Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Town campus · verified rankings · federal data

Virginia Military Institute

Students comparing Virginia Military Institute on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Lexington, Virginia1,527 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 31Public universitySmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Virginia Military Institute: U.S. News ranks it #59 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #306 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #285 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #397 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars. It enrolls 1,527 undergraduates, admits 71.3% of applicants, and posts a 76.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $52,638; aid recipients pay $17,113 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $77,369.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
71.3%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$17,113

73% below the $63,948 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$77,369

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
76.2%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$22,996

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1050–1270

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Virginia Military ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Liberal Arts Colleges#59of 210Liberal arts colleges
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#306of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#285of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#397of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Virginia Military's position moves 46 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Virginia Military

Virginia Military Institute is a public institution in Lexington, Virginia. Federal data show 81.0% first-year retention and a 10:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $17,113 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $63,948 sticker cost against $17,113 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Virginia Military Institute on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$21,046

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$52,638

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$11,310

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $63,948 a year, but the average family pays $17,113 — a 73% difference. 16.5% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Virginia Military's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    10:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    81.0%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    1,527

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Virginia Military: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $52,638 and on-campus room and board is $11,310, for a published total of $63,948 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $17,113.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 71.3%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    New College of Florida

    Sarasota, FLPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    New College of Florida: U.S. News ranks it #122 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #294 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #44 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #305 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 843 undergraduates, admits 73.2% of applicants, and posts a 66.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $29,944; aid recipients pay $7,195 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $48,082.

    Acceptance rate
    73.2%
    Average net price
    $7,195
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $48,082
    6-yr graduation rate
    66.7%
    US News · Liberal arts colleges#122 of 210Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#294 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#44 of 1,504+3 more on profile

    843 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 33 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Truman State University

    Kirksville, MOPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Truman State University: U.S. News ranks it #5 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Forbes ranks it #257 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #590 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #740 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,513 undergraduates, admits 83.8% of applicants, and posts a 68.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $18,566; aid recipients pay $12,780 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $56,280.

    Acceptance rate
    83.8%
    Average net price
    $12,780
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $56,280
    6-yr graduation rate
    68.5%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#5 of 165Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#257 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#590 of 1,504+3 more on profile

    2,513 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 31 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    SUNY Maritime College

    Throggs Neck, NYPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    SUNY Maritime College: U.S. News ranks it #25 on Regional Universities (North) (2026); Forbes ranks it #227 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #702 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #819 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars. It enrolls 1,285 undergraduates, admits 72.4% of applicants, and posts a 64.4% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $19,159; aid recipients pay $22,367 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $95,951.

    Acceptance rate
    72.4%
    Average net price
    $22,367
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $95,951
    6-yr graduation rate
    64.4%
    US News · Regional univ. (North)#25 of 170Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#227 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#702 of 1,504+2 more on profile

    1,285 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 35 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Virginia Military against these