Virginia State University
Petersburg, Virginia · Public · 88.6% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 21/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Virginia State University scores 21 in the Below Benchmark tier. The headline weaknesses are concentrated on the back end: a 38.2% three-year repayment rate (sub-score 3), a 0.914 debt-to-earnings ratio (sub-score 8), and a 39.4% completion rate (sub-score 20). In-state tuition is $10,043 (out-of-state $22,650), net price is $15,840, and total four-year cost is about $63,360. Average earnings six years after entry are just $29,000, climbing to a median $45,543 by year ten, producing a 16.6% earnings premium (sub-score 32) and a 19.3-year payback period. Median debt is $26,500. The 38% repayment rate is the loudest signal: many borrowers are not making progress on their loans three years out, which prospective students should weigh. The Pell rate of 72.1% confirms VSU serves a very high-need population, and the data show the school's mission is genuinely serving that population, but the financial outcomes for individual students are weak.
How Virginia State University scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score21/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate39.4% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period19.3 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Virginia State University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $10,043/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $22,650/yr |
| Average net price | $15,840/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $63,360 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $45,543 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $29,000 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,500 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $281 |
| Estimated payback period | 19.3 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 39.4% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 5,074 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $10,043/year ($22,650/year out-of-state), which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $15,840/year, or roughly $63,360 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $13,220/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $25,508/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,500, which works out to about $281 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($29,000) and comes to 0.91, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $13,220 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $14,758 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $19,463 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $22,223 |
| $110,001+ | $25,508 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning $0-30,000 pay $13,220 net per year (about $52,880 over four years). With 72% Pell enrollment, this is the modal family. Pell plus state aid covers much of this for the lowest band, making the school accessible in cash terms even when the earnings outcome is weak.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-110,000) face sharp cost increases: $19,463 to $22,223 per year. Four-year cost runs $78,000-$89,000. This is where the VSU value proposition gets hardest to defend.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $25,508 per year ($102,032 over four years), the highest bracket. These families are a small slice given the 72% Pell rate.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Virginia State University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | $37,861 | D |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $48,624 | D |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $49,764 | D |
| Communication and Media Studies | $40,896 | F |
| Teacher Education, Subject-Specific | $48,362 | F |
| Biology | $53,398 | D |
| International Relations | $44,002 | C |
| Marketing | $53,709 | C+ |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | $80,902 | B |
| Social Work | $49,615 | F |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Psychology
Psychology is the largest program at 76 graduates with $28,513 first-year and $37,861 four-year earnings. Debt is $27,000 and debt-to-earnings is 0.947 for a D grade. The very weak four-year earnings ceiling combined with substantial debt produces a poor ROI pattern.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice graduates 68 students with $34,604 first-year and $48,624 four-year earnings. Debt of $30,000 and debt-to-earnings of 0.867 yield a D grade. Federal and state law-enforcement placement helps, but the heavy debt load pressures graduate finances meaningfully.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration graduates 51 students with $30,480 first-year and $49,764 four-year earnings. Debt is $27,000 and debt-to-earnings is 0.886 for a D grade.
Communication and Media Studies
Communication and Media Studies graduates 49 students with $23,897 first-year and $40,896 four-year earnings. Debt of $28,000 and debt-to-earnings of 1.172 yield an F grade. Among the weakest ROI patterns at the school.
Teacher Education, Subject-Specific
Teacher Education graduates 41 students with $26,547 first-year and $48,362 four-year earnings. Debt is $30,000 and debt-to-earnings is 1.13 for an F grade. Virginia teacher salary scales should produce better numbers; the F here reflects both modest starting salaries and unusually heavy borrowing for an education credential.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 30.2% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 38.2% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 34.5% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 41.5% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Virginia State University’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 88.6% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 400-520 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 440-550 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 14-20 |
| Enrollment | 5,074 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 72.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $9,469 |
VSU admits 88.6% of applicants with SAT mid-ranges of 400-520 (math) and 440-550 (reading) and ACT composite mid-range of 14-20. The combination of a 89% admit rate, 72% Pell, and 39% completion is the structural HBCU access pattern - the school takes academic risks the system did not prepare its students for, and lacks the resources to fully compensate.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia State University (this school) | 21 | $15,840 | $45,543 |
| Elizabeth City State University | 23 | $6,364 | $40,026 |
| Norfolk State University | 20 | $15,282 | $44,666 |
| Fayetteville State University | 19 | $7,892 | $40,144 |
| Lincoln University | 18 | $14,977 | $43,167 |
| Paine College | 14 | $16,670 | $33,338 |
Who Thrives Here
Enrollment is 5,074 with a 72.1% Pell rate. This is a high-need, predominantly Black student body with strong cultural and community value as an HBCU. The school's mission case is real: providing access to college for students who might otherwise have no four-year option. The financial outcomes case is harder. VSU works for students entering its mechanical engineering tech, MIS, or accounting programs where outcomes are stronger; it works less well for students drawn to liberal arts, education, or communications, where the debt-to-earnings math is genuinely bad.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Virginia State University scores 21/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $15,840 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $45,543 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 19.3 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 39.4% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.91 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 38.2% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,500 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $29,000 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.91. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Virginia State University: Common Questions
Is Virginia State University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Virginia State University scores 21/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $15,840 a year after aid against $45,543 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 19.3 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Virginia State University cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $15,840 a year, or roughly $63,360 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Virginia State University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $45,543 ten years after enrolling, roughly $3,743 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Virginia State University?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 19.3 years for Virginia State University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Virginia State University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,500, against average earnings of $29,000 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.91. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Virginia State University?
The six-year graduation rate is 39.4%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.