Virginia State University Rankings & Recognition

Virginia State University appears in 7 of CollegesRef's value rankings by major. Its best placement is #349 of 379 for criminal justice, and #9 of 10 ranked colleges in Virginia.

Virginia State University rankings by major

Source: CollegesRef value rankings from U.S. College Scorecard data, 2025

Each ranking compares bachelor's programs in one field. A college's value score is the weighted average of four percentiles among the ranked colleges: graduate earnings, average net price, debt compared with earnings, and graduation rate. Percentiles here are 100 for the best figure in the field. How the rankings work

Criminal justice

Ranked #349 of 379 for value

Criminal Justice and Corrections · 56 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $48,624; Ranked-college median: $55,481
Median debt: $25,751; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 24.4 of 100 · #9 of 10 in Virginia

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 14th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 60th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 8th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 15th percentile

Average net price $14,893 (median $16,222) · graduation rate 37.1% · debt is 53% of earnings

Ranked just above: North Carolina Central University (#348)
Ranked just below: Tennessee State University (#350)

Best colleges for criminal justice

Education

Ranked #359 of 521 for value

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas · 47 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $48,362; Ranked-college median: $48,822
Median debt: $26,000; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 40.3 of 100 · #4 of 5 in Virginia

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 47th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 65th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 19th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 9th percentile

Average net price $14,893 (median $17,201) · graduation rate 37.1% · debt is 54% of earnings

Ranked just above: University of North Dakota (#358)
Ranked just below: Delta State University (#360)

Best colleges for education

Communications

Ranked #380 of 388 for value

Communication and Media Studies · 45 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $40,896; Ranked-college median: $56,130
Median debt: $25,000; Ranked-college median: $19,593

Value score 18.7 of 100 · #11 of 11 in Virginia

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 4th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 64th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 3th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 4th percentile

Average net price $14,893 (median $17,285) · graduation rate 37.1% · debt is 61% of earnings

Ranked just above: Southern University and A & M College (#379)
Ranked just below: University of the Incarnate Word (#381)

Best colleges for communications

Political science

Ranked #381 of 388 for value

Political Science and Government · 24 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $44,002; Ranked-college median: $63,181
Median debt: $25,000; Ranked-college median: $19,500

Value score 18.2 of 100 · #16 of 16 in Virginia

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 1th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 70th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 0th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 2th percentile

Average net price $14,893 (median $18,238) · graduation rate 37.1% · debt is 57% of earnings

Ranked just above: St. Mary's University (#380)
Ranked just below: University of North Alabama (#382)

Best colleges for political science

Biology

Ranked #516 of 680 for value

Biology, General · 46 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $53,398; Ranked-college median: $58,001
Median debt: $21,875; Ranked-college median: $20,717

Value score 35.7 of 100 · #17 of 20 in Virginia

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 30th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 69th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 29th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 5th percentile

Average net price $14,893 (median $18,049) · graduation rate 37.1% · debt is 41% of earnings

Ranked just above: Dalton State College (#515)
Ranked just below: Trine University (#517)

Best colleges for biology

Psychology

Ranked #790 of 814 for value

Psychology, General · 71 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $37,861; Ranked-college median: $51,007
Median debt: $25,138; Ranked-college median: $21,000

Value score 20 of 100 · #23 of 24 in Virginia

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 2th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 71th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 2th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 9th percentile

Average net price $14,893 (median $18,874) · graduation rate 37.1% · debt is 66% of earnings

Ranked just above: Claflin University (#789)
Ranked just below: Gardner-Webb University (#791)

Best colleges for psychology

Business

Ranked #926 of 986 for value

Business Administration, Management and Operations · 52 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $49,764; Ranked-college median: $64,860
Median debt: $25,500; Ranked-college median: $21,375

Value score 22.6 of 100 · #28 of 28 in Virginia

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 6th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 70th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 4th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 13th percentile

Average net price $14,893 (median $19,132) · graduation rate 37.1% · debt is 51% of earnings