Paralegal certification in Virginia is voluntary: the credential specific to the state is the Virginia Registered Paralegal (VARP) from the state's alliance of paralegal associations, and the Supreme Court of Virginia's rules list supervised paralegal work as an exception to unauthorized practice.
The ranked programs in Virginia are 4 associate degrees.
As a Virginia resident you'd pay $5,136 to $10,735 in tuition and fees for a full-time year at Virginia's ranked programs.
2 approved programs in Virginia can be finished at least partly online, by each school's own page or, where a page says nothing, the federal record or the ABA's online flag.
ABA-approved programs conferred 31% of the 447 paralegal credentials Virginia schools awarded in 2023-24.
Paralegals in Virginia earn a median $63,990, above the national $62,890.
The rankings below cover 4 associate degrees. Another 13 schools in the state conferred paralegal credentials in 2023-24 without ABA approval. They are listed at the foot of the page with their federal figures.
Approved programs are ranked within each award level on tuition and fees (what a full-time year costs a Virginia resident), graduation rate and paralegal graduates. Positions below are within Virginia,
but each score compares a program with every approved program at its level in the country.
How each score is calculated.
The Virginia Registered Paralegal (VARP)
Paralegal certification in Virginia means a national certification or the Virginia Registered Paralegal (VARP), a voluntary credential the Virginia Alliance of Paralegal Associations, a private nonprofit, created in 2015. It's an association credential, not a state license, and more than 100 paralegals have qualified for it. Applicants must belong to an alliance member association, pay a $50 application fee and meet one of the program criteria.
The routes run from a bachelor's in paralegal studies plus one year of substantive paralegal experience, through a certificate from an institutionally accredited paralegal program plus three years (four if the program is not institutionally accredited), to five years of experience plus six hours of continuing legal education. A national certification such as NALA's CP or NFPA's RP or CRP also qualifies. Holders renew every two years with 12 hours of continuing legal education, two of them in ethics.
In recognition of the growing need to establish a benchmark to determine qualified paralegals, on November 7, 2015, the Virginia Alliance of Paralegal Associations (VAPA) adopted a Policy on Paralegal Regulation by approving the Virginia Registered Paralegal (VARP™) program, a voluntary paralegal credentialing system.
Supervised Work Is An Exception To Unauthorized Practice
The Supreme Court of Virginia's unauthorized practice rules bar non-lawyers from practicing law, but list working as a paralegal under the direct supervision of a licensed attorney among the exceptions. Opinions the Court approved draw the lines: a non-lawyer employee may gather facts at a client intake and answer straightforward questions about a fee agreement, but may not judge whether a client's claim is valid or advise on the legal effect of the agreement (UPL Opinion 191, 1998).
A paralegal working as a facilitator at a court self-help center may not prepare pleadings without supervision (LEO 1869), and a lawyer who outsources work to a paralegal must review it on an ongoing basis (LEO 1850). Virginia law also directs the standards for local jails to ensure inmates' access to counsel, paralegals included.
Working as a paralegal or providing other administrative support under the direct supervision of a licensed attorney.
ABA-Approved Associate Degrees In Paralegal Studies In Virginia
An associate's degree adds general education to the paralegal courses and usually takes two years full time.
Northern Virginia Community College leads Virginia's 4 approved associate programs, conferring 29 paralegal degrees in 2023-24.
Northern Virginia Community College offers its ABA-approved Paralegal Studies program as a two-year, 61-62 credit Associate of Applied Science on its Alexandria, Virginia campus, preparing students to work under a lawyer's supervision in civil and criminal law.
Key Program Details
A.A.S.: 61-62 credits over two years
The A.A.S. is offered at the Alexandria Campus in Alexandria, Virginia
Final-semester elective options include Immigration Law, Constitutional Law, a capstone and an internship
C or higher required in every LGL course
At least half of LGL credits completed at NOVA
$202 per semester credit
AAS
nvcc.eduOctober 2, 2026
#2In Virginia
Score57.6/ 100
Paralegal Studies Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.)
Reynolds, in Richmond, Virginia, offers its ABA-approved Paralegal Studies program as a 61-credit Associate of Applied Science with a choice of a Litigation or a General Practice specialization, and lists in-person, hybrid and online learning options for it.
Key Program Details
A.A.S.: 61 credit hours, about 2 years (5 full-time semesters)
Litigation or General Practice specialization
In-person, hybrid and online learning options, with at least 9 credit hours taken synchronously
Year-round scheduling
Articulation agreement with the University of Richmond's B.S. in Paralegal Studies
Tidewater Community College offers its ABA-approved Paralegal Studies program as a four-semester Associate of Applied Science at its Virginia Beach Campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia, preparing students to assist attorneys with legal research, drafting legal documents and trial preparation in practice areas including criminal, family, immigration and bankruptcy law.
Key Program Details
A.A.S. degree, four semesters
TCC lists the A.A.S. at its Virginia Beach Campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia
At least nine credit hours of legal specialty courses by synchronous lecture
Practice areas named include criminal, family, immigration and bankruptcy law
The college's legal assistant and litigation certificates are not ABA-approved
$177 per credit
AAS
tcc.eduOctober 2, 2026
#4In Virginia
Score38.3/ 100
Associate of Science in Paralegal
American National University
Salem, Virginia · Private for-profit · ABA-approved
American National University, based in Salem, Virginia, delivers its ABA-approved Associate of Science in Paralegal and Certificate in Paralegal Studies at a distance, combining live video classes with asynchronous online work.
Key Program Details
Associate of Science: 92 quarter credits
Certificate: 28 quarter credits for associate or bachelor's degree holders
Distance delivery with live video classes and asynchronous work
Optional 120-hour externship elective
Tuition includes fees and textbooks
$31,740 per program
ASCertificateOnline
an.eduOctober 5, 2026
What A Paralegal Program Costs In Virginia
Across Virginia's ranked approved programs, you'd pay between $5,136 and $10,735 for a full-time year of tuition and fees as a Virginia resident,
with a median of $5,709.
Tuition and fees are what each school reported to IPEDS for a full-time undergraduate year in 2023-24, tuition plus required fees, before books, supplies or aid. A certificate of about 30 semester credits is roughly a full-time year of coursework, but programs differ in length and many students take them part-time, so read the figure as a way to compare schools. Colleges set new rates every year. It is not the price of a post-baccalaureate or extension certificate, which schools price separately.
What Paralegals Earn In Virginia
BLS puts the median for paralegals and legal assistants (SOC 23-2011) in Virginia at $63,990 a year,
$1,100 above the national median of $62,890, 13th highest of the 51 states and districts BLS reports.
The 10th percentile is $47,860 and the 90th is $100,550. 10,250 people in Virginia hold the job. Figures are from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release. Pay for paralegals in every state sets them side by side.
Every Paralegal Program In Virginia
Every school in Virginia that the ABA lists or that conferred a paralegal credential in 2023-24 is here, approved
programs first. Awards are the paralegal credentials each school reported to IPEDS for that year.
Common Questions About Paralegal Certification In Virginia
Is paralegal certification in Virginia required?
No. The Supreme Court of Virginia's rules list working as a paralegal under a licensed attorney's direct supervision as an exception to unauthorized practice, with no credential attached, so paralegal certification in Virginia, whether the Virginia Registered Paralegal or a national certification, is voluntary.
How do you become a Virginia Registered Paralegal?
Through the alliance (VAPA): join a member association, meet one of its education and experience routes (a certificate from an institutionally accredited paralegal program needs three years of experience) or hold a national certification, and pay $50. Holders renew every two years with 12 hours of continuing legal education, two in ethics.
How many ABA-approved paralegal programs are in Virginia?
The ABA's directory lists 4 approved programs in Virginia. IPEDS shows 17 schools in the state conferring paralegal credentials in 2023-24, and 13 of them run a program the ABA has not approved.
What is the cheapest ABA-approved paralegal program in Virginia?
Of the programs ranked here, you'd pay the least as a Virginia resident at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, $5,136 for a full-time year of tuition and fees in 2023-24. That's the figure the school reports to IPEDS, and schools reset it every year.
What do paralegals make in Virginia?
BLS puts the median for paralegals and legal assistants (SOC 23-2011) in Virginia at $63,990 a year, $1,100 above the national median of $62,890, with 10,250 people in the job. The 10th percentile is $47,860 and the 90th is $100,550. Figures are from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release.
Paralegal Programs In Other States
A campus program usually means the state you live in, but an online one does not. These are the
other states with enough ABA-approved programs for a page of their own.
