Best Interior Design Schools Near Charlottesville, VA (2026)

Updated August 25, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Charlottesville, Virginia has 5 accredited schools offering interior design programs, with tuition ranging from $5,646 to $20,788 per year for indexed 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 interior design-related role is Graphic Designer at a median $61,700 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Interior Design Schools to Charlottesville

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer interior design 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.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA 60.8 miles from Charlottesville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
35.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 44%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,813
Avg net price $29,357/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, VA 65.7 miles from Charlottesville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
65.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,128
Avg net price $23,433/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

J Sargeant Reynolds Community College

Richmond, VA 67.0 miles from Charlottesville
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
52.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,529
Avg net price $5,168/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Northern Virginia Community College

Annandale, VA 87.2 miles from Charlottesville
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
62.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,557
Avg net price $9,919/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 54

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Marymount University

Arlington, VA 94.8 miles from Charlottesville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,516
Avg net price $29,137/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA 120.3 miles from Charlottesville
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
80.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $81,698
Avg net price $24,953/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Tidewater Community College

Norfolk, VA 145.7 miles from Charlottesville
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
36.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 23%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,349
Avg net price $11,762/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 58

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Interior Design 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)
Interior Designer$59,290Charlottesville, VA$59,828
Graphic Designer$61,700Charlottesville, VA$62,260

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

Other Charlottesville-Area Cities With Interior Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited interior design schools are near Charlottesville, VA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering interior design programs near Charlottesville. The closest is Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, VA (29.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is J Sargeant Reynolds Community College (67.0 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying interior design roles near Charlottesville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying interior design-related roles near Charlottesville are: Graphic Designer ($61,700), Interior Designer ($59,290). 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 interior design 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 interior design?

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 Interior Design Programs

Other Programs Available in Charlottesville

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

Data verified: August 25, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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