Ranking
Best Design and Applied Arts Colleges in Virginia 2026
Germanna Community College leads this ROI ranking with an A+ value grade and a 17.89 school-wide ROI proxy. EduGradify ranks 15 eligible colleges here by earnings against net price.
15 eligible Virginia colleges reporting awards in Design and Applied Arts, ranked by EduGradify's school-wide value signal.
- Schools ranked
- 15
- Cheapest net price
- $5,541
- Top earnings 10y
- $81,698
- Public / Private
- 10 / 5
Germanna Community College
A+- ROI proxy
- 17.89
- Net price
- $5,541
- Earnings 10y
- $39,644
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Piedmont Virginia Community College
A+- ROI proxy
- 17.09
- Net price
- $5,963
- Earnings 10y
- $40,752
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Virginia Peninsula Community College
A- ROI proxy
- 13.55
- Net price
- $7,012
- Earnings 10y
- $37,996
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Northern Virginia Community College
A- ROI proxy
- 13.50
- Net price
- $9,919
- Earnings 10y
- $53,557
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
George Mason University
B- ROI proxy
- 10.65
- Net price
- $17,915
- Earnings 10y
- $76,343
- Acceptance
- 87.5%
Radford University
B- ROI proxy
- 9.22
- Net price
- $14,578
- Earnings 10y
- $53,739
- Acceptance
- 89.5%
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
B- ROI proxy
- 8.19
- Net price
- $24,953
- Earnings 10y
- $81,698
- Acceptance
- 54.8%
Tidewater Community College
B- ROI proxy
- 8.15
- Net price
- $11,762
- Earnings 10y
- $38,349
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Longwood University
C- ROI proxy
- 6.86
- Net price
- $19,066
- Earnings 10y
- $52,347
- Acceptance
- 90.2%
Emory & Henry University
C- ROI proxy
- 6.21
- Net price
- $19,061
- Earnings 10y
- $47,385
- Acceptance
- 83.7%
Virginia Commonwealth University
C- ROI proxy
- 6.20
- Net price
- $23,433
- Earnings 10y
- $58,128
- Acceptance
- 92.6%
Marymount University
C- ROI proxy
- 5.79
- Net price
- $29,137
- Earnings 10y
- $67,516
- Acceptance
- 93.2%
Regent University
C- ROI proxy
- 5.58
- Net price
- $19,923
- Earnings 10y
- $44,498
- Acceptance
- 38.1%
Ferrum College
C- ROI proxy
- 5.51
- Net price
- $20,082
- Earnings 10y
- $44,296
- Acceptance
- 89%
Liberty University
D- ROI proxy
- 3.82
- Net price
- $29,357
- Earnings 10y
- $44,813
- Acceptance
- 99%
How we picked this list
This list starts with Virginia schools reporting awards in Design and Applied Arts, excludes low-denominator, very small and incomplete records, then sorts by EduGradify's school-wide ROI proxy: ten-year median earnings weighed against average net price. The eligible set's average EduGradify ROI proxy is 9.21 (10 public, 5 private).
ROI lists require average net price of at least $4,600, enrollment of at least 500 and a reported graduation rate so unusually small denominators or incomplete records cannot dominate the public leaderboard.
Source transparency: every figure comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard public data set. See our full methodology for the ROI formula, value grade rules and missing-data handling.
FAQ
Who leads this ranking?
Germanna Community College in Locust Grove, VA tops this ranking. EduGradify value grade is A+.
How does EduGradify pick this list?
We rank this set by roi proxy using the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard — see our methodology for the full formula. No paid placements, no surveys.
How many Virginia colleges are in this list?
15 Virginia colleges qualified for this ranking based on available federal data.
What does net price mean here?
Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — not the sticker price. It is reported by each college to the U.S. Department of Education.
Can I use this ranking as a final college decision?
Use it as a shortlist, not a final decision. The ranking compares school-wide federal data; you should still confirm program fit, aid letters, graduation path, transfer policies and current costs with each college.