Here Are The Top Colleges In Virginia, According To Latest Forbes Ranking

Three Virginia schools made the top 50 in Forbes' 2016 college rankings, which put an emphasis on return on investment.

Washington and Lee University topped the state, ranked No. 29 nationally. Close behind were University of Virginia and College of William & Mary, at 36 and 38, respectively.

In Northern Virginia, George Mason University was ranked ninth in the state, and University of Mary Washington was ranked 10th.

Here are the top 10 Virginia schools on the list, which includes 660 schools nationwide, with their national ranking in parentheses:

1. Washington and Lee University (29)
2. University of Virginia (36)
3. College of William & Mary (38)
4. University of Richmond (101)
5. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (118)
6. Virginia Military Institute (163)
7. James Madison University (174)
8. Hampden-Sydney College (222)
9. George Mason University (237)
10. University of Mary Washington (275)

See the full list of Virginia colleges here

Forbes used data from the Department of Education, along with payscale.com and the America's Leaders List to compile the rankings on the top 660 schools. They rated each school on post-graduate success, student debt, student satisfaction, graduation rate and academic success.

Read Forbes' full methodology here

The top 10 schools nationwide were:

1. Stanford University
2. Williams College
3. Princeton University
4. Harvard University
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
6. Yale University
7. Pomona College
8. Brown University
9. Wesleyan University
10. Swarthmore College

See the full national rankings here

Includes reporting by Marc Torrence

Photo: Reid Hall and Washington and Lee University, BlueGold73, CC. 2.5