard ROI methodology.
- School profile links use generated slugs; not every campus has a published profile page yet—use the Scorecard site as fallback.