Five Virginia schools ranked among top colleges and universities

Five Virginia schools have been named to a national ranking of top liberal arts colleges and research universities.

The Raleigh, N.C.-based website College Choice ranked Washington and Lee University No. 10, the University of Richmond No. 19 and Virginia Military Institute No. 37 on its list of liberal arts colleges.

Meanwhile, the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary ranked No. 22 and No. 38, respectively among national research universities.

Amherst College topped the list of liberal arts schools. while Yale was No. 1 among research universities.

College Choice says its rankings are based “exclusively on factors actual college students said were most important to their college decision.”

According to the CIRP Freshmen Survey by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, these factors include “academic reputation, financial-aid offerings, overall cost and success of graduates in the post-college job market.”

Washington and Lee University, the highest ranked Virginia school on either list, has a total cost for tuition and fees of $45,617 per year, the website said, but “100 percent of its students had their financial needs fully met.”

College Choice listed the average starting salary for W&L graduates at $50,700.