FAFSA lower earnings list

Virginia schools on the FAFSA “lower earnings” list

20 schools in Virginia are flagged "lower earnings" in the Department of Education's March 2026 release, the list the 2027-28 FAFSA uses, out of 121 Virginia schools with an earnings figure. The December 2025 release, which earlier news coverage reported, flagged 27: 11 came off and 4 were added.

A Virginia school is flagged when its graduates’ median earnings four years after completing are below $35,878, the median for Virginia high school graduates aged 25 to 34 (March 2026 release, January 2026 dollars). A school that mostly enrolls out-of-state students or operates in several states is compared with the national median, $34,635, instead.

Data period: March 2026 release, completers of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023. Nationally: 999 schools flagged now, 1,365 in December 2025. National report and method

Last verified: September 25, 2026.

Flagged in the March 2026 release (20)

Names as the Department lists them. A linked name opens the school’s CampusPin profile, which shows its earnings and benchmark.

  • Asher Institute of Hampton
  • Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Lafayette-Arlington
  • Avi Career Training
  • Cayce/Reilly School of Massage
  • Columbia College
  • Culpeper Cosmetology Training Center, new since December (had no figure)
  • Empire Beauty School-Midlothian
  • Empire Beauty School-Newport News
  • Empire Beauty School-Richmond
  • Empire Beauty School-Virginia Beach
  • Institute of Advanced Medical Esthetics, new since December (had no figure)
  • Luckes Beauty Academy LLC, new since December (had no figure)
  • Northern Virginia School of Therapeutic Massage
  • Paul Mitchell the School-Roanoke
  • Paul Mitchell the School-Tysons Corner
  • Paul Mitchell the School-Woodbridge, new since December (was not listed)
  • Rudy & Kelly Academy A Paul Mitchell Partner School
  • Sylvain Melloul International Hair Academy
  • The Chrysm Institute of Esthetics
  • Virginia University of Lynchburg

Flagged in December 2025, not now (11)

The reason is given for each. Because the benchmark and the graduating cohort changed too, coming off is not by itself evidence that graduates earn more.

What the notice does and does not mean

  • It is informational: it does not affect federal aid eligibility, and a flagged school can still be listed and attended.
  • It describes a whole school, not a program. The Department says earnings differ by credential and field.
  • It covers graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled when earnings were measured.
  • A school with no earnings figure shows no notice. That is an absence of data, not a pass.
Add the Virginia FAFSA notice card to your website (counselors, college-access programs, schools)

Plain HTML with no script and no tracking: the state's flagged count, the previous release and the benchmark, with the notice's caveats and the source, linking back to this page and its full list of schools.

Questions about Virginia

How many Virginia schools are on the FAFSA lower earnings list?
20 schools in Virginia are flagged "lower earnings" in the Department of Education's March 2026 release, the list the 2027-28 FAFSA uses, out of 121 Virginia schools with an earnings figure. The December 2025 release, which earlier news coverage reported, flagged 27: 11 came off and 4 were added. Every one is named on this page.
Why did 11 schools in Virginia come off the list?
Of the 11 schools flagged in December 2025 and not now, 10 now clear the benchmark, 1 is not in the March 2026 list at all. The Department replaced the data on 22 March 2026 with a newer group of graduates (completers of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023) and a re-estimated high school benchmark, so coming off the list is not by itself evidence that a school's graduates earn more.
What earnings benchmark are Virginia schools compared with?
$35,878: the median earnings of Virginia high school graduates aged 25 to 34 in the March 2026 release, in January 2026 dollars. The December 2025 release used $36,439, in June 2025 dollars and from an earlier survey, so the two are not a like-for-like comparison. A school that mostly enrolls out-of-state students or operates in several states is compared with the national median instead, $34,635.
Does the lower earnings notice affect financial aid?
No. The Department says the notice is informational only. It does not affect eligibility for federal aid, the Student Aid Index or how the FAFSA is processed, and students can still list and attend a flagged school. It is shown only to first-year undergraduates.

More on Virginia colleges

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Sources, methodology & citation

Data snapshot: March 22, 2026. Last verified: September 25, 2026.

Sources used across this page

Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.

Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.

Methodology Data dictionary Report a correction

Suggested citation

CampusPin. (2026). Virginia schools on the FAFSA "lower earnings" list. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/research/fafsa-lower-earnings-colleges/virginia