Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in Virginia
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply. See every Virginia college priced for your income
From the state
Across state lines
From the colleges
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
In our Virginia scenarios, with good parent credit, a SmartTuition plan saves a median of about $6,800 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
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From the state
Virginia's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program
For Virginia high school graduates with financial need and a grade point average of at least 2.5, at a Virginia public college. The neediest students get at least tuition. The FAFSA is the only application.
Source: State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV)
“Demonstrate financial need as determined by the institution;”
“Have at least a cumulative high school grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent);”
“Be a graduate from a Virginia high school or complete a program of home school instruction”
“those students found to be in the neediest category will receive awards of at least tuition. The maximum award is the cost of tuition, required fees, and a book allowance.”
“This program does not have a separate application; students must complete the FAFSA or VASA application to be considered.”
Virginia Commonwealth Award
For Virginia residents with financial need at a Virginia public college. Each college sets the amounts, and an award cannot be more than tuition and required fees. The FAFSA is the only application.
Source: State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV)
“Demonstrate financial need as determined by the institution;”
“Undergraduate: The actual awards will vary by institution and are subject to available funding. The awards may not exceed tuition and required fees.”
“This program does not have a separate application; students must complete the FAFSA or VASA application to be considered.”
Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant
For Virginia residents who study full time at a private nonprofit college in the state: up to $5,250 a year for an undergraduate on campus. The state’s budget sets the amount, and the application is due September 15.
Source: State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV)
“designed to assist Virginia residents who attend accredited private, nonprofit colleges and universities in Virginia”
“Be enrolled full-time as an undergraduate, graduate, or professional student; and”
“Regular (not an online / distance learning student) $5,250 $2,625”
“the actual awards will be based on available funding and projected number of recipients.”
“Completed applications must be submitted to the financial aid office of the institution on, or before, September 15 prior to the fall semester of enrollment.”
Virginia's 529 tax deduction
Money you put into a Virginia529 account comes off your Virginia income, up to $4,000 a year for each account, and the rest can come off in later years. Take money out for anything other than school costs and Virginia takes the deduction back.
Sources: Virginia Tax, Deductions and Code of Virginia, § 58.1-322.03 (deductions from Virginia adjusted gross income), subdivision 7
“enter the lesser of $4,000 or the amount contributed during the taxable year to each Virginia529 account”
“any deduction taken hereunder shall be subject to recapture in the taxable year or years in which distributions or refunds are made for any reason other than (i) to pay qualified higher education expenses, as defined in § 529 of the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) the beneficiary's death, disability, or receipt of a scholarship.”
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Averett University private | None published | — | $40,768 |
| Bridgewater College private | None published | — | $37,523 |
| Christopher Newport University public |
| — | $34,457 |
| Emory & Henry University private |
| The Emory & Henry Promise: tuition for Virginia residents with a household income of $85,000 or less and a Student Aid Index of 3,000 or less | $37,761 |
| George Mason University public | None published | — | $33,761 |
| Hampton University private |
| — | $51,964 |
| James Madison University public | None published | — | $31,871 |
| Liberty University private | None published | — | $41,709 |
| Longwood University public | None published | — | $37,851 |
| Mary Baldwin University private |
| — | $51,723 |
| Norfolk State University public | None published | — | $24,802 |
| Old Dominion University public | None published | — | $32,460 |
| Radford University public | None published | Radford Tuition Promise: tuition for Virginia residents with a household income of $100,000 or less and a Student Aid Index below 15,000 | $29,131 |
| Randolph-Macon College private |
| — | $71,735 |
| Regent University private |
| — | $34,706 |
| Roanoke College private | None published | — | $60,335 |
| Shenandoah University private |
| — | $56,378 |
| University of Mary Washington public | None published | — | $33,667 |
| University of Richmond private | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay | $93,938 |
| University of Virginia public | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay AccessUVA: tuition, fees, room and board for Virginia undergraduates with family incomes of less than $50,000, with typical assets AccessUVA: tuition and fees for Virginia undergraduates with family incomes of less than $100,000 A UVA tuition grant of $2,000 for Virginia families with incomes of less than $150,000 | $39,243 |
| UVA Wise public | None published | — | $28,134 |
| VCU public | None published | — | $40,943 |
| Virginia State University public |
| — | $27,404 |
| Virginia Tech public | None published | — | $38,092 |
| Virginia Union University private | None published | — | $37,387 |
| Virginia Wesleyan University private |
| The Coastal Advantage Scholarship: all but $2,500 of tuition for Virginia residents from families with household incomes under $100,000 | $55,219 |
| VMI public | None published | — | $36,267 |
| Washington and Lee University private |
| The W&L Promise: full tuition without loans for students from families with typical assets earning less than $200,000 a year, from 2027-28 The W&L Promise: tuition, room and board for students from families earning under $75,000 a year | $101,307 |
| William & Mary public | None published | — | $46,810 |
* The finder and our college comparison show this scholarship when you enter your student's GPA.
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
2 more Virginia colleges have no page here. For 0 of them, the federal data has no cost or no price by income. The rest mainly teach graduate students or run online programs. Show them
- University of Lynchburg
- Marymount University
Across state lines
The Academic Common Market, run by the Southern Regional Education Board.
Coming to Virginia from another southern state
Students from the other states in the market pay in-state tuition at a public college that takes part, but only for a degree their own state's public colleges don't offer.
These 6 colleges in Virginia take part:
- William & Mary
- Longwood University
- Norfolk State University
- Old Dominion University
- Radford University
- Virginia State University
Going from Virginia to another southern state
A Virginia student admitted to such a program in another of these states applies to Virginia to be certified as a resident. The program search shows which programs are open to Virginia students.
Source: Southern Regional Education Board, Academic Common Market
“is a tuition-savings program for college students in 15 SREB states who want to pursue degrees that are not offered by public institutions in their home state.”
“Students can enroll in out-of-state institutions and pay the institution’s in-state tuition rates for more than 2,200 undergraduate and graduate programs.”
“Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia Florida and Texas participate only at the graduate level.”
“Once admitted to the institution, contact your state ACM coordinator and complete the ACM application process in your home state to be certified as a state resident.”
Paying the rest
Your SmartTuition plan uses your savings, your 529, your loans and your award letter.
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How we worked these out
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The $6,800 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving over our Virginia scenarios. Each scenario is a household in Virginia at one of its colleges. Its income is one of 8 from $45,000 to $200,000, and its savings are none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price each college at the aid it reports for the income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. A saving is the difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest, the federal tax credit and Virginia's tax deduction for money you put through its 529 plan. Credit matters: parents with fair credit borrow at a higher rate, which changes the saving.
A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out, as is one at a college that reports no aid for the income. The figure is for a household that lives in Virginia.
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.