Best Journalism Schools Near Winchester, VA (2026)

Winchester, Virginia has 10 accredited schools offering journalism programs, with tuition ranging from $8,229 to $68,017 per year for indexed programs. Winchester has a population of about 27,981. Median household income is $64,648 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 31.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Virginia, the top-earning journalism-related role is Editor at a median $80,590 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Journalism Schools to Winchester

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer journalism programs near Winchester, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Winchester 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 Winchester. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

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#1

Patrick Henry College

Purcellville, VA 26.0 miles from Winchester
  • 4 year
62.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 1

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Richmond

University of Richmond, VA 115.6 miles from Winchester
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
76.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $76,178
Avg net price $31,309/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 18

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, VA 117.9 miles from Winchester
  • 4 year
74.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 94%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $94,810
Avg net price $23,781/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA 137.2 miles from Winchester
  • 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: 81

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Hampton University

Hampton, VA 179.1 miles from Winchester
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
55.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,159
Avg net price $25,319/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Radford University

Radford, VA 190.9 miles from Winchester
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
60.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,739
Avg net price $14,578/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA 196.3 miles from Winchester
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
34.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 38%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,498
Avg net price $19,923/yr
Tuition
In‑state$21,650
Out‑of‑state$21,650
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Journalism Wages Near Winchester

Winchester is part of the Winchester, VA-WV metro area (BLS area code 49020). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Virginia statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
News Analyst, Reporter, and Journalist$62,140VA statewide$64,394
Editor$80,590VA statewide$83,513
Public Relations Specialist$67,300Winchester, VA-WV$69,741

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.


Winchester at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population27,981Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$64,648Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+31.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)96.5 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Winchester-Area Cities With Journalism Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited journalism schools are near Winchester, VA?

Our directory has 10 accredited schools offering journalism programs near Winchester. The closest is Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, VA (26.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Morgan State University (85.8 miles). 8 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying journalism roles near Winchester?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying journalism-related roles near Winchester are: Editor ($80,590), Public Relations Specialist ($67,300), News Analyst, Reporter, and Journalist ($62,140). 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 Charles Town instead of Winchester?

Charles Town, WV is 18.1 miles from Winchester and has its own set of local journalism programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Winchester an affordable place to study journalism?

Winchester’s median household income of $64,648 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Winchester 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 Journalism Programs

Other Programs Available in Winchester

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

Data verified: August 11, 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.