13 VA Colleges Among 500 ‘That Shine’ With Top Salaries For Grads: Forbes

Several Virginia colleges are among 500 “that shine,” according to Forbes’ annual ranking of America’s Top Colleges released Wednesday.

Forbes said its ranking “showcases 500 colleges that produce successful, high-earning and influential graduates from all economic backgrounds, with less student debt.”

Despite the “financial and cultural war on higher education” waged by the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans, “American colleges are still delivering gold-standard undergraduate education,” Forbes said.

Forbes considered 14 metrics to determine the top 500 that offer the best educational, financial and career outcomes.

In Virginia, the top five colleges that shine are:

University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Overall ranking: 34
Type: Public
Average grant aid: $29,675
Average debt: $10,002
Median 20-year salary: $153,900

Washington and Lee University, Lexington
Overall ranking: 47
Type: Private not-for-profit
Average grant aid: $58,323
Average debt: $10,360
Median 20-year salary: $164,400

William & Mary, Williamsburg
Overall ranking: 60
Type: Public
Average grant aid: $20,908
Average debt: $9,746
Median 20-year salary: $136,300

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg
Overall ranking: 81
Type: Public
Average grant aid: $8,542
Average debt: $10,390
Median 20-year salary: $139,600

University of Richmond
Overall ranking: 92
Type: Private not-for-profit
Average grant aid: $42,050
Average debt: $9,640
Median 20-year salary: $133,400

For more information on where other colleges in Virginia and elsewhere were ranked, go to Forbes.

Forbes’ Top 10 schools are:

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Massachusetts)
2. Columbia University (New York)
3. Princeton University (New Jersey)
4. Stanford University (California)
5. University of California-Berkeley
6. Harvard University (Massachusetts)
7. Williams College (Massachusetts)
8. Johns Hopkins University (Maryland)
9. Yale University (Connecticut)
10. University of Pennsylvania

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