Longwood University was recently recognized on Money magazine’s list of the Best Colleges in America for 2026, a distinction that reaffirms the university’s commitment to offering a high-quality education that’s affordable. The list highlights 735 top-performing institutions across the country, evaluating them on metrics such as affordability, financial aid, student debt and alumni earning potential.
Money emphasized that their analysis, focusing on quality, affordability and student outcomes, helps students and families make informed decisions about where to spend their tuition dollars and find schools that deliver strong value.
Affordability was a key data point, accounting for 40 percent in Money’s methodology. Money’s list highlighted the fact that 97 percent of Longwood undergraduate students receive some form of grant or scholarship.
Founded in 1839, Longwood offers the highest proportion of small classes taught by full-time professors of any Virginia public university. The university’s strength lies in its unique faculty-student connections and a democracy-focused Civitae Core Curriculum. Longwood consistently ranks in the top 10 among all regional public universities in the South in U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings.
Last year, Money named Longwood’s MBA program as one of the “Best MBA Programs for Your Money,” placing it among just 33 graduate business schools nationwide to earn the distinction for 2025.