Best Online Public Health Programs in Portsmouth, VA (2026)

Portsmouth, Virginia has 5 accredited schools offering public health programs, with tuition ranging from $18,145 to $36,577 per year for indexed programs. Portsmouth has a population of about 97,299. Median household income is $58,972 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 23.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area, the top-earning public health-related role is Medical and Health Services Manager at a median $123,900 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Public Health Schools to Portsmouth

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

#1

Eastern Virginia Medical School

Norfolk, VA 3.0 miles from Portsmouth
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 4

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA 3.7 miles from Portsmouth BOC Score 57.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,914
Avg net price $14,638/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 57

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Norfolk State University

Norfolk, VA 4.7 miles from Portsmouth BOC Score 42.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,666
Avg net price $15,282/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Sentara College of Health Sciences

Chesapeake, VA 7.8 miles from Portsmouth BOC Score 93.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $77,821
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 2

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Arizona College of Nursing - Chesapeake

Chesapeake, VA 8.3 miles from Portsmouth BOC Score 6.7
  • 4 year
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,657
Avg net price $33,626/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Centura College-Chesapeake

Chesapeake, VA 8.9 miles from Portsmouth
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Virginia Wesleyan University

Virginia Beach, VA 9.4 miles from Portsmouth BOC Score 43.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 48%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,074
Avg net price $19,676/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 11

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA 9.4 miles from Portsmouth BOC Score 34.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
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 public health page.


Public Health Wages Near Portsmouth

Portsmouth is part of the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area (BLS area code 47260). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Virginia statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Epidemiologist$84,930VA statewide$86,752
Health Education Specialist$51,980Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC$53,095
Medical and Health Services Manager$123,900Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC$126,558
Community Health Worker$44,930Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC$45,894

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.


Portsmouth at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population97,299Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$58,972Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+23.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)97.9 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Portsmouth-Area Cities With Public Health Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public health schools are near Portsmouth, VA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public health programs near Portsmouth. The closest is Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, VA (3.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Virginia Commonwealth University (77.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public health roles near Portsmouth?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public health-related roles near Portsmouth are: Medical and Health Services Manager ($123,900), Epidemiologist ($84,930), Health Education Specialist ($51,980). 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 Norfolk instead of Portsmouth?

Norfolk, VA is 6.2 miles from Portsmouth and has its own set of local public health programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Portsmouth an affordable place to study public health?

Portsmouth’s median household income of $58,972 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Portsmouth 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 Public Health Programs

Other Programs Available in Portsmouth

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

Data verified: July 30, 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.