There are 167 colleges in Virginia - 44 public and 123 private schools. At Virginia colleges, college Cost of Attendance (COA), which factors in tuition, fees, books, housing, meals, and personal expenses, has risen steadily in the past ten years, reflecting the growing price of higher education.
The total Cost of Attendance has increased substantially at Virginia colleges:
Tuition and fees saw dramatic increases across institution types:
| Institution Type | 10-Year Increase (2016-2025) | 2025 Average Tuition & Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Public, In-State | 35.92% (from $11,552 to $15,702) | $15,702 |
| Public, Out-of-State | 24.89% (from $28,394 to $35,461) | $35,461 |
| Private Colleges | 8.67% (from $21,912 to $23,812) | $23,812 |
Note on Degrees: Undergraduate tuition & fees increased by 24.89%, while graduate program tuition & fees increased by 17.33% over the same period.
Over the past 10 years, the COA has increased 26.48% when living on campus and 25.09% when living off campus at Virginia Colleges.
In private Virginia Colleges, the COA has increase by 16.92% (on-campus) and 15.11% (off-camus). The COA includes tuition, fees, books & supplies, room & board, and other personal expenses.
For the academic year 2024-2025, the total cost of attendance is $53,853 when a student lives on campus and $52,509 when living off campus at Virginia Colleges. The following table and chart illustrate the changes of COA for Virginia Colleges over the past 10 years.
| Year | Living On Campus | Living Off Campus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools | In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools | |
| 2015-16 | $25,737 | $42,579 | $36,097 | $25,136 | $41,978 | $35,496 |
| 2016-17 | $26,758 3.97% | $44,131 3.64% | $37,050 2.64% | $25,808 2.67% | $43,181 2.87% | $36,100 1.70% |
| 2017-18 | $27,605 3.17% | $45,508 3.12% | $37,943 2.41% | $27,277 5.69% | $45,180 4.63% | $37,615 4.20% |
| 2018-19 | $28,619 3.67% | $47,146 3.60% | $36,810 -2.99% | $27,598 1.18% | $46,125 2.09% | $35,789 -4.85% |
| 2019-20 | $29,138 1.81% | $48,069 1.96% | $37,545 2.00% | $28,177 2.10% | $47,108 2.13% | $36,584 2.22% |
| 2020-21 | $29,824 2.35% | $48,953 1.84% | $38,232 1.83% | $28,394 0.77% | $47,523 0.88% | $36,802 0.60% |
| 2021-22 | $30,385 1.88% | $49,301 0.71% | $39,068 2.19% | $28,967 2.02% | $47,883 0.76% | $37,650 2.30% |
| 2022-23 | $31,211 2.72% | $50,708 2.85% | $42,322 8.33% | $29,673 2.44% | $49,170 2.69% | $40,784 8.32% |
| 2023-24 | $32,726 4.85% | $52,752 4.03% | $43,007 1.62% | $31,042 4.61% | $51,068 3.86% | $41,323 1.32% |
| 2024-25 | $34,094 4.18% | $53,853 2.09% | $42,204 -1.87% | $32,750 5.50% | $52,509 2.82% | $40,860 -1.12% |
For the current year (2025), the average tuition & fees for Virginia Colleges is $21,007 for Virginia residents and $41,128 out-of-state students. In private schools, the average tuition & fees is $24,992.
For graduate programs, the 2025 average graduate tuition & fees is $18,600 for Virginia residents and $32,154 out-of-state students. In private schools, the average graduate program tuition & fees is $16,998.
The tuition & fees has increased 24.89% for undergraduate programs and 17.33% for graduate programs at Virginia Colleges. The following table and chart illustrate the changes of tuition & fees by tuition rates and degrees.
| Year | Undergraduate | Graduate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools | In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools | |
| 2015-16 | $11,552 | $28,394 | $21,912 | $12,300 | $24,311 | $15,371 |
| 2016-17 | $12,168 5.33% | $29,541 4.04% | $22,460 2.50% | $12,917 5.02% | $25,087 3.19% | $14,676 -4.52% |
| 2017-18 | $12,715 4.50% | $30,618 3.65% | $23,053 2.64% | $13,231 2.43% | $25,721 2.53% | $13,568 -7.55% |
| 2018-19 | $13,442 5.72% | $31,969 4.41% | $21,633 -6.16% | $13,695 3.51% | $26,504 3.04% | $14,515 6.98% |
| 2019-20 | $13,720 2.07% | $32,651 2.13% | $22,127 2.28% | $14,192 3.63% | $27,300 3.00% | $14,425 -0.62% |
| 2020-21 | $13,971 1.83% | $33,100 1.38% | $22,379 1.14% | $14,311 0.84% | $27,461 0.59% | $14,542 0.81% |
| 2021-22 | $14,221 1.79% | $33,137 0.11% | $22,904 2.35% | $14,613 2.11% | $27,804 1.25% | $14,336 -1.42% |
| 2022-23 | $14,636 2.92% | $34,133 3.01% | $25,747 12.41% | $15,005 2.68% | $28,180 1.35% | $15,825 10.39% |
| 2023-24 | $15,188 3.77% | $35,214 3.17% | $25,469 -1.08% | $15,534 3.53% | $29,183 3.56% | $15,786 -0.25% |
| 2024-25 | $15,702 3.38% | $35,461 0.70% | $23,812 -6.51% | $15,271 -1.69% | $28,525 -2.25% | $16,150 2.31% |
For the current year (2025), the average book & supplies costs is $1,163 for Virginia Colleges. The following table shows the changes of book & supplies costs from year 2016 to 2025.
| Year | Books & Supplies |
|---|---|
| 2015-16 | $1,328 |
| 2016-17 | $1,243 -6.40% |
| 2017-18 | $1,263 1.61% |
| 2018-19 | $1,224 -3.09% |
| 2019-20 | $1,234 0.82% |
| 2020-21 | $1,211 -1.86% |
| 2021-22 | $1,216 0.41% |
| 2022-23 | $1,177 -3.21% |
| 2023-24 | $1,166 -0.93% |
| 2024-25 | $1,163 -0.26% |
For Virginia Colleges, the living have increased 28.06% when a student lives on campus facilities and 22.96% when living off campus from year 2016 to 2025. The living costs includes costs for room & board, and other living expenses.
| Year | Living On Campus | Living Off Campus |
|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | $12,857 | $13,631 |
| 2016-17 | $13,347 3.69% | $13,853 3.34% |
| 2017-18 | $13,627 1.74% | $14,477 5.15% |
| 2018-19 | $13,953 4.05% | $14,586 -0.52% |
| 2019-20 | $14,184 3.30% | $15,011 2.44% |
| 2020-21 | $14,642 3.16% | $15,374 -0.17% |
| 2021-22 | $14,948 2.50% | $15,791 2.03% |
| 2022-23 | $15,398 3.12% | $16,180 3.24% |
| 2023-24 | $16,372 6.29% | $17,183 6.00% |
| 2024-25 | $17,229 4.82% | $18,069 8.86% |