| The four-year bachelor degree serves a variety of purposes. A degree at this level is designed to demonstrate that the graduate has a broad and general education, combined with a focus on a subject of interest. In the liberal arts and sciences, the area of focus serves to engage the student's interest while sharpening their skills of analysis, inquiry, and communication (among others) while providing a background for further study. In many programs, graduate or professional study beyond the bachelor degree is the primary goal. Other programs may be preparation for a non-academic career following graduation. Business, engineering, and teacher preparation programs are traditional examples of these.
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Top 10 Largest Programs at Four-Year Bachelor's Degree Level, Median Wages 18-months Post-Completion| Institution | Program Title | Median Wage |
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| University of Virginia | Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies (240101) | $38,294 |
| Liberty University | Criminal Justice/Safety Studies (430104) | $40,214 |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | Psychology, General (420101) | $26,120 |
| Liberty University | Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (513801) | $60,838 |
| James Madison University | Speech Communication and Rhetoric (090101) | $33,636 |
| James Madison University | Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling (511504) | $22,653 |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | Biology/Biological Sciences, General (260101) | $21,805 |
| Virginia Tech | Mechanical Engineering (141901) | $62,746 |
| University of Virginia | Business/Commerce, General (520101) | $70,050 |
| George Mason University | Criminal Justice/Police Science (430107) | $37,135 |
Known Debt at Graduation of Student Borrowers| Year | % of grads | 25th Percentile | Median | Estimated Payment on Median Debt | Mean | 75th Percentile |
|---|
| 2014-15 | $26,974 | $286 |
| 2015-16 | $26,929 | $286 |
| 2016-17 | $26,720 | $283 |
| 2017-18 | $26,720 | $283 |
| 2018-19 | $26,716 | $283 |
Note: The four-year bachelor’s degree mean and median debt levels reported on this site may differ from that reported by individual institutions. Many institutions report indebtedness based on the Common Data Set definition, which limits the indebtedness level reported to include only those students who entered the institution as first-time in college (FTIC) students. The inclusion of graduates who entered as transfer students may tend to lower the overall mean or median debt level because it does not include any debt that transfer students acquired while attending previous institutions outside Virginia and relatively few transfers from Virginia’s two-year colleges incur debt prior to transfer. Repayment estimates assume a standard 10-year repayment rate, and a 5% interest rate for undegraduate loans (for which multiple interest rates exist) and 6.8% for graduate and professional programs. Borrowers with federal loans may be eligible for Income Driven Repayment, which may result in lower payments.