---
title: Virginia State University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Petersburg, VA
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Virginia State University

Petersburg, VA · Public · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $45,543 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $27,137 – $65,094 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $17,500 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $9,585 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 39% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $27,661 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 64% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.38× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $17,543 | derived |

**39% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $17,500 (≈ 38% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $21,298 to $68,170 across 21 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $68,170 | not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $59,033 | $24,615 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services. | Master's Degree | $54,405 | not reported |
| Manufacturing Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $53,571 | not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $49,619 | $26,000 |
| Mathematics. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,203 | not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Bachelor's Degree | $40,514 | $27,000 |
| Management Information Systems and Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $39,232 | not reported |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,290 | $26,000 |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,714 | $30,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,564 | $26,250 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,213 | not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,745 | $28,375 |
| Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,141 | $28,500 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,927 | $26,000 |
| Social Work. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,882 | $28,281 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,185 | $27,524 |
| Agriculture, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,147 | $25,500 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,410 | $27,000 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $23,671 | $26,000 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,298 | $27,000 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Virginia State University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?234155

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/virginia-state-university-va.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`