List of colleges and universities in Virginia

This is a list of colleges and universities in the U.S. state of Virginia. The oldest college or university in Virginia is The College of William and Mary, founded in 1693. In 2010, the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine became the newest. The largest institution is Liberty University, with over 143,000 students. The smallest is the graduate-only Institute for the Psychological Sciences.
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia defines four categories of degree-granting institutions of postsecondary education: public institutions, established private institutions in good standing with a nationally recognized accrediting organization, private and out-of-state institutions requiring certification and institutions exempt from state oversight for religious reasons. Also exempt from certification are vocational institutions supervised by other state agencies, and institutions supervised by the federal government. All public institutions and most traditional private institutions are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Other state-certified private non-religious institutions are accredited by a national organization, though a few do not have any accreditation. Some small religious institutions do not have accreditation.

Public and established private institutions

Name	Location	Control	Carnegie Classification	Accreditation	Founded	Enrollment
American National University	Multiple	Private	Masters university	ACICS	1886	1,113
Appalachian College of Pharmacy	Oakwood	Private	Special focus	ACPE	2003	130
Appalachian School of Law	Grundy	Private	Special focus	ABA	1994	152
Averett University	Danville	Private	Masters university	SACS	1859	1,363
Blue Ridge Community College	Weyers Cave	Public	Associate/Baccalaureate college	SACS	1967	3,562
Bluefield University	Bluefield	Private	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1922	991
Bridgewater College	Bridgewater	Private	Associate/Baccalaureate college	SACS	1880	1,421
Brightpoint Community College	Chester	Public	Associate/Baccalaureate college	SACS	1967	8,792
Central Virginia Community College	Lynchburg	Public	Associate/Baccalaureate college	SACS	1966	3,388
Christendom College	Front Royal	Private	Uncategorized	SACS	1977	615
Christopher Newport University	Newport News	Public	Masters university	SACS	1960	4,559
College of William & Mary	Williamsburg	Public	Research university	SACS	1693	9,654
Danville Community College	Danville	Public	Junior college	SACS	1936	2,274
Divine Mercy University	Sterling	Private	Doctoral university	SACS	1999	407
Eastern Mennonite University	Harrisonburg	Private	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1917	1,334
Eastern Shore Community College	Melfa	Public	Junior college	SACS	1971	658
Eastern Virginia Medical School	Norfolk	Private	Doctoral university	SACS	1973	1,319
ECPI University	Multiple	Private	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1966	11,740
Emory and Henry University	Emory	Private	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1836	1,358
Ferrum College	Ferrum	Private	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1913	855
George Mason University	Fairfax	Public	Research university	SACS	1957	39,049
George Washington University	Multiple	Private	Research university	MSCHE	1821	25,939
Germanna Community College	Locust Grove	Public	Junior college	SACS	1970	7,688
Hampden-Sydney College	Hampden Sydney	Private	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1775	846
Hampton University	Hampton	Private	Masters university	SACS	1868	3,286
Hollins University	Roanoke	Private	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1842	803
Institute for the Psychological Sciences	Arlington	Private	Doctoral university	SACS	1997	160
J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College	Richmond	Public	Associate/Baccalaureate college	SACS	1972	7,527
James Madison University	Harrisonburg	Public	Research university	SACS	1908	22,224
Jefferson College of Health Sciences	Roanoke	Private	Doctoral university	SACS	1982	Unknown
Laurel Ridge Community College	Middletown	Public	Associate/Baccalaureate college	SACS	1970	5,720
Liberty University	Lynchburg	Private	Research university	SACS	1971	96,709
Longwood University	Farmville	Public	Masters university	SACS	1839	4,358
Marine Corps University	Quantico	Public	Special focus	SACS	1989	269
Mary Baldwin University	Staunton	Private	Masters university	SACS	1842	1,957
Marymount University	Arlington	Private	Masters university	SACS	1950	3,711
Mountain Empire Community College	Big Stone Gap	Public	Junior college	SACS	1972	1,928
Mountain Gateway Community College	Clifton Forge	Public	Junior college	SACS	1964	946
New River Community College	Dublin	Public	Junior college	SACS	1959	3,980
Norfolk State University	Norfolk	Public	Masters university	SACS	1935	5,783
Northern Virginia Community College	Annandale	Public	Junior college	SACS	1964	51,896
Old Dominion University	Norfolk	Public	Research university	SACS	1930	23,107
Patrick & Henry Community College	Martinsville	Public	Junior college	SACS	1962	1,861
Paul D. Camp Community College	Franklin	Public	Junior college	SACS	1970	1,188
Piedmont Virginia Community College	Charlottesville	Public	Junior college	SACS	1972	5,022
Radford University	Radford	Public	Masters university	SACS	1910	7,718
Randolph College	Lynchburg	Private	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1891	553
Randolph–Macon College	Ashland	Private	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1830	1,490
Rappahannock Community College	Glenns, Warsaw	Public	Junior college	SACS	1969	2,591
Regent University	Virginia Beach	Private	Doctoral university	SACS	1977	10,337
Richard Bland College	Petersburg	Public	Junior college	SACS	1960	2,051
Roanoke College	Salem	Private	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1842	1,826
Sentara College of Health Sciences	Chesapeake	Private	Baccalaureate college	ABHES	1892	331
Shenandoah University	Winchester	Private	Masters university	SACS	1875	4,260
Southside Virginia Community College	Alberta, Keysville	Public	Junior college	SACS	1970	3,112
Southwest Virginia Community College	Richlands	Public	Junior college	SACS	1968	2,163
Sweet Briar College	Sweet Briar	Private	Associate/Baccalaureate college	SACS	1901	460
Tidewater Community College	Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach	Public	Junior college	SACS	1968	16,195
Union Presbyterian Seminary	Richmond	Private	Special focus	ATS	1896	177
University of Lynchburg	Lynchburg	Private	Masters university	SACS	1903	2,394
University of Management and Technology	Arlington	Private	Baccalaureate college	DETC	1998	1,189
University of Mary Washington	Fredericksburg	Public	Masters university	SACS	1908	3,757
University of the Potomac	Falls Church	Private	Special focus	SACS	1989	1,652
University of Richmond	Richmond	Private	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1830	3,876
University of Virginia	Charlottesville	Public	Research university	SACS	1819	26,082
University of Virginia's College at Wise	Wise	Public	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1954	1,704
Virginia Commonwealth University	Richmond	Public	Research university	SACS	1838	28,082
Virginia Highlands Community College	Abingdon	Public	Junior college	SACS	1969	2,068
Virginia–Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine	Blacksburg	Public	Masters university	SACS	1978	480
Virginia Military Institute	Lexington	Public	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1839	1,512
Virginia Peninsula Community College	Hampton	Public	Junior college	SACS	1968	6,018
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	Blacksburg	Public	Research university	SACS	1872	38,170
Virginia State University	Petersburg	Public	Masters university	SACS	1882	4,648
Virginia Union University	Richmond	Private	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1865	1,860
Virginia University of Lynchburg	Lynchburg	Private	Doctoral university	TRACS	1886	837
Virginia University of Science & Technology	McLean	Private	Masters university	Unaccredited	2016	Unknown
Virginia Wesleyan University	Norfolk	Private	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1961	1,538
Virginia Western Community College	Roanoke	Public	Junior college	SACS	1966	5,860
Washington and Lee University	Lexington	Private	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1749	2,243
Wytheville Community College	Wytheville	Public	Junior college	SACS	1963	2,116

Private and out-of-state institutions

School	Location	Control	Type	Accreditation	Founded	Enrollment
ACT College	Arlington	Private	Uncategorized	ABHES	1983	401
Advanced Institute of Technology	Virginia Beach	Private	Uncategorized	ACCSC	1992	1040
American Digital University	Sterling	Private	Uncategorized	none	Unknown	Unknown
American Public University System	Manassas	Private	Masters university	HLC	1991	Unknown
Appalachian College of Pharmacy	Oakwood	Private	Special focus	SACS, ACPE	2003	207
Aviation Institute of Maintenance	Multiple	Private	Associate's college	ACCSC	1969	509
Bethel College	Hampton	Private	Uncategorized	none	1887	76
Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing	Richmond	Private	Uncategorized	ACICS	1961	300
Bryant & Stratton College	Multiple	Private	Baccalaureate college	MSCHE	1854	1852
Catholic University of America	Alexandria	Private	Research university	MSCHE	1887	5,956
Central Texas College	Fort Gregg-Adams	Public	Associate's college	SACS	1965	16,073
Centura College	Multiple	Private	Career College	ACCSC	1983	1927
Chamberlain College of Nursing	Arlington	Private	Special focus	HLC	1889	Unknown
Columbia College	Fairfax	Private	Associate's college	COE	1999	310
DeVry University	Multiple	Private	Masters university	HLC	1931	1868
Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine	Blacksburg	Private	Special focus	COCA	2002	759
Everest College	Multiple	Private	Associate's college	ACICS	2007	2,251
Florida Institute of Technology	Multiple	Private	Uncategorized	SACS	1958	6,291
Fortis College	Multiple	Private	Associate's college	ACICS	2008	942
Georgetown University	Arlington	Private	Research university	MSCHE	1789	19,204
Global Health College	Alexandria	Private	Associate's college	none	2004	276
HyperLearning Technologies, Inc.	Virginia Beach	Private	Uncategorized	none	1995	Unknown
International College of Washington	Annandale	Private	Uncategorized	none	1966	Unknown
Johns Hopkins University	Arlington	Private	Research university	MSCHE	1876	26,152
Kings Park University School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine	Cedar Bluff	Private	Uncategorized	none	Unknown	Unknown
Life Pacific University	Christiansburg	Private	Special focus	WASC-ACCJC	1923	619
Missouri State University	Fairfax	Public	Masters university	HLC	1906	23,697
The National Graduate School	Arlington	Private	Uncategorized	NEASC	1909	Unknown
National Massage Therapy Institute	Falls Church	Private	Uncategorized	ABHES	1998	Unknown
Patrick Henry College	Purcellville	Private	Baccalaureate college	TRACS	2000	325
Potomac College	Herndon	Private	Baccalaureate college	MSCHE	1901	40
Reformed Theological Seminary	McLean	Private	Faith-related institution	ATS	1966	Unknown
Saint Leo University	Multiple	Private	Masters university	SACS	1889	5,232
Saint Michael College of Allied Health	Alexandria	Private	Uncategorized	none	1971	193
Skyline College	Roanoke	Private	Associate's college	ACCSC	1969	355
South Baylo University	Annandale	Private	Uncategorized	none	1977	410
South University	Multiple	Private	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1867	536
Southern Virginia University	Buena Vista	Private	Baccalaureate college	SACS	1867	1,035
Southside Regional Medical Center Professional Schools	Petersburg	Private	Uncategorized	JRCERT	1895	131
Strayer University	Multiple	Private	Masters university	MSCHE	1892	12,918
University of Fairfax	Vienna	Private	Uncategorized	DETC	2002	Unknown
University of Maryland Global Campus, formerly UMUC	Fort Belvoir	Public	Research university	MSCHE	1807	Unknown
University of North America	Vienna	Private	Uncategorized	ACICS	2008	310
University of Valley Forge	Woodbridge	Private	Baccalaureate college	MSCHE	Unknown	Unknown
Virginia College	Richmond	Private	Uncategorized	ACICS	1983	Unknown
Virginia School of Massage	Charlottesville	Private	Uncategorized	ACCSC	1995	Unknown
Virginia School of Nursing & Medical Institute	Springfield	Private	Uncategorized	none	1901	Unknown
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine	Roanoke	Public/ private	Uncategorized	none	2010	Unknown
Virginia University of Lynchburg	Lynchburg	Private	Special focus	TRACS	1886	555
Virginia University of Oriental Medicine	Fairfax	Private	Uncategorized	none	2004	Unknown
Washington University of Virginia	Annandale	Private	Uncategorized	none	Unknown	Unknown
Washington University of Science and Technology, formerly IGlobal University	Alexandria	Private	Masters university	ACCSC	2008	4221
Webster University	Fort Belvoir	Private	Uncategorized	HLC	1915	Unknown
William Samson University	Alexandria	Private	Doctoral university	-	2012	Unknown

Primarily religious institutions

School	Location	Control	Type	Accreditation	Founded	Enrollment
Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond	Richmond	Private	Special focus	ATS	1991	63
Cordoba University	Ashburn	Private	Uncategorized	none	Unknown	Unknown
Cornerstone College & Seminary	Spotsylvania	Private	Uncategorized	AICCS	1969	Unknown
Hartland College	Rapidan	Private	Uncategorized	none	1983	90
John Leland Center for Theological Studies	Falls Church	Private	Uncategorized	none	1998	Unknown
Union Presbyterian Seminary	Richmond	Private	Special focus	ATS	2012	146
Virginia Theological Seminary	Alexandria	Private	Uncategorized	ATS	1818	216
Washington Bible College and Capital Bible Seminary (Springfield Extension)	Springfield	Private	Uncategorized	none	1958	Unknown
William Samson University	Alexandria	Private	Doctoral university	-	2012	Unknown

Defunct institutions

School	Location	Founded	Closed
American College of Commerce and Technology	Falls Church	2010	2017
Argosy University - Washington D.C. area	Arlington		2019
The Art Institute of Washington	Arlington	2000	2018
Eastern College	Front Royal and Manassas	1902	1920
Elizabeth College	Salem	1826	1922
Fairfax University of America	Fairfax	1998	2024
Fauquier Institute	Warrenton	1860
Medtech College	Fairfax	1939	2016
Richmond School of Health and Technology	Multiple	1997
Saint Paul's College	Lawrenceville	1888	2013
Southeast Culinary & Hospitality College	Bristol	2005
Stratford College	Danville	1854	1974
Stratford University	Multiple	1976	2022
Sullins College	Bristol	1868	1976
University of Northern Virginia	Annandale	1998	2014
Virginia Intermont College	Bristol	1884	2014