Top Virginia Colleges

The best Virginia Colleges vary widely in personality, mission and location. My picks for the top 17 Virginia colleges include public and private universities, public and private liberal arts colleges, two women's colleges, and two military colleges. You can probably guess that the University of Virginia, College of William and Mary and Washington and Lee University are on the list. Some of the other top picks may be less familiar. The schools on the list were chosen based on a variety of factors including academic reputation, curricular innovations, first-year retention rates, four- and six-year graduation rates, financial aid and student engagement. Check out the list to see who made the cut.

To get a partial idea of what it takes to get into these top Virginia colleges, I've created side-by-side comparison charts of the ACT scores and SAT scores of matriculated students.

Is there another Virginia college that you think deserves a spot on the list? If so, share your recommendation below.

More Top Picks by State:

• Top Alabama Colleges
• Top California Colleges
• Top Florida Colleges
• Top Illinois Colleges
• Top Indiana Colleges
• Top Maryland Colleges
• Top Missouri Colleges
• Top Michigan Colleges
• Top Minnesota Colleges
• Top New York Colleges
• Top North Carolina Colleges
• Top Ohio Colleges
• Top Tennessee Colleges
• Top Texas Colleges