​Higher Education

Post-secondary education options abound in the Virginia Beach MSA, providing access to more than 191,000 existing or graduated students to part-time and full-time employment.

The Virginia Beach MSA has the highest concentration of college students in Virginia, with more than 18​,000 students graduating annually and nearly 95,000 students enrolled in the region's two and four-year colleges, excluding private specialty and non-traditional schools. ​

Virginia Wesleyan University and Regent University both have main campuses in the City of Virginia Beach, and the area is also home to The College of William & Mary, the second oldest public college in the nation, as well as Hampton and Norfolk State universities. 

More than 30 percent of City residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher, providing a large pool of highly qualified talent from which to recruit employees.  


 Four-Year Institutions
​
FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS UNDERGRADUATES GRADUATE​S PROFESSIONALS TOTAL
Christopher Newport University 4,954 127 0

5,081
College of William & Mary 6,285 1,848 607 8,740
Eastern Virginia Medical School 0 699 621 1,320
Hampton University 3,799 570 250 4,619
Norfolk State University 4,689 616 0 5,305
Old Dominion University 19,540 4,835 0 24,375
Regent University* 5,035 4,837 761 10,633
Virginia Wesleyan University​* 1,442 34 0 1,476

Total Four-Year Institutions

45,744

13,566

2,239

61,549​
​​

*A college with main campus in the City of Virginia Beach

Source: State Council for Higher Education of Virginia, 2017​ Fall Enrollment​


 Two-Year Institutions
​
TWO-YEAR INSTITUTIONS ENROLLMENT
Tidewater Community College* 23,945
Paul D. Camp Community College 1,480
Thomas Nelson Community College 8,897

Total Two-Year Institutions

34,​322
​

*A college with campus in the City of Virginia Beach

Source: State Council for Higher Education of Virginia, 2016 Fall Enrollment​


 Specialty and Nontraditional Schools

​Additionally, numerous specialty and nontraditional schools that offer degree and/ or certification programs have campuses in Hampton Roads, including:​​

Advanced Technology Institute Fortis College
Art Institute of Virginia Beach ITT Tech

Atlantic University

 Sentara College of Health Sciences
Aviation Institute of Maintenance South University
Bryant & Stratton College Stratford University
Cambridge College Strayer University
Centura College Tidewater Tech
ECPI University University of Phoenix
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University World College
Everest College  
Other private and public colleges operate satellite campuses in the Virginia Beach area, including the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Saint Leo University, Troy University, and The George Washington University. ​​


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