Quad
Virginia State UniversityPetersburg, VA · Public

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Criminal Justice/Safety Studies (10% of graduates). 13 students for every faculty member, fewer than at 50% of colleges. 65% of faculty are full-time. Spends $15,660 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

702 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 44% of graduates; 34 programs in 21 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Criminal Justice/Safety Studies 43.010410.0% 70
    Graduates in this field earn $48,624 4 years out
  2. Psychology, General 42.01019.1% 64
    Graduates in this field earn $37,861 4 years out
  3. Business Administration and Management, General 52.02018.8% 62
    Graduates in this field earn $49,764 4 years out
  4. Physical Education Teaching and Coaching 13.13148.1% 57
    Graduates in this field earn $48,362 4 years out
  5. Mass Communication/Media Studies 09.01027.5% 53
    Graduates in this field earn $40,896 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Interdisciplinary studies, 3.1% → 5.8% of graduates since 2014–15 (41 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians$89,702 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report

    4 years after completion$89,702
    National median: $83,742Above typical

    Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report

  2. Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians$80,902 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $65,472

    4 years after completion$80,902
    National median: $82,073About typical

    Median federal debt: $27,000 · 36 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Management Information Systems and Services$72,734 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report

    4 years after completion$72,734
    National median: $83,290Below typical

    Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report · 28 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Accounting and Related Services$72,375 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $46,688

    4 years after completion$72,375
    National median: $76,194Below typical

    Median federal debt: $26,000 · 30 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Computer and Information Sciences, General$60,276 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $35,746

    4 years after completion$60,276
    National median: $92,374Below typical

    Median federal debt: $24,615

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college13 to 1
13 to 1
← Fewer students per facultyfewer students per faculty member than 50% of 1,892More students per faculty →

The college also reports 15 to 1 in its Common Data Set (5,462 students, 353 faculty).

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Class sizes

38%

of classes have fewer than 20 students; 4% have 50 or more

Under 20 students 20 or moreStudents per class section
Undergraduate class sections by number of students
StudentssectionsShare
2–916016%
10–1921622%
20–2933334%
30–3917618%
40–49646%
50–99374%
100+00%

This counts class sections, not students: a lecture of 300 is one section, so a student is more likely to sit in a large class than the share of sections suggests. Labs and discussion sections are counted separately and left out here.

Programs & curriculum

  • Accelerated program
  • Cross-registration
  • Distance learning
  • Double major
  • Dual enrollment
  • Domestic exchange program
  • Independent study
  • Internships
  • Student-designed major
  • Teacher certification
  • Study abroad

Requires coursework in English composition, humanities, intensive writing, math, a natural science, and social science.

Full-time faculty65%
National median: 67%About typical
Average faculty salary

$85,715

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other public colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable. Many public universities' endowments sit mostly in a separate foundation this survey doesn't count, so this likely understates what's actually available.

Instruction spending per student$15,660
$15,660
← Lessmore than 80% of 557More →
Endowment per student$20,879
$20,879
← Lessmore than 71% of 537More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;Virginia State University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Virginia State University Common Data Set 2025–26, 2025–26;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)