Best Online Engineering Programs in Charlottesville, VA (2026)

Charlottesville, Virginia has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs. Charlottesville has a population of about 45,863. Median household income is $69,829 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 60.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Charlottesville, VA metro area, the top-earning engineering-related role is Architectural and Engineering Manager at a median $168,400 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Engineering Schools to Charlottesville

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer engineering programs near Charlottesville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Charlottesville city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Charlottesville. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Piedmont Virginia Community College

Charlottesville, VA 0.7 miles from Charlottesville BOC Score 62.2
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,752
Avg net price $5,963/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Virginia schools on the Virginia engineering page.


Engineering Wages Near Charlottesville

Charlottesville is part of the Charlottesville, VA metro area (BLS area code 16820). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Virginia statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Civil Engineer$89,250Charlottesville, VA$90,061
Electrical Engineer$122,600Charlottesville, VA$123,713
Mechanical Engineer$106,130Charlottesville, VA$107,094
Chemical Engineer$136,380VA statewide$137,619
Aerospace Engineer$122,690Charlottesville, VA$123,804
Biomedical Engineer$87,080Charlottesville, VA$87,871
Environmental Engineer$104,940VA statewide$105,893
Architectural and Engineering Manager$168,400Charlottesville, VA$169,929

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Charlottesville at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population45,863Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$69,829Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+60.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)99.1 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Engineering-related employment in Charlottesville (city) County623 workers, 98 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Charlottesville-Area Cities With Engineering Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited engineering schools are near Charlottesville, VA?

Accredited schools offering engineering programs near Charlottesville are listed on this page, ranked by BOC Score and distance from the city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data on every site update, so it stays current as programs open and close.

What are the highest-paying engineering roles near Charlottesville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying engineering-related roles near Charlottesville are: Architectural and Engineering Manager ($168,400), Chemical Engineer ($136,380), Aerospace Engineer ($122,690). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Virginia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Waynesboro instead of Charlottesville?

Waynesboro, VA is 22.7 miles from Charlottesville and has its own set of local engineering programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Charlottesville an affordable place to study engineering?

Charlottesville’s median household income of $69,829 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Charlottesville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Virginia public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Engineering Programs

Other Programs Available in Charlottesville

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Charlottesville:

Data verified: July 23, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.