Cost of Attending College in Virginia: Tuition and Living Costs
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 04, 2026 • US States & Cities
In-state tuition and fees at Virginia's public universities for 2024-2025 range from about $12,750 at Old Dominion to $21,803 at UVA, while out-of-state rates run two to three times higher. Community college cuts the price sharply, and most students pay less than the sticker price after aid.
💵 UVA in-state total with room and board runs about $41,803 a year.
💵 NOVA community college costs $5,891 a year in-state, with no on-campus housing.
Out-of-state tuition runs 2-3 times the in-state rate at every public school.
Average net price after aid at JMU and George Mason sits near $18,800 for in-state students.
Richard Bland, Virginia's public 2-year college, charges $9,090 in-state a year.
What Virginia public universities cost in 2024-2025
The numbers below are the latest tuition and fee figures published to the federal College Navigator database, for the 2024-2025 academic year. Schools set new rates each summer, so treat these as a close baseline and confirm the current year's number on each school's own site before you commit.
| University | In-state tuition and fees | Out-of-state tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|
| University of Virginia | $21,803 | $59,512 |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | $16,945 | $40,109 |
| Virginia Tech | $15,948 | $37,764 |
| George Mason University | $14,220 | $38,688 |
| James Madison University | $14,250 | $31,604 |
| Old Dominion University | $12,750 | $33,780 |
Out-of-state sticker price runs two to three times the in-state rate at every school on this list, which is why establishing Virginia residency before you enroll matters so much for your budget.
Total cost with housing and food
Tuition is only part of the bill. Adding room, board, books and personal expenses roughly doubles the in-state sticker price at most public universities. UVA estimates $41,803 total for an in-state student living on campus, and $79,512 for an out-of-state student on campus, once you add its $14,800 room and board estimate to tuition. Virginia Tech's full in-state, on-campus total runs $39,670. JMU estimates $33,276 total for an in-state student living on campus, built on $13,056 for room and board. VCU's in-state, on-campus total lands near $42,793. Old Dominion's totals span $32,988 for an in-state student on campus up to $55,508 for an out-of-state student living off campus.
Two-year colleges cost a fraction of the price
Richard Bland College , Virginia's public two-year residential college, charges $9,090 a year in-state tuition and $14,970 out-of-state, with room and board around $12,142. Northern Virginia Community College , the state's largest community college, charged $5,891 in-state tuition and fees for 2024-2025, up 3.3% from the year before, and $12,409 out-of-state, up 5.3%. NOVA has no on-campus housing and estimates a total in-state cost of $25,635 a year for a student living off campus, once you add $12,684 for food and housing, $1,800 for books, and $5,260 in other expenses.
Two years at a community college before transferring to a four-year public university, using the guaranteed transfer agreements the Virginia Community College System maintains with four-year schools, cuts your total four-year bill by a large margin compared with starting as a freshman at a university.
Why out-of-state tuition costs so much more
Virginia funds its public universities partly through general tax revenue, and that subsidy applies only to Virginia residents. Out-of-state students pay a rate closer to the full cost of instruction, which is why the gap between in-state and out-of-state tuition runs into the tens of thousands of dollars at every school in the table above. Two years of tuition at NOVA, about $11,782 total at the in-state rate, followed by two years at a four-year public school, costs far less than four years at that same university from your first semester.
Sticker price is not what most students pay
Published tuition is a starting point, not the real bill for most students once grants and scholarships apply. JMU's average net price for in-state, aid-receiving first-year students in 2023-2024 was $18,856, well under its $33,276 full sticker total. George Mason's average net price for in-state students was $18,823, and Old Dominion's was $16,419. All three schools report that more than half their beginning undergraduates receive grant or scholarship aid. Check your award letter's net price, not the published sticker rate, before you rule out a school on cost alone.
Estimating your own total with a net price calculator
Every school in this guide runs its own net price calculator, a short form that turns your family's income and a few other details into a personalized estimate before you apply. A net price calculator gives a far more accurate number than the sticker prices in the table above, since it factors in the same institutional aid that pulled JMU and George Mason's real in-state costs down to about $18,800. Run the calculator for every school on your list early in your search, not after an admission offer arrives, so cost does not eliminate an otherwise good match too late to matter.
What these estimates leave out
Published cost of attendance figures do not cover everything you might spend. Health insurance, most schools require it unless you show comparable coverage, plus a laptop, a car, or fraternity and sorority dues sit outside these standard estimates. Add a buffer for whichever of these apply to you before you finalize a budget.
Costs keep rising each year
Community college tuition already climbed noticeably in one year: NOVA's in-state rate rose 3.3% and its out-of-state rate rose 5.3% between the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 academic years. Four-year public universities tend to raise tuition and fees by a similar low single-digit percentage most years. Budget for a small increase each year you stay enrolled instead of assuming your first-year price holds for all four years.
Where you live changes your budget too
Housing and food costs vary by region as much as tuition varies by school. Northern Virginia, in the Washington DC metro area, carries the highest cost of living in the state, which shows up in NOVA's off-campus food and housing estimate of $12,684 a year. Campuses in smaller cities and towns, like Blacksburg for Virginia Tech or Harrisonburg for JMU, tend to post lower room and board estimates. JMU's on-campus estimate of $13,056 sits close to NOVA's off-campus number despite including full board. Build your budget around your specific campus and housing plan, not one statewide average, for a realistic number.