Blue Ridge Community College is located mid-way between Harrisonburg and Staunton, just off exit 235 of I-81. Since it opened its doors to students in 1967, Blue Ridge Community College has served the higher education needs of residents throughout the Shenandoah Valley. Today, almost 18,000 students participate annually through its credit and non-credit programs at its main campus in Weyers Cave, and satellite locations in Waynesboro and Harrisonburg. Blue Ridge is acknowledged throughout the Commonwealth as one of the most technologically sophisticated colleges within the Virginia Community College system. 

Students can obtain Associate in Applied Science and Associate in Science and Arts degrees and participate in a transfer program, which enables them to obtain a bachelor's degree. Non-degree students can obtain certificates and diplomas in a number of technical fields. 

In partnership with Old Dominion University Teletechnet, the college offers students opportunities to earn their Bachelor's and/or Master's degrees by taking courses on the Weyers Cave campus. Programs are offered in more than nineteen areas and are taught via distance learning. 

The college also partners with local industry to provide ongoing training for the region's workforce through a number of non-credit classes and customized packages.
 

Mary Baldwin College is located on 54 acres in the heart of Staunton's Stuart Addition historic district. Since its founding in 1842 as the Augusta Female Seminary, Mary Baldwin College has served as a four-year liberal arts school for women. MBC's main campus is in Staunton. MBC also operates four regional centers?in Charlottesville, Richmond, Roanoke and Weyers Cave. In addition to a traditional residential program offering a B.S. or B.A. degree in 32 majors, the college offers a Program for the Exceptionally Gifted and the Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership program. Other programs include a Master of Arts in Teaching degree with an emphasis on K-8, plus a new Master of Letters/Master of Fine Arts degree in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance. Enrollment exceeds 2,000. The college also offers a non-residential, co-educational Adult Degree Program offering a B.A. or B.S. degree. 

Eastern Mennomite University (EMU), located on the northwest side of Harrisonburg, is a fully accredited Christian liberal arts college. Its enrollment is about 1,500. EMU attracts students of diverse cultures and faiths from thirty-five states and twenty-five foreign countries. Consistently ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the South in the "Best Colleges Guide" of U.S. News and World Report, the college recently was also named one of the best colleges in the nation.  

EMU offers an adult, part-time MBA program specifically designed for business owners and managers in the Shenandoah Valley. Classes are delivered in a variety of formats including lecture, case study, and group discussion. The MBA is normally completed in two and a half years. 

EMU offers forty undergraduate majors, four graduate programs, plus master's degrees in divinity and religion, and church leadership. Undergraduates must participate in a cross-cultural experience, usually overseas. EMU is ranked sixth in the nation in the percentage of students who study abroad. The college also offers an adult degree completion program, an intensive English program, the Summer Peacebuilding Institute and a Preparatory Music Program. 

Bridgewater College is also located midway between Harrisonburg and Staunton, three miles to the west of I-81, in the community of Bridgewater and is affiliated with the Church of the Brethren. Bridgewater has a student body of approximately 1,350 men and women from 24 states, and 8 foreign countries. The college offers a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 30 majors and a Bachelor of Science Degree in 20 majors. Electing to keep its enrollment small, Bridgewater maintains a faculty-student ratio of 1:14, giving students the opportunity for a more personalized academic experience. Bridgewater also offers a Bachelor of General Studies Degree, an individually prescribed degree program for mature adults. 

James Madison University is located in Harrisonburg, less than 40 minutes from most parts of the region. Since its founding in 1908, JMU has grown from a state normal and industrial school for women to today's coeducation comprehensive university with an enrollment of approximately 15,000. JMU offers flexible MBA programs geared toward working professionals. The Traditional Program is designed to offer quality graduate education to working professionals holding full-time positions in the Shenandoah Valley. The contract MBA Program utilizes on-site and distance learning while serving professionals in the greater D.C. Metropolitan area. A specialized concentration in the MBA Program is fully integrated with the concepts, practices and business implications of Information Security. It is the only program in the country offering such a specialized MBA.