The Top 50 Best Colleges in the US is College Raptor’s most prestigious rankings list. Updated annually, these schools are celebrated for their rich histories, stunning campuses, excellent academics, and vibrant student life. The institutions on this list are known for both academic excellence and impressive extracurricular opportunities, making them “dream schools” for students around the world. Use these rankings as a jumping-off point for you to create your own personalized rankings using our college match tool.
Each of these rankings is based on an analysis of data about the school’s selectivity, financial health, graduation rates, student success, and more. We’ve outlined our full methodology here.
| Rank | Institution | Undergraduates | Acceptance Rate | SAT Score | Your Est. Net Price Avg. Net Price | Median Starting Salary | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | 17901 | 16.81 | 1,420 – 1,540 | 17831 | 72359 |
#1
University of Virginia-Main Campus
|
| 2 | Washington and Lee University | 1886 | 13.97 | 1,450 – 1,530 | 24667 | 76516 |
#2
Washington and Lee University
|
| 3 | William & Mary | 7063 | 34.07 | 1,410 – 1,530 | 20422 | 62959 |
#3
William & Mary
|
| 4 | University of Richmond | 3055 | 22.2 | 1,440 – 1,540 | 35263 | 67927 |
#4
University of Richmond
|
| 5 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 31035 | 54.99 | 1,290 – 1,450 | 22205 | 67377 |
#5
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
|
| 6 | James Madison University | 21112 | 71.51 | 1,180 – 1,340 | 26317 | 57438 |
James Madison University
|
| 7 | Patrick Henry College | 425 | 77.44 | 1,260 – 1,440 | 25128 | 63721 |
Patrick Henry College
|
| 8 | Virginia Military Institute | 1527 | 71.25 | 1,110 – 1,330 | 17229 | 63545 |
Virginia Military Institute
|
| 9 | Christopher Newport University | 4407 | 87.96 | 1,110 – 1,310 | 22864 | 51931 |
Christopher Newport University
|
| 10 | University of Mary Washington | 3660 | 79.78 | 1,190 – 1,380 | 21615 | 49411 |
University of Mary Washington
|
| 11 | George Mason University | 28331 | 87.48 | 1,170 – 1,370 | 18900 | 60536 |
George Mason University
|
| 12 | Randolph-Macon College | 1643 | 86.61 | 1,050 – 1,230 | 29058 | 48067 |
Randolph-Macon College
|
| 13 | Virginia Commonwealth University | 21210 | 92.32 | 1,040 – 1,310 | 22852 | 47161 |
#13
Virginia Commonwealth University
|
| 14 | Hampden-Sydney College | 946 | 40.92 | 1,080 – 1,280 | 29578 | 55846 |
Hampden-Sydney College
|
| 15 | Roanoke College | 1824 | 80.07 | 1,080 – 1,280 | 27695 | 45330 |
Roanoke College
|
| 16 | Longwood University | 3223 | 84.8 | 1,030 – 1,220 | 22900 | 46058 |
Longwood University
|
| 17 | Hollins University | 665 | 67.95 | 1,230 – 1,340 | 23444 | 29863 |
Hollins University
|
| 18 | Eastern Mennonite University | 791 | 100 | 1,140 – 1,540 | 24710 | 48158 |
Eastern Mennonite University
|
| 19 | Shenandoah University | 2641 | 76.95 | 990 – 1,270 | 26400 | 48167 |
Shenandoah University
|
| 20 | University of Lynchburg | 1595 | 43.01 | 1,000 – 1,250 | 22921 | 44261 |
University of Lynchburg
|
| 21 | Randolph College | 694 | 93.71 | 1,050 – 1,230 | 20856 | 39122 |
Randolph College
|
| 22 | Bridgewater College | 1407 | 91.72 | 1,020 – 1,360 | 19660 | 45620 |
Bridgewater College
|
| 23 | Marymount University | 2216 | 80.21 | 990 – 1,200 | 28147 | 57801 |
Marymount University
|
| 24 | Radford University | 6161 | 89.53 | 960 – 1,180 | 18282 | 44830 |
Radford University
|
| 25 | Liberty University | 52823 | 99.32 | 1,040 – 1,340 | 29692 | 39707 |
Liberty University
|
| 26 | Old Dominion University | 17746 | 90.36 | 1,120 – 1,290 | 16150 | 46732 |
Old Dominion University
|
| 27 | Hampton University | 3728 | 62.25 | 810 – 1,100 | 28576 | 42721 |
Hampton University
|
| 28 | Virginia Wesleyan University | 1749 | 72.87 | 1,190 – 1,370 | 21862 | 39200 |
Virginia Wesleyan University
|
| 29 | Regent University | 5049 | 52.27 | 1,000 – 1,250 | 18314 | 42066 |
Regent University
|
| 30 | University of Virginia's College at Wise | 1911 | 93.92 | 950 – 1,180 | 10409 | 39725 |
University of Virginia's College at Wise
|
| 31 | Mary Baldwin University | 1217 | 94.7 | 980 – 1,220 | 18838 | 39075 |
Mary Baldwin University
|
| 32 | Emory & Henry University | 1107 | 96.33 | 970 – 1,170 | 21714 | 39448 |
Emory & Henry University
|
| 33 | Virginia State University | 4829 | 89.1 | 850 – 1,020 | 16184 | 33630 |
Virginia State University
|
| 34 | Averett University | 1180 | 47.8 | 870 – 1,150 | 24091 | 46273 |
Averett University
|
| 35 | Virginia Union University | 1170 | 97.8 | 800 – 1,000 | 18496 | 27977 |
Virginia Union University
|
| 36 | Ferrum College | 747 | 100 | 930 – 1,140 | 22521 | 36418 |
#36
Ferrum College
|
| 37 | Bluefield University | 694 | 62.72 | 900 – 1,090 | 22191 | 41923 |
Bluefield University
|
| 38 | Norfolk State University | 5510 | 87.46 | 870 – 1,030 | 12272 | 33412 |
Norfolk State University
|
| 39 | Southern Virginia University | 967 | 99.73 | 900 – 1,250 | 25440 | 36988 |
Southern Virginia University
|
| 40 | Sweet Briar College | 464 | 71.74 | 1,020 – 1,360 | 25598 | 35533 | |
| 41 | Chamberlain University-Virginia | 567 | 100 | -- | 0 | 59213 | |
| 42 | ECPI University | 556 | 82.69 | -- | 20051 | 41278 | |
| 43 | Virginia University of Lynchburg | 170 | 81.73 | -- | 17734 | 24718 |
Virginia University of Lynchburg
|
| 44 | Bryant & Stratton College-Virginia Beach | 572 | 0 | -- | 11607 | 27873 |
School data is from 2022–2023 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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