Two Virginia flagships landed on Forbes’ new list of the Top 25 Public Colleges in the United States: The University of Virginia came in at No. 9 and William & Mary came in at No. 19 on Forbes’ new ranking of the Top 25 Public Colleges in the United States. Forbes said that the 25 public schools were competing with elite private schools in terms of value and results. On August 26, 2025, the ranking came out.
Forbes said it utilized the same approach as its larger Top 500 ranking, which focuses on alumni earnings, high academic performance (including for low-income students), and return on investment.
UVA is one of the top 10 public institutions because it has a 95% graduation rate over six years, the highest of the 25 public colleges identified. It also has Division I athletics and a historic site in Charlottesville that Thomas Jefferson developed. Three years after graduation, graduates said their median wages were $82,300, and 20 years later, they were $153,900. UVA came in 34th place in the Top 500 overall.
William & Mary, one of Forbes’ “New Public Ivies,” came in at number 19. It has the fewest undergraduates of the Top 25 Public Colleges (7,359 students). The journal also talked on campus traditions including Charter Day and the Candlelight Ceremony, as well as the school’s long history in Greek life. The overall Top 500 list had William & Mary at number 60.
The University of Maryland–College Park came in at number ten among public schools, according to the university’s announcement after the Forbes list came out.
This year, Forbes named UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego, the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, and the University of Florida as the best public schools.
Virginia was more present on Forbes’ list of the Top 500 Colleges. There were 13 schools from the Commonwealth that made the cut: No. 34 University of Virginia; No. 47 Washington and Lee University; No. 60 William & Mary; No. 81 Virginia Tech; No. 92 University of Richmond; No. 114 George Mason University; No. 121 James Madison University; No. 274 Virginia Commonwealth University; No. 302 No. 306 Virginia Military Institute, No. 316 University of Mary Washington, No. 318 Hampden-Sydney College, and No. 418 Marymount University.
Forbes claimed that the federal data utilized in the rankings is from the 2023–2024 school year, which is the most recent year for which data is available.
Below are 13 Virginia colleges listed On the Forbes Top 500 Colleges list:
- No. 34: University of Virginia
- No. 47: Washington and Lee University
- No. 60: William & Mary
- No. 81: Virginia Tech
- No. 92: University of Richmond
- No. 114: George Mason University
- No. 121: James Madison University
- No. 274: Virginia Commonwealth University
- No. 302: Christopher Newport University
- No. 306: Virginia Military Institute
- No. 316: University of Mary Washington
- No. 318: Hampden-Sydney College
- No. 418: Marymount University
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