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Key Takeaways
Best information security degree programs: ECPI, U of Richmond, Old Dominion
Ranked by graduation rates, program outcomes, and institutional quality
Tuition ranges from $4,758 to $62,600/year
Northern Virginia Communi... offers the most affordable option at $5,550/yr
Information Security degree programs available: 7 associate's, 6 master's, 1 doctoral in Virginia
From community college pathways to advanced research degrees
11 online information security degree programs in Virginia
Flexible scheduling for working professionals
Virginia community college transfer can save 40-60% on total degree costs
7 associate's programs provide transfer pathways to bachelor's degrees
Education Commission of the States
Major employers: Amazon AWS, Microsoft, Booz Allen, Capital One
Tech hubs in Arlington and Reston
Hakia Research 2026
Information Security degree programs near 73+ cities across Virginia
Search by city to find programs within 200 miles of your location
Updated June 27, 2026
How we ranked Virginia Information Security programs
We rank 23 accredited information security programs in Virginia using IPEDS 2024 institutional data, BLS OEWS 2024 state salary data, and College Scorecard outcomes. A 4-factor weighted composite is normalized to a 0–100 score. Schools cannot pay for placement; rankings are produced algorithmically.
Are Information Security Degree Programs in Virginia Worth It?
Source: BLS OEWS May 2024
Information Security Degree Rankings in Virginia
Compare the top-ranked Information Security programs in Virginia by degree level. Tuition, graduation rate, and Hakia Score for every accredited program.
Best Associate's Information Security Programs in Virginia
Program Landscape
Virginia offers 7 accredited associate's degree programs in information security, providing an affordable entry point into the technology field. The top-ranked programs include Northern Virginia Communi..., ECPI, Tidewater Community College, which combine rigorous technical curriculum with practical skills training.
Costs & Value
Community colleges in Virginia offer these two-year programs at an average cost of $9,346/yr, significantly less than four-year university tuition. Students completing associate's degrees can pursue entry-level technical positions and transfer opportunities, with entry-level salaries averaging $69,355 in Virginia.
Career Pathways
Many programs feature guaranteed transfer agreements with Virginia's public universities, allowing students to complete their first two years at reduced cost before transferring to complete a bachelor's degree. The Arlington, Reston, Richmond areas offer particularly strong job markets for associate's degree holders, with employers like Amazon AWS, Microsoft, Booz Allen hiring for technical support, junior development, and IT specialist positions.
Curriculum & Specializations
Programs typically include coursework in programming fundamentals, database management, networking basics, and software development. Among information security schools in Virginia, these associate's programs offer the best value for students beginning their information security degrees in Virginia.
Best Bachelor's Information Security Programs in Virginia
Program Landscape
Virginia ranks among the nation's top destinations for information security education, with 9 accredited bachelor's degree programs across 2 public and 6 private institutions. The highest-ranked programs are ECPI, U of Richmond, Old Dominion, recognized for academic excellence, research opportunities, and strong industry connections.
Career Outcomes
Graduates from Virginia information security programs earn a median salary of $107,185, 9% above the national average. The state's robust technology sector, anchored by the Arlington, Reston, Richmond metropolitan areas, provides abundant internship and employment opportunities with companies including Amazon AWS, Microsoft, Booz Allen.
Costs & Value
Tuition ranges from $7,590 to $62,600 annually, with an average of $28,578/yr. Top programs maintain graduation rates above 88%, with the highest reaching 96%. Many programs hold ABET accreditation, the gold standard for computing education, ensuring curriculum meets rigorous industry standards.
Curriculum & Specializations
Students can choose from specializations including software engineering, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data science, and systems architecture. Strong industry partnerships provide access to co-op programs, capstone projects with real companies, and direct recruiting pipelines to Virginia's leading technology employers. For students seeking information security degrees in Virginia, these top-ranked information security schools offer the strongest combination of academic rigor and career preparation.
University of Richmond
Show all 10 ranked programs
| Rank | School | Location | Type | Tuition | Grad Rate | Hakia Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #6 | Randolph-Macon College | Ashland, VA | Private nonprofit | $47,666 | 70% | 72.5 |
| #7 | Radford University | Radford, VA | Public | $8,528 | 49% | 67.5 |
| #8 | Bluefield University | Bluefield, VA | Private nonprofit | $24,950 | 18% | 67.2 |
| #9 | Marymount University | Arlington, VA | Private nonprofit | $39,270 | 54% | 64.6 |
| #10 | Ferrum College | Ferrum, VA | Private nonprofit | $27,370 | 32% | 57.9 |
Best Master's Information Security Programs in Virginia
Program Landscape
Virginia offers 6 master's degree programs in information security, designed for professionals seeking to advance into senior engineering, technical leadership, and specialized roles. The top programs, Marymount, ECPI, Old Dominion, combine advanced technical training with research opportunities and leadership development.
Career Outcomes
Master's graduates in Virginia earn a median salary of $126,100, approximately 20-30% higher than bachelor's degree holders. The concentration of technology companies in Arlington, Reston, Richmond creates strong demand for graduate-level talent, with Amazon AWS, Microsoft, Booz Allen actively recruiting from these programs.
Costs & Value
Program formats include traditional full-time study (typically 2 years), part-time options for working professionals (2-3 years), and accelerated tracks. Tuition averages $15,360/yr, with many employers offering tuition reimbursement for graduate education. Some programs offer thesis and non-thesis tracks, allowing students to focus on research or professional development based on their career goals.
Curriculum & Specializations
Curriculum covers advanced topics including machine learning, distributed systems, software architecture, and technical management. Many programs include practicum experiences, industry capstone projects, or consulting engagements that provide real-world application of advanced concepts. Among Virginia's information security schools at the graduate level, these programs stand out for both academic quality and career outcomes.
Show all 7 ranked programs
| Rank | School | Location | Type | Tuition | Grad Rate | Hakia Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #6 | Strayer University-Virginia | Arlington, VA | Private for-profit | $13,725 | 36% | 59.0 |
| #7 | American National University | Salem, VA | Private for-profit | $10,716 | 33% | 57.8 |
Best Doctoral Information Security Programs in Virginia
Program Landscape
Virginia is home to 1 doctoral programs in information security, preparing students for research positions, faculty appointments, and executive technical roles. Leading programs at Marymount are recognized for cutting-edge research, strong faculty publications, and competitive funding packages.
Career Outcomes
Doctoral graduates command premium salaries, with Virginia PhD holders earning a median of $157,625, reflecting the advanced expertise required for research and executive positions. The Arlington, Reston, Richmond region's research universities and corporate R&D centers provide extensive collaboration opportunities with industry leaders like Amazon AWS, Microsoft, Booz Allen.
Costs & Value
PhD programs typically require 4-6 years of full-time study, including coursework, qualifying examinations, and original dissertation research. Many programs offer full funding through teaching or research assistantships, covering tuition and providing stipends of $25,000–$40,000 annually.
Curriculum & Specializations
Research strengths across Virginia programs include artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, human-computer interaction, systems, and theoretical computer science. For aspiring researchers pursuing information security degrees in Virginia, graduates go on to careers as university faculty, industry research scientists, or technical executives, contributing to advances in technology that impact millions of users worldwide.
Information Security Degree Costs & Tuition in Virginia
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Average in-state tuition | $19,597/year |
| Average out-of-state tuition | $48,993/year |
| Community college tuition | $4,899/year |
| 4-year savings for residents | $117,584 |
| 2+2 transfer pathway savings | $29,396 |
Source: IPEDS 2024
Financial Aid & Scholarships for Information Security Students in Virginia
State Aid Programs
Virginia offers substantial state financial aid programs.
The Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG) provides $5,250/year for undergraduate residents attending private nonprofit institutions (SCHEV VTAG). The Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program (VGAP) covers tuition, fees, and books for low- and middle-income students. FAFSA completion is required with priority deadlines varying by institution.
Key Programs & Amounts
Federal aid supplements state programs.
The Pell Grant provides up to $7,395/year (2024-25) for students with demonstrated need. Federal loans offer $5,500-$7,500/year for undergraduates. Technology companies including Amazon, Microsoft, and Capital One fund scholarship programs for information security students at partner universities.
Institutional Scholarships
Institutional scholarships enhance affordability.
Virginia Tech, UVA, and GMU offer merit scholarships of $2,000-$15,000/year for strong information security applicants. Graduate assistantships cover tuition plus $20,000-$30,000 stipends. Many employers, including defense contractors, offer tuition reimbursement for part-time graduate study, effectively making master's degrees free for employed professionals.
Information Security Degree ROI Calculator, Virginia
Use our interactive ROI calculator to estimate your return on investment for a information security degree in Virginia. Enter your expected tuition costs, financial aid, and career goals to see projected payback periods and lifetime earnings. The calculator uses current salary data from BLS and tuition data from IPEDS to provide accurate estimates.
Information Security Degree ROI Calculator
Estimate your return on investment for a information security degree
Leave blank to use average cost for selected program type
+959%
Net gain divided by total investment. ROI above 200% is considered excellent for education investments.
$1,774,135
Your additional lifetime earnings with this degree vs. working without one, minus the total investment.
5 years
Years until your cumulative earnings exceed total investment. Shorter programs often break even faster due to lower opportunity cost.
$100,000
Your starting salary adjusted for local cost of living. This shows real purchasing power compared to a $100K national baseline.
Why does break-even change with program type? Your "total investment" includes both tuition AND opportunity cost (foregone earnings while in school). A 4-year full-time public university (in-state) means 4 years of not earning a salary ($140,000 in opportunity cost). Shorter full-time programs may have higher tuition but lower total investment because you return to the workforce sooner.
Detailed Breakdown
How we calculate your degree ROI using real salary data
Tuition plus opportunity cost (earnings you miss while in school)
Direct cost of the degree program
4 years × $35K/year foregone salary while studying full-time
Projected career earnings starting after graduation, with salary growth
What you'd earn working at $35K/year with 2% annual growth
Median salary for this role in your selected location (BLS 2024)
Your investment's compound annual growth rate (similar to stock market returns)
Data sources: BLS OEWS May 2024, IPEDS 2024. Calculations use median salaries, 3% discount rate, and assume salary growth declines from 6% to 2% over career. Individual results will vary. | Powered by Hakia.com
Information Security Salaries by Metro Area
Median annual salary in Virginia metro areas
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Arlington | $139K |
| Reston | $132K |
| Richmond | $126K |
| Norfolk | $120K |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2024
Hakia.com
Top Employers Hiring Information Security Graduates in Virginia
Find information security jobs in Virginia. These major employers across Virginia metro areas are actively hiring information security degree holders. Click employer names to view current job openings.
Information Security Jobs in Northern Virginia
VANorthern Virginia is home to Amazon HQ2, major data center infrastructure, and the largest concentration of defense contractors.
Nearby cities: Arlington, Tysons, Reston, Herndon, Ashburn, McLean
Information Security Jobs in Richmond
VARichmond hosts Capital One's main campus and a growing fintech ecosystem.
Nearby cities: Glen Allen, Midlothian, Short Pump
Virginia Tech Industry & Infrastructure
Virginia's tech economy is uniquely defined by Northern Virginia — the highest concentration of federal cybersecurity, defense, and cloud-infrastructure employers in the country. Loudoun and Prince William counties host the world's largest cluster of data centers (carrying an estimated 70%+ of global internet traffic), Amazon's HQ2 is in Arlington, and the federal contracting market employs tens of thousands of cleared engineers.
Northern Virginia
Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William
Amazon HQ2 (Arlington), Capital One HQ (McLean), AOL/Yahoo legacy footprint, and the world's largest cluster of federal-contractor engineering employers — Booz Allen Hamilton, MITRE, Leidos, SAIC, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin's NoVA operations, CACI, ManTech. Loudoun County's data-center alley hosts AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle, and dozens of colocation providers.
Richmond
Richmond metro
State government IT, CarMax HQ, Markel Insurance, Genworth, Altria. Smaller but stable enterprise-tech market; lower cost of living than NoVA.
Hampton Roads / Norfolk
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News
Navy and military-adjacent tech employment (Naval Information Warfare Center, Joint Forces Staff College), Newport News Shipbuilding tech, and a growing regional cybersecurity cluster.
Virginia has a graduated state income tax (top rate 5.75%). The Virginia Investment Performance Grant and Virginia Talent Accelerator Program are the principal tech-employer incentives — both used in attracting Amazon HQ2.
Virginia Regulation Affecting Information Security Graduates
Virginia was the second US state (after California) to pass a comprehensive consumer privacy law. The Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA) is now one of the foundational state privacy frameworks copied by other states. For NoVA's massive federal-contractor base, however, the more daily-relevant compliance regime is FedRAMP, FISMA, NIST 800-171, and CMMC — federal cybersecurity standards that shape engineering practice across the contractor ecosystem.
Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA)
Effective January 2023. Grants VA residents rights to access, correct, delete, and opt out of sale of personal data. Applies to businesses processing data of 100,000+ VA consumers, or 25,000+ deriving 50%+ revenue from data sales.
Engineers building consumer-facing products for VA users must implement VCDPA-compliant data flows. The law's thresholds make it less broadly applicable than CCPA, but the model has influenced subsequent state laws.
Read moreFederal cybersecurity frameworks (FedRAMP, FISMA, NIST 800-171, CMMC)
Not Virginia laws, but the practical compliance regime for the NoVA federal-contractor base. Engineers at Booz Allen, MITRE, SAIC, and similar employers operate under these standards daily.
For most cybersecurity, cloud, and defense-tech roles in Northern Virginia, federal cybersecurity framework knowledge is more valuable than state privacy law expertise. CISSP, CCSP, and clearance-eligible profiles dominate hiring requirements.
Read moreVirginia Identity Theft Passport Program
State program providing identity-theft victims with a verification document; backed by data-handling rules for credit-reporting and consumer-data businesses.
Standard compliance for consumer-data businesses operating in Virginia.
Read moreProfessional Engineer Licensure in Virginia
Virginia does not administer a separate Software Engineering PE license. ABET-EAC accreditation supports traditional engineering PE tracks. For the NoVA market, federal security clearances (Secret, Top Secret, TS/SCI with poly) are dramatically more relevant than PE licensure — most tech roles at major federal contractors require clearance-eligibility at minimum.
Virginia licensing boardVirginia Financial Aid Programs
Up to $5,000/yr (undergraduate)
VA residents attending eligible private nonprofit VA colleges/universities
Commonwealth Award
State grantVaries by institution; awarded by individual schools from state allocation
VA residents with financial need at public VA colleges/universities
Tuition, fees, and book allowance
VA residents from low-income households attending VA public 4-year institutions with academic merit
G3 (Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back) Tuition Assistance
Workforce grant (community college)Covers tuition, books, and fees
Low- to middle-income VA residents enrolling in qualifying high-demand VA community college programs (incl. IT, cybersecurity, healthcare)
Transfer Pathways for Information Security Degrees in Virginia
State Transfer System
Virginia's Guaranteed Admission Agreements create clear transfer pathways.
Students completing associate degrees at Virginia's 23 community colleges with required GPAs receive guaranteed admission to more than 30 four-year institutions (VCCS Transfer). For information security transfers, Virginia Tech requires 3.2-3.4 GPA, while VCU requires 2.5+ GPA. The Virginia Education Wizard (vawizard.org) helps plan course sequences.
How Transfers Work
Northern Virginia Community College leads information security transfer preparation.
As the state's largest community college, NVCC offers associate degrees designed for transfer to GMU, Virginia Tech, and other institutions. The college's location in Fairfax County provides internship access during the associate phase. Students should declare transfer intent by 15 credits earned.
Transfer Planning Tips
Financial incentives encourage community college completion.
The Two-Year College Transfer Grant (CTG) provides up to $3,000 annually for students completing associate degrees with 3.0+ GPA (SCHEV). An additional $1,000 is available for STEM majors. Community college tuition averaging $5,000/year combined with transfer grants reduces bachelor's degree costs by $30,000-$40,000.
Information Security Job Growth in Virginia
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook
Information Security Job Market & Salary Data in Virginia
Employment Outlook
Virginia's information security job market shows strong demand across sectors.
The state employs 385,000 technology workers with consistent growth in information security roles (BLS OEWS 2024). Northern Virginia anchors state tech employment, with significant opportunities in Richmond's fintech sector and Hampton Roads' defense installations. Federal defense spending increased by $150 billion in 2025, directly supporting Virginia contractor employment.
Salaries by Metro
Regional salary variations reflect employer concentration.
Northern Virginia information security professionals earn $125,000-$175,000 in major technology roles, while Hampton Roads defense positions pay 15-20% less but offer lower cost of living. Richmond's emerging tech scene provides $78,000-$125,000 with housing costs 40% below Northern Virginia. Cleared positions command significant premiums across all regions.
High-Growth Sectors
High-growth sectors driving information security demand include: cloud infrastructure (AWS expansion), federal contractor modernization (CMMC compliance), financial services technology (Capital One, Navy Federal), and defense systems development. Defense contractors including Booz Allen Hamilton, CACI, Leidos, and Northrop Grumman actively recruit information security professionals. Virginia Tech's Engineering Expo connects over 250 companies with students (VT Expo). See computer science programs or cybersecurity degrees.
Entry-Level (0-2 yrs)
New graduates and career changers
Senior (8+ yrs)
Technical leads and architects
Online vs On-Campus Information Security Programs in Virginia
Online Programs
11 available in Virginia
On-Campus Programs
Traditional classroom experience
Compare Information Security Programs in Other States
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- Median Tuition
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Information Security Degree Programs in Virginia: FAQ
What are the best information security degree programs in Virginia?
How much do information security degree programs cost in Virginia?
What salary can information security degree graduates earn in Virginia?
Are there online information security degree programs in Virginia?
What companies hire information security degree graduates in Virginia?
Is an information security degree program worth it in Virginia?
How long do information security degree programs take in Virginia?
What financial aid is available for information security degree students in Virginia?
Data Sources
Institutional characteristics, completions, graduation rates
Virginia salary and employment data
Program details and admissions information
Last Updated: June 26, 2026. Rankings based on IPEDS 2024 data. Salary data from BLS OEWS May 2024.
Taylor Rupe
Co-founder & Editor (B.S. Computer Science, Oregon State • B.A. Psychology, University of Washington)
Taylor combines technical expertise in computer science with a deep understanding of human behavior and learning. His dual background drives Hakia's mission: leveraging technology to build authoritative educational resources that help people make better decisions about their academic and career paths.