Virginia Colleges and Universities
Find Campus Colleges and Universities in Virginia
Virginia Colleges:
A School for Every Student
"Old Dominion" offers new educational opportunities
Virginia, dubbed 'the birthplace of a nation' is also the birthplace of many universities. The small state features over two thousand colleges and universities, including community colleges, technical schools, trade schools, career colleges, and other institutes of higher education. These include the University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson, and one of the most prestigious colleges in the state. The College of William and Mary is the second oldest college in the nation.
Colleges and Universitiesin Virginia
Leaders leave a legacy for Virginia students
Colleges named after famous leaders, or their wives, fill the beautiful countrysides in Virginia, where eight of the U.S. presidents were born. James Madison, George Mason, Mary Washington, and several others clinch the names of some of the top four year colleges, all offering a variety of degrees to potential students.
Tobacco was once the cash cow of Virginia, but other interests have cropped up
Virginia offers the highest concentration of government jobs in the nation, and to supplement those jobs with skilled workerws, there are several trade schools all across the state with numerous training programs:
- Culinary arts
- Automotive training
- Art institutes
- Technology institutes
- Nursing schools
- Military institutes
These trade schools, spread out across Virginia, open up the educational opportunities to the over half a million students at the collegiate level in the state.
A job with a view, rising above the mountain tops
The cost of living varies greatly across Virginia, depending on which area you choose to live. The median annual household income in 2009 was $59,300. High school graduation rates in Virginia are 85.8 percent, and with over 33 percent of the state having received a bachelor's degree or higher education, and over half a million students enrolled each year in Virginia, this state, in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains, offers great educational and occupational opportunities to its residents.
Education and health services have been on the rise over the last year in Virginia, and most of the four year colleges offer degrees in these fields to match the trend. One of the largest employers in Northern Virginia is INOVA Fairfax Hospital, which employs over 6,000 people.
A Verizon education industry is also located in Northern Virginia and employees over 5,000 workers. George Mason University and Fairfax Hospital also employ about 5,000 people each.
Since Washington D.C. is located at the tip of Virginia, many commuters find work there and at other government institutes in Virginia. The unemployment rate in Virginia is only 6.5 percent, almost three percent lower than the national average. In addition to government jobs, which lead the job market, Virginia also has a large portion of its eight million residents employed in trade, transportation and utilities, as well as professional and business services.
