Virginia: school, college and career rules
Virginia's Standard Diploma needs 22 standard and 5 verified credits (passing SOL end-of-course tests), in-state tuition needs one year of Virginia domicile, and SCHEV runs the state grants: VGAP at public colleges and VTAG at private ones.
Linked from the State Population Totals 2020-2025 page (census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-state-total.html); population and rank copied from the POPESTIMATE2025 and NRANK_POPEST2025 columns.Census
High school diploma
8VAC20-132-51, for students who entered grade 9 in 2018-19 or later. These are the only diploma requirements unless a local school board has extra requirements approved by the Board of Education. Standard Diploma shown; the Advanced Studies Diploma asks for more. 8VAC20-131-51 was repealed effective 25 Sept 2024; the same requirements now sit in chapter 132.Va. Admin. Code
| Subject | State minimum |
|---|---|
| English (reading and writing) | 4 standard credits, 2 verified |
| Mathematics | 3 standard credits, 1 verified (at least two different courses from Algebra I, geometry, Algebra II and similar) |
| Laboratory science | 3 standard credits, 1 verified (at least two science disciplines) |
| History and social science | 3 standard credits, 1 verified (Virginia and U.S. history, Virginia and U.S. government, and world history or geography) |
| Health and physical education | 2 standard credits |
| World language, fine arts or career and technical education | 2 standard credits (one in fine or performing arts or CTE) |
| Economics and personal finance | 1 standard credit |
| Electives | 4 standard credits, including two sequential electives |
22 standard credits and 5 verified credits. No more than one locally awarded verified credit may count.
State tests for the diploma
A verified credit means passing the course and its end-of-course SOL test (or another test the Board approves). Students also complete an AP, honors, IB or dual enrollment course, a work-based learning experience or a CTE credential; one virtual course; first aid, CPR and AED training; and show the five Cs (critical and creative thinking, collaboration, communication, citizenship). 8VAC20-131-51 was repealed effective 25 Sept 2024; the same requirements now sit in chapter 132.Va. Admin. Code
Also good to know
- Students who entered grade 9 between 2011-12 and 2017-18 graduated under the older rule: 22 standard credits and 6 verified credits.
VDOE
Standard Diploma: Graduation RequirementsVirginia Department of Education- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
Read through the Internet Archive capture of 31 May 2026.
View source
State test: SOL tests
Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments. SOL tests measure how well students meet the Board of Education's expectations for each grade or course; Virginia classroom teachers review every item and help set the proficiency standards. Grades 3–8 reading and mathematics tests are computer adaptive. Read through the Internet Archive capture of 7 Sept 2026 (doe.virginia.gov returns Access Denied to requests from India).VDOE
| Test | Subjects | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| SOL non-writing tests | Reading and mathematics | Grades 3–8 |
| SOL non-writing tests | Science | Grades 5 and 8 |
| End-of-course (EOC) tests | Reading, writing, Algebra I, geometry, Algebra II, biology, chemistry, earth science, world geography, world history I and II, Virginia and U.S. history | High school courses |
Source: Read through the Internet Archive capture of 7 Sept 2026 (doe.virginia.gov returns Access Denied to requests from India).VDOE
What the scores are used for
- Passing an end-of-course SOL test (or an approved substitute) turns a course credit into a verified credit, and the diploma needs 5 of them.
Va. Admin. Code
8VAC20-132-51. Requirements for graduation (effective for students who enter the ninth grade in the 2018-2019 school year)Virginia General Assembly, Virginia Administrative Code (State Board of Education)- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
8VAC20-131-51 was repealed effective 25 Sept 2024; the same requirements now sit in chapter 132.
View source
National tests (SAT, ACT, AP, NAEP) are on the Exams hub.
Public colleges and universities
The state's public university system(s) and community colleges, from their own pages.
- Virginia public colleges and universities (coordinated by SCHEV)University system · SCHEV is the Commonwealth's coordinating body for higher education, set up in 1956; it makes policy recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly on budgets, enrollment and student aid.
- Virginia's Community Colleges (VCCS)Community colleges · Founded in 1966 and governed by the State Board for Community Colleges, whose members the Governor appoints for four-year terms (no more than two in a row).
Sources: SCHEV
View sourceVCCS
View source
Every school in Virginia, public and private, with cost and completion: 153 colleges, community colleges and trade schools, with 15 city pages.
In-state tuition: the residency rule
Public colleges charge less to state residents. Who counts as a resident is set by state law or the college system, not by where you went to school alone.
- Code of Virginia § 23.1-502: you must prove by clear and convincing evidence that you have been domiciled in Virginia for at least one year immediately before the date you claim in-state tuition, and that you gave up any earlier domicile.
Code of Va.
Code of Virginia § 23.1-502. Eligibility for in-state tuition charges; domicile; domiciliary intentVirginia General Assembly- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
- Dependent students are presumed to have their supporting parent's domicile; students under 24 are presumed dependent unless, for example, they are married, veterans or graduate students.
SCHEV
Eligibility for In-State TuitionState Council of Higher Education for Virginia- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
- If you cannot show domicile, more than a dozen other provisions may still give in-state tuition, including the Tuition Equity provision for students who completed high school in Virginia, whatever their parents' immigration status.
SCHEV
Eligibility for In-State TuitionState Council of Higher Education for Virginia- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
The college's residency office makes the final decision. More on costs: What college costs.
State financial aid
Run by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). Federal aid (Pell Grants, loans) starts with the FAFSA: FAFSA, grants and loans.
Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program (VGAP)
Need-based award at Virginia public two- and four-year colleges for full-time students who graduated from a Virginia high school (not a GED) with at least a 2.5 GPA. No separate form: file the FAFSA or VASA by the college's deadline; the neediest students get at least tuition. SCHEV
View source
Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG)
For Virginia students at accredited private, nonprofit colleges in Virginia (not for religious training). Apply through the college's financial aid office by September 15; later applications to December 1 are funded only if money is left. SCHEV
View source
Licensing boards
Lawyers, doctors, CPAs and nurses need a Virginia license from a state board, even after passing a national exam. These are the boards that grant it.
| License | Virginia board | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer How bar admission works | Virginia Board of Bar Examiners | Virginia's own bar exam with the MBE. MPRE required (passing score 85). NextGen UBE from July 2028. NCBEVirginia: bar admission informationNational Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE)
Bar admission agency, the NCBE exams the jurisdiction requires, MPRE passing score and NextGen UBE plans. NCBE advises checking the agency itself for the latest rules. View source |
| Physician How a medical license works | Virginia Board of Medicine | USMLE (M.D.) or COMLEX-USA (D.O.) FSMBContact a State Medical BoardFederation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)
Directory of every state's medical (and separate osteopathic) board. fsmb.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 14 Sep 2026; each board link was then opened on 22 Oct 2026, through the board's site or, where it blocks reads from India, its latest archive capture. View source |
| CPA How the CPA license works | Virginia Board of Accountancy | Uniform CPA Examination NASBAState Boards of AccountancyNational Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)
Directory of the 55 boards of accountancy. nasba.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 15 Oct 2026; board links that had moved were replaced with the board's current page, opened on 22 Oct 2026. View source |
| Registered nurse How the RN license works | Virginia Board of Nursing | NCLEX-RN · Nurse Licensure Compact member since Jan. 19, 2018 NCSBNContact Virginia Board of NursingNational Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
NCSBN / NLCNLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF)National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact)
|
Engineering, teaching, real estate, cosmetology and the trades have their own boards: all professional licenses · trades and apprenticeships.
State and city government jobs
Federal jobs are on USAJOBS; state and city governments hire through their own systems.
Virginia Jobs
Commonwealth of Virginia
- Search by job title, location, department or category, then apply online.
- Applicants who have already applied log in to the same site to see their applications.
Source: Virginia Jobs
View source
Police, fire and other public-safety routes: Public Service & Safety hub.
Registered apprenticeship
Virginia has a State Apprenticeship Agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. California is listed under both OA and SAA.Apprenticeship.gov
- Virginia State Apprenticeship Agency (Virginia Works)Virginia is a State Apprenticeship Agency state: its agency registers and oversees programs for federal purposes. Registered apprenticeship sits with Virginia Works, the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.
- Trades and apprenticeshipsElectrician, plumber, HVAC and other trade routes on this site
Source: Virginia Works
View source
Where these facts come from
Official and primary sources only, each checked on the date shown. Rules on testing, aid, licensing and immigration change, so confirm a detail with its source before you rely on it.
- Annual Estimates of Resident Population Change for the United States, States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and State Rankings: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (NST-EST2025-POPCHG2020-2025, CSV) · U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025) checked 2026-10-21
- Virginia: bar admission information · National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact a State Medical Board · Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) checked 2026-10-22
- State Boards of Accountancy · National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact Virginia Board of Nursing · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) checked 2026-10-22
- NLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF) · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact) checked 2026-10-07
- 8VAC20-132-51. Requirements for graduation (effective for students who enter the ninth grade in the 2018-2019 school year) · Virginia General Assembly, Virginia Administrative Code (State Board of Education) checked 2026-10-22
- Standard Diploma: Graduation Requirements · Virginia Department of Education checked 2026-10-22
- Virginia SOL Assessment Program · Virginia Department of Education checked 2026-10-22
- SCHEV Overview · State Council of Higher Education for Virginia checked 2026-10-22
- About Virginia's Community Colleges · Virginia's Community Colleges (VCCS) checked 2026-10-22
- Code of Virginia § 23.1-502. Eligibility for in-state tuition charges; domicile; domiciliary intent · Virginia General Assembly checked 2026-10-22
- Eligibility for In-State Tuition · State Council of Higher Education for Virginia checked 2026-10-22
- Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program · State Council of Higher Education for Virginia checked 2026-10-22
- Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant Program · State Council of Higher Education for Virginia checked 2026-10-22
- Virginia Jobs: Commonwealth of Virginia job openings · Commonwealth of Virginia checked 2026-10-22
- Registered Apprenticeship and On-the-Job Training · Virginia Works (Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement) checked 2026-10-22
- The Apprenticeship System: Office of Apprenticeship (OA) and recognized State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) states · U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship checked 2026-10-21