Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    Trump Webinar Series
    New Legal Landscape
    Using Big Data to Improve Social Mobility
Sign In
News

Degrees in the Statehouse: Virginia

June 12, 2011

National Overview

Choose another state ↓
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois
Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana
Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania
Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Degrees in the Statehouse

full-timelegislature
100lower house
40upper house
140legislators

Virginia

Where did Virginia’s state legislators go to college?
Highest level of college education achieved
No college
Some college
Bachelor’s
Beyond bachelor’s
Virginia state legislators
5
6
31
58
All state legislators in the U.S.
9%
11
34
41
All Virginia residents
40%
26
20
14
Location of college attended
In home state
Outside of home state
Both
Virginia state legislators
53%
22
26
All state legislators in the U.S.
55%
22
20
Type of college attended
Some legislators attended colleges of multiple types.

Public
Private
Other
Virginia state legislators
116 legislators
69
11
All state legislators in the U.S.
5,215 legislators
2,961
479
Figures may not add to 100 because of rounding and because the education of some legislators is unknown.
Built by Josh Keller and Alex Richards / Produced by Xarissa Holdaway, Gabriela Montell, and Carmen Mendoza

MORE ON THE REPORT

How Educated Is Your Legislature?
 A Chronicle examination of 7,000 state representatives finds that just three in four have completed college. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
Lawmakers Talk About Their Degrees – or the Lack of Them
 One five-decade Iowa legislator and veteran makes higher education a priority, while a self-taught Utah senator thinks college is useless for some.
4 Experts Weigh In
 How important is it for state legislators to hold college degrees?
How a Degree Influences Decision Making
 More than a third of South Carolina’s state legislators went to the University of South Carolina, but that doesn’t seem to be helping its budget.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

National Overview

Choose another state ↓
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois
Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana
Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania
Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Degrees in the Statehouse

full-timelegislature
100lower house
40upper house
140legislators

Virginia

Where did Virginia’s state legislators go to college?
Highest level of college education achieved
No college
Some college
Bachelor’s
Beyond bachelor’s
Virginia state legislators
5
6
31
58
All state legislators in the U.S.
9%
11
34
41
All Virginia residents
40%
26
20
14
Location of college attended
In home state
Outside of home state
Both
Virginia state legislators
53%
22
26
All state legislators in the U.S.
55%
22
20
Type of college attended
Some legislators attended colleges of multiple types.

Public
Private
Other
Virginia state legislators
116 legislators
69
11
All state legislators in the U.S.
5,215 legislators
2,961
479
Figures may not add to 100 because of rounding and because the education of some legislators is unknown.
Built by Josh Keller and Alex Richards / Produced by Xarissa Holdaway, Gabriela Montell, and Carmen Mendoza

MORE ON THE REPORT

How Educated Is Your Legislature?
 A Chronicle examination of 7,000 state representatives finds that just three in four have completed college. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
Lawmakers Talk About Their Degrees – or the Lack of Them
 One five-decade Iowa legislator and veteran makes higher education a priority, while a self-taught Utah senator thinks college is useless for some.
4 Experts Weigh In
 How important is it for state legislators to hold college degrees?
How a Degree Influences Decision Making
 More than a third of South Carolina’s state legislators went to the University of South Carolina, but that doesn’t seem to be helping its budget.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Tags
Law & Policy Political Influence & Activism
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

More News

illustration of a university building drowning in red ink
'We Will Have No Choice'
Buried in Debt, This Small College Says It May Be Headed for Closure
Students at George Washington University rally in support of Palestinians in Washington, D.C., last spring.
Q&A
A Professor Reflects on a Decades-Long Effort to Deport Pro-Palestinian Protesters
PettitNewCollege Kiosk 007 Combined Full Color FINAL RGB.jpg
A New Era
The College That Conservatives Took Over
Cambridge, MA - May 23: Interim president of Harvard University, Alan Garber, arrives for a photo with honorees before the 373rd Commencement at Harvard University.
'Unmoored From the Law'
As Trump Freezes Billions in Funding, Harvard Steels Itself for a Fight

From The Review

Golden Cosmos for The Chronicle
The Review | Opinion
Can Harvard, Columbia, and Other Universities Survive Trump’s Cuts?
By Robert Kelchen
An entrance gate to the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on March 19, 2025.
The Review | Opinion
Harvard Had No Choice
By Michael C. Dorf
Junot Diaz, author of "Drown," photographed in San Francisco.
The Review | Essay
Junot Díaz’s Forced Disappearing Act
By Rafael Walker

Upcoming Events

PlainIntl Officers_Keystone.png
International Officers in the Hot Seat
UF_Lifelong_Plain.png
AI’s Effect on Lifelong Learning
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin