2023 Best Value Trade School Schools in Virginia
Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for trade school students. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Value Trade School Schools in Virginia ranking. This report analyzed 38 schools in Virginia to see which ones offered the best value programs for trade school students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Featured schools near , edit
Top Value Trade Schools in Virginia
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Danville Community College the best value school in Virginia for trade school students working on their degree. This small public school is located in Danville, Virginia, and it awarded 779 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Danville Community College are $10,728 per year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Danville Community College is ranked #2 for overall quality in Virginia.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Piedmont Virginia Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Trade School Schools in Virginia list. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 1,061 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at PVCC are $10,793 a year.
PVCC also claimed a spot on our Best Trade Schools in Virginia list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Wytheville Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in Virginia list. This small public school is located in Wytheville, Virginia, and it awarded 473 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCC are $10,728 per year.
The excellent programs at Thomas Nelson Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value trade schools in Virginia. Located in Hampton, Virginia, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,186 degrees in 2021-2022.
TNCC undergraduate students pay an average of $10,809 in tuition and fees each year.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Reynolds Community College is a great place for trade school students who want to get the most value for their educational dollar. This medium-sized public school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 1,558 degrees in 2021-2022.
Reynolds Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $11,001 in tuition and fees each year.
John Tyler Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. Located in Chester, Virginia, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,557 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at John Tyler Community College are $10,803 per year.
Northern Virginia Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Schools in Virginia ranking. Annandale, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 9,087 students in 2021-2022.
Northern Virginia Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $11,648 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Northern Virginia Community College is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Trade Schools in Virginia list.
Mountain Empire Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #8 on the list. MECC is a small public school situated in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. It awarded 975 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MECC are $10,728 per year.
Southside Virginia Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. This small public school is located in Alberta, Virginia, and it awarded 952 degrees in 2021-2022.
Southside Virginia Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,698 in tuition and fees each year.
Dabney S Lancaster Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #10 on the list. Dabney S Lancaster Community College is a very small public school located in Clifton Forge, Virginia that handed out 331 degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at DSLCC are $10,743 a year.
Central Virginia Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #11 on the list. Central Virginia Community College is a small public school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 1,133 degrees in 2021-2022.
Central Virginia Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,856 in tuition and fees each year.
Tidewater Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #12 on the list. Tidewater Community College is a public institution located in Norfolk, Virginia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3,462 degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Tidewater Community College are $11,564 a year.
Patrick Henry Community College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. Patrick Henry Community College is a small public school located in Martinsville, Virginia that handed out 699 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Patrick Henry are $10,723 per year.
Lord Fairfax Community College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Schools in Virginia ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Middletown, Virginia, and it awarded 1,392 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lord Fairfax Community College are $10,742 per year.
Virginia Highlands Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #15 on the list. Abingdon, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 704 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at VHCC are $10,728 a year.
Blue Ridge Community College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Schools in Virginia ranking. BRCC is located in Weyers Cave, Virginia and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1,266 degrees to qualified students.
BRCC undergraduate students pay an average of $11,367 in tuition and fees each year.
New River Community College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in Virginia list. NRCC is a small public school situated in Dublin, Virginia. It awarded 942 degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at NRCC are $10,699 a year.
Virginia Western Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #18 on the list. Virginia Western Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Roanoke, Virginia that handed out 1,184 degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Virginia Western Community College are $11,106 a year.
Southwest Virginia Community College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in Virginia list. Southwest Virginia Community College is a small public school located in Cedar Bluff, Virginia that handed out 617 degrees in 2021-2022.
Southwest Virginia undergraduate students pay an average of $10,736 in tuition and fees each year.
Paul D Camp Community College landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. Paul D Camp Community College is located in Franklin, Virginia and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 265 degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Paul D Camp Community College are $10,733 a year.
Old Dominion University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. Norfolk, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 5,241 students in 2021-2022.
Old Dominion undergraduate students pay an average of $31,170 in tuition and fees each year.
Old Dominion also made our Best Trade Schools in Virginia list, coming in at #4.
Rappahannock Community College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. Located in Glenns, Virginia, the small public school handed out 923 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at RCC are $10,823 per year.
Germanna Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in Locust Grove, Virginia, the medium-sized public school handed out 2,211 degrees in 2021-2022.
Germanna Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,916 in tuition and fees each year.
James Madison University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. JMU is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia and has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 5,530 degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at JMU are $30,152 a year.
JMU not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Trade Schools in Virginia list.
Radford University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Schools in Virginia ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Radford, Virginia, and it awarded 2,248 degrees in 2021-2022.
Radford undergraduate students pay an average of $24,453 in tuition and fees each year.
Radford did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Trade Schools in Virginia list.
Best Value Trade Schools in the Southeast Region
View Best Value Trade Schools Nationwide >
More Virginia Rankings
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
![]() |
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |