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Best Value Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Value Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Virginia

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices

9 Schools Ranked
$18,737 Avg Tuition & Fees*

Today's computer science students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school or bootcamp to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Computer Science Degree Search has developed this Best Value Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Virginia ranking. Our analysis looked at 9 schools in Virginia to see which basic certificate programs offered the best value experiences for computer science students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top Value Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Virginia

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

John Tyler Community College

Chester, Virginia
10 Total Awards
$10,803 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found John Tyler Community College to be the best value school for computer science students who want to pursue a basic certificate in Virginia. Located in Chester, Virginia, the medium-sized public school handed out 10 basic certificate awards in 2020-2021.

John Tyler Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,803 in tuition and fees each year.

Some students may be able to take online classes at John Tyler Community College. During the 2019-2020 year, about 61% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.

John Tyler Community College also took the #4 spot in our Best Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Virginia rankings.

Read full report on John Tyler Community College

#2

Northern Virginia Community College

Annandale, Virginia
65 Total Awards
$11,648 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Northern Virginia Community College is a great place for computer science students working on their basic certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. Northern Virginia Community College is a public institution located in Annandale, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 65 basic certificates in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northern Virginia Community College are $11,648 per year.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Northern Virginia Community College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 74% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Northern Virginia Community College also made our Best Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Virginia list, coming in at #5.

Full Northern Virginia Community College Report

#3

Germanna Community College

Locust Grove, Virginia
3 Total Awards
$10,916 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 9 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s value ranking, Germanna Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Germanna Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Locust Grove, Virginia that handed out 3 basic certificates in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Germanna Community College are $10,916 per year.

Germanna Community College does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 75% took at least some of their classes online.

Read More…

#4

Tidewater Community College

Norfolk, Virginia
9 Total Awards
$11,564 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Tidewater Community College is a great place for computer science students working on their basic certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. Tidewater Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Norfolk, Virginia. It awarded 9 basic certificates in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tidewater Community College are $11,564 per year.

Tidewater Community College does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. During the 2019-2020 year, about 96% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.

Full Tidewater Community College Report

#5

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia
3 Total Awards
$54,438 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Virginia - Main Campus is a great place for computer science students working on their basic certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 3 students in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at University of Virginia are $54,438 a year.

You may have the opportunity to take online classes at University of Virginia. During the 2019-2020 year, about 100% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.

University of Virginia also took the #1 spot in our Best Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Virginia rankings.

Read More…

#6

Lord Fairfax Community College

Middletown, Virginia
25 Total Awards
$10,742 Average Tuition & Fees

Lord Fairfax Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate computer science programs. Located in Middletown, Virginia, the medium-sized public school awarded 25 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Lord Fairfax Community College are $10,742 a year.

One thing to take note of is that Lord Fairfax Community College does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 60% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.

Read More…

#7

Radford University

Radford, Virginia
13 Total Awards
$23,624 Average Tuition & Fees

Radford University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in Radford, Virginia, the medium-sized public school handed out 13 basic certificate awards in 2020-2021.

Radford undergraduate students pay an average of $23,624 in tuition and fees each year.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Radford. In fact, around 87% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Radford also made our Best Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Virginia list, coming in at #3.

Full Radford University Report

#8

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia
17 Total Awards
$16,160 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Liberty University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer science students working on their basic certificate. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 17 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Liberty University are $16,160 per year.

Some students may be able to take online classes at Liberty University. During the 2019-2020 year, about 88% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.

Full Liberty University Report

#9

University of Richmond

University of Richmond, Virginia
5 Total Awards
$58,570 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, University of Richmond did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer science students working on their basic certificate. URichmond is located in University of Richmond, Virginia and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 basic certificates to qualified students.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at URichmond are $58,570 a year.

URichmond not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools in Virginia list.

Read full report on University of Richmond

View Best Value Computer Science Basic Certificate Schools Nationwide >

Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 9 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.

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