Best Colleges in Virginia by Salary Potential

Not all bachelor degree grads earn similar salaries. Before enrolling, learn which Virginia university is the best college by alumni salary potential.

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Bachelor's Only
All Alumni
RankSchool NameSchool TypeEarly Career Pay
Mid-Career Pay
% High Meaning
% STEM Degrees
Rank:1School Name:Washington and Lee UniversitySchool Type:Liberal Arts School, Private SchoolEarly Career Pay:$69,100Mid-Career Pay:$145,300% High Meaning:41%% STEM Degrees:19%
Rank:2School Name:University of Virginia-Main CampusSchool Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$69,800Mid-Career Pay:$131,700% High Meaning:44%% STEM Degrees:23%
Rank:3School Name:Virginia Military InstituteSchool Type:Liberal Arts School, For Sports Fans, State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$69,700Mid-Career Pay:$129,000% High Meaning:67%% STEM Degrees:48%
Rank:4School Name:Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversitySchool Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$67,900Mid-Career Pay:$121,800% High Meaning:48%% STEM Degrees:42%
Rank:4School Name:Hampden-Sydney CollegeSchool Type:Liberal Arts School, Private SchoolEarly Career Pay:$63,500Mid-Career Pay:$121,800% High Meaning:50%% STEM Degrees:21%
Rank:6School Name:William & MarySchool Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$63,400Mid-Career Pay:$120,800% High Meaning:42%% STEM Degrees:19%
Rank:7School Name:University of RichmondSchool Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, For Sports FansEarly Career Pay:$64,000Mid-Career Pay:$117,000% High Meaning:47%% STEM Degrees:17%
Rank:8School Name:George Mason UniversitySchool Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$63,500Mid-Career Pay:$115,100% High Meaning:47%% STEM Degrees:22%
Rank:9School Name:James Madison UniversitySchool Type:For Sports Fans, State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$61,700Mid-Career Pay:$111,300% High Meaning:42%% STEM Degrees:13%
Rank:10School Name:University of Mary WashingtonSchool Type:State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$57,400Mid-Career Pay:$104,400% High Meaning:51%% STEM Degrees:18%
Rank:11School Name:Marymount UniversitySchool Type:Private School, ReligiousEarly Career Pay:$56,600Mid-Career Pay:$100,900% High Meaning:47%% STEM Degrees:18%
Rank:12School Name:Hampton UniversitySchool Type:Private School, For Sports FansEarly Career Pay:$55,500Mid-Career Pay:$99,300% High Meaning:60%% STEM Degrees:14%
Rank:13School Name:University of LynchburgSchool Type:Private School, ReligiousEarly Career Pay:$50,600Mid-Career Pay:$94,500% High Meaning:49%% STEM Degrees:10%
Rank:14School Name:Old Dominion UniversitySchool Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$54,100Mid-Career Pay:$93,800% High Meaning:54%% STEM Degrees:21%
Rank:15School Name:Virginia Commonwealth UniversitySchool Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$53,900Mid-Career Pay:$93,000% High Meaning:51%% STEM Degrees:19%
Rank:16School Name:Randolph CollegeSchool Type:Liberal Arts School, Private SchoolEarly Career Pay:$51,300Mid-Career Pay:$91,800% High Meaning:44%% STEM Degrees:24%
Rank:17School Name:Ferrum CollegeSchool Type:Private School, ReligiousEarly Career Pay:$44,000Mid-Career Pay:$91,300% High Meaning:53%% STEM Degrees:7%
Rank:18School Name:Christopher Newport UniversitySchool Type:State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$56,300Mid-Career Pay:$91,000% High Meaning:56%% STEM Degrees:28%
Rank:19School Name:Longwood UniversitySchool Type:For Sports Fans, State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$50,700Mid-Career Pay:$90,300% High Meaning:56%% STEM Degrees:9%
Rank:20School Name:Bridgewater CollegeSchool Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, ReligiousEarly Career Pay:$46,300Mid-Career Pay:$89,000% High Meaning:52%% STEM Degrees:18%
Rank:21School Name:Randolph-Macon CollegeSchool Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, ReligiousEarly Career Pay:$50,000Mid-Career Pay:$88,200% High Meaning:-% STEM Degrees:28%
Rank:22School Name:Radford UniversitySchool Type:For Sports Fans, State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$52,800Mid-Career Pay:$87,900% High Meaning:50%% STEM Degrees:9%
Rank:23School Name:Roanoke CollegeSchool Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, ReligiousEarly Career Pay:$52,800Mid-Career Pay:$87,200% High Meaning:51%% STEM Degrees:17%
Rank:24School Name:Sweet Briar CollegeSchool Type:Liberal Arts School, Private SchoolEarly Career Pay:$47,100Mid-Career Pay:$86,300% High Meaning:58%% STEM Degrees:32%
Rank:25School Name:Virginia State UniversitySchool Type:State SchoolEarly Career Pay:$49,600Mid-Career Pay:$85,200% High Meaning:59%% STEM Degrees:16%

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College Student

Famous colleges in Virginia include the College of William and Mary, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Commonwealth University, and the state is home to more than 60 colleges and universities. Payscale’s College Salary Report has salary information for students graduating with bachelor’s degrees from several of those colleges to help you find the Virginia colleges with highest-paid graduates.

Robert F. Kennedy, Tina Fey, Katie Couric and Edgar Allen Poe may not seem to have much in common, but they’re all graduates from University of Virginia in Charlottesville. As diverse as alumni from this university are, they love their school; nine out of ten alumni recommend their school, making it the most popular school on the list.

Liberty University is by far the largest school with over 47,000 undergraduates. This is especially true compared to Averett University, where fewer than 1,000 undergrads attend.

The College of William and Mary is not only one of Virginia’s most well-known schools, it is also the second oldest college in the country. Rivals of Old Dominion University, The College of William and Mary was founded in 1693 and is the alma mater of Jon Stewart, Mike Leach, and Steve Christie.

While a fourth of Virginians work for the government, many others work in aerospace, IT and energy fields.