Virginia Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest In State Tution

Below is a college cost ranking of the 15 public colleges in Virginia with the lowest in state tution. What is the cheapest college in Virginia? Norfolk State University leads the list with a tuition and fee total of $14,284. Note these costs do not include room and board or living expenses.

Affordable doesn't simply mean finding a school with a low published price. It's important to research the typical financial aid package offered by a school, the average net price actually paid and most importantly the quality of education you receive for your tuition dollar. Sometimes a school which appears cheap based on list price can be a poor relative value if it can't award competitive financial aid or doesn't offer a quality education. The list below is a ranking on published in state tution with no consideration of actual average price paid or academic quality of the school. Please see the CollegeSimply Best Value Colleges in Virginia list for a ranking which considers school quality and average net price.

All price data are reprinted from the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS 2025 survey and reflect reported costs for academic year 2024/2025.

List of Virginia Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest In State Tution
College Tuition In State

Norfolk, Virginia

$14,284

Petersburg, Virginia

$14,385

Radford, Virginia

$16,568
$17,400

Norfolk, Virginia

$17,700

Fairfax, Virginia

$18,048

Blacksburg, Virginia

$18,744

Fredericksburg, Virginia

$20,340

Harrisonburg, Virginia

$20,350
$20,690

Farmville, Virginia

$22,742

Newport News, Virginia

$23,368

Charlottesville, Virginia

$25,446

Lexington, Virginia

$31,724

Williamsburg, Virginia

$33,119

This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: August 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.