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Virginia Commonwealth University

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Virginia Commonwealth University Overview

Virginia Commonwealth University is a public institution located in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond is a great location for students who prefer city over country life.

What Is Virginia Commonwealth University Known For?

5,062 Undergraduate Awards
$42,281 Avg Cost After Aid
91% Acceptance Rate
  • The student loan default rate at VCU is 5%, which is significantly lower than the national rate of 10.1%. That's great news for students who are worrying about paying off their student loans.
  • The highest award offered at VCU is the doctor's degree.
  • In 2017-2018, 63% of the faculty were full-time.
  • After graduation, VCU bachelor's degree recipients go on to jobs where they make $44,000 a year. That's about 8% more than their peers at other schools.

Best Schools

Virginia Commonwealth University Rankings

Our rankings are based on an outcomes-based approach rather than subjective ones used by other media outlets. As such, we utilize data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard, among other sources. Visit our rankings and methodology section to learn more.

VCU has been awarded the following overall awards by our latest rankings.

Rank Ranking Name Share
#98 Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools Tweet It - Post It

Program Level Awards

These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at VCU.

Rank Ranking Name Share
#1 Best Interdisciplinary Studies Master’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#1 Best Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools Tweet It - Post It
#1 Best Sustainability Science Undergraduate Certificate Schools Tweet It - Post It
#1 Best Natural Sciences Graduate Certificate Schools Tweet It - Post It
#1 Best Child Development & Family Studies Graduate Certificate Schools Tweet It - Post It
#2 Best Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#3 Best Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools Tweet It - Post It
#16 Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#17 Best Mental & Social Health Services Master’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#27 Best Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It

Awards From Around the Web

The following table lists some notable awards VCU has earned from around the web.

Rank Ranking Name Source
#1 Best Interdisciplinary Studies Schools College Factual
#1 Best General Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies Schools College Factual
#28 Best Mental & Social Health Services Schools College Factual
#33 Best Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Schools College Factual
#108 Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools College Factual
#121 Best Nursing Schools Nursing Degree Search

Where Is Virginia Commonwealth University?

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Contact details for VCU are given below.

Contact Details
Address: 910 W Franklin St, Richmond, VA 23284-2512
Phone: 804-828-0100
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/virginiacommonwealthuniversity
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VCU

How Do I Get Into VCU?

You can apply to VCU online at: https://www.vcu.edu/admissions/apply

Admission Requirements for VCU

Submission Required?
High School GPA required
High School Rank considered but not required
High School Transcript required
College Prep Program recommended
Recommendations recommended
SAT or ACT Scores required
TOEFL required

How Hard Is It To Get Into VCU?

91% Acceptance Rate
65% Of Accepted Are Women
85% Submit SAT Scores
Since VCU has an acceptance rate of 91%, it is not too hard to gain acceptance into the school. Still, you need to be sure you complete your application in full and send in any other requested documents.

Approximately 35% of accepted students are men and 65% are women. The acceptance rate for men is 89%, and the acceptance rate for women is 91%.

Average Test Scores

About 85% of students accepted to VCU submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 540 and 640. Math scores were between 520 and 610.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for Virginia Commonwealth University  ( 540 to 640 )
200
800

SAT Math Scores for Virginia Commonwealth University  ( 520 to 610 )
200
800
VCU received ACT scores from 17% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT English scores ranged between 21 and 30. Math scores were between 19 and 26. Composite scores were between 21 and 28.

ACT English Scores for Virginia Commonwealth University  ( 21 to 30 )
1
36
ACT Math Scores for Virginia Commonwealth University  ( 19 to 26 )
1
36
ACT Composite Scores for Virginia Commonwealth University  ( 21 to 28 )
1
36

Can I Afford Virginia Commonwealth University?

$42,281 Net Price
52% Take Out Loans
4.5% Loan Default Rate
The overall average net price of VCU is $42,281. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group.

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.

Student Loan Debt

While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At VCU, approximately 52% of students took out student loans averaging $8,195 a year. That adds up to $32,780 over four years for those students.

The student loan default rate at VCU is 4.5%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.

Virginia Commonwealth University Undergraduate Student Diversity

18,734 Full-Time Undergraduates
63% Women
55% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
There are 21,943 undergraduate students at VCU, with 18,734 being full-time and 3,209 being part-time.

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There are also 7,127 graduate students at the school.

Gender Diversity

Of the 18,734 full-time undergraduates at VCU, 37% are male and 63% are female.

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Racial-Ethnic Diversity

The racial-ethnic breakdown of Virginia Commonwealth University students is as follows.

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 2,831
Black or African American 3,759
Hispanic or Latino 2,122
White 7,754
International Students 435
Other Races/Ethnicities 1,833

Geographic Diversity

Virginia students aren't the only ones who study at Virginia Commonwealth University. At this time, 33 states are represented by the student population at the school.

Over 103 countries are represented at VCU. The most popular countries sending students to the school are Saudi Arabia, India, and China.

Online Learning at Virginia Commonwealth University

10,467 Took All Classes Online
25,559 Took At Least One Class Online
294.9% Avg Growth Over 4 Years
There are 3 bachelor’s degree and 16 master’s degree programs available online at VCU. In 2019-2020, 25,559 students took at least one online class at the school.

The following chart shows how the online learning population at VCU has changed over the last few years.

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This school is the 12th most popular in Virginia for online learning according to the online graduations recorded by the Department of Education for the academic year 2019-2020.

Online Affordability Rankings of VCU

The following table shows how VCU is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are not mostly online.

Major Tuition for In-State Students Tuition for Out-of-State Students
Other Homeland Security #6 #12
Sociology #28 #28
Other Engineering #32 #32
Human Development & Family Studies #40 #60
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science #49 #55
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions #58 #76
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences #67 #93
Social Work #67 #79

Online Growth Rankings of VCU

The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at Virginia Commonwealth University was 294.9%. This is the #221 largest growth rate of all schools that are only partially online. This refers to all students at VCU regardless of major.

The following table shows the 1-year growth rate of VCU majors that offer at least one online course. This table only includes majors with positive growth.

Major 1-Year Growth Rate
Educational Administration 7%
Engineering 12%
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 12%
Health & Medical Administrative Services 5%
Health & Physical Education 30%
Human Development & Family Studies 12%
Other Engineering 45%
Other Health Professions 50%
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 30%
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 5%
Social Work 5%
Special Education 23%

The table below shows how the average growth rate over 4 years at VCU ranks compared to all other partially online schools that offer a specific major. Note that the majors may or may not be offered online at VCU.

Major Growth Rate Rank
Other Engineering #1
Sociology #1
Other Homeland Security #1
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science #1
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions #4
Engineering #4
Other Health Professions #4
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences #5
Human Development & Family Studies #5
Special Education #7
Social Work #7
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies #10
Health & Physical Education #10
Mental & Social Health Services #13
Social Sciences #15
Teacher Education Grade Specific #17
Educational Administration #19
Public Administration & Social Service #22
Teacher Education Subject Specific #25
Nursing #29
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting #37
Health & Medical Administrative Services #55
Education #55
Health Professions #127

When we speak of partially online, we are referring to schools whose online population is less than 50% of its total student body. Mostly online refers to those with online populations greater than or equal to 50%.

Virginia Commonwealth University Undergraduate Concentrations

The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.

Major Undergraduate Certificate Bachelor’s Graduate Certificate Master’s Doctor’s TOTAL
General Business/Commerce 15 354 0 147 3 519
General Psychology 0 449 0 19 3 471
General Biology 0 352 77 12 7 448
Teacher Education Subject Specific 0 388 2 13 0 403
Nursing 0 216 5 90 60 371
Design & Applied Arts 0 278 0 12 0 290
Social Work 0 114 0 173 1 288
Communication & Media Studies 0 229 0 6 0 235
Criminal Justice & Corrections 0 218 1 4 0 223
Medicine 0 0 0 0 217 217
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 0 172 0 23 4 199
Information Science 0 186 3 7 0 196
Political Science & Government 0 186 0 0 0 186
General Education 0 0 0 107 30 137
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 0 0 0 4 132 136
Business Administration & Management 0 0 12 120 0 132
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 0 0 3 30 94 127
Other Homeland Security 0 117 2 5 0 124
Chemistry 0 95 0 4 17 116
General English Literature 0 104 0 8 0 112
Marketing 0 110 0 0 0 110
Fine & Studio Arts 0 79 0 26 1 106
Accounting 0 76 15 13 0 104
Mechanical Engineering 0 104 0 0 0 104
Dentistry 0 0 0 0 102 102
Computer Information Systems 0 76 11 10 0 97
Natural Resources Conservation 0 72 0 12 0 84
Sociology 0 70 0 10 0 80
History 0 65 0 6 0 71
Biomedical Engineering 0 55 0 6 9 70
Biological & Physical Science 0 69 0 0 0 69
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 0 69 0 0 0 69
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods 0 0 0 61 0 61
Area Studies 0 57 0 0 0 57
Mathematics 0 40 0 16 0 56
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 0 49 0 4 0 53
Special Education 0 0 11 41 0 52
Other Engineering 0 0 0 42 9 51
Urban Studies 0 33 1 17 0 51
Music 0 48 0 3 0 51
Business/Managerial Economics 0 50 0 0 0 50
Health & Physical Education 0 0 0 50 0 50
Educational Administration 0 0 8 8 30 46
Physics 0 38 2 4 0 44
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics 0 25 0 10 7 42
Public Administration 0 0 12 25 4 41
Drama & Theater Arts 0 36 0 4 0 40
Chemical Engineering 0 37 0 0 2 39
Mental & Social Health Services 0 0 13 26 0 39
Health & Medical Administrative Services 0 0 0 35 2 37
Computer Engineering 0 36 0 0 0 36
Anthropology 0 36 0 0 0 36
Allied Health Professions 0 35 0 0 0 35
Interdisciplinary Studies 20 0 0 14 0 34
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 0 32 0 0 0 32
Philosophy 0 29 0 0 0 29
Electrical Engineering 0 28 0 0 0 28
Student Counseling 0 0 0 27 0 27
Linguistics & Comparative Literature 5 21 0 0 0 26
Ethnic Studies 0 22 0 0 0 22
Public Health 0 0 4 15 3 22
General Engineering 0 0 0 8 11 19
Human Development & Family Studies 0 0 9 8 0 17
Natural Sciences 0 0 12 0 5 17
Dance 0 16 0 0 0 16
Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences 0 0 0 15 0 15
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology 0 0 0 0 15 15
Pharmacology & Toxicology 0 0 0 5 9 14
Physiology & Pathology Sciences 0 0 0 12 2 14
Real Estate 0 12 1 0 0 13
Dental Support Services 0 13 0 0 0 13
Geography & Cartography 0 0 13 0 0 13
Teacher Education Grade Specific 0 0 8 4 0 12
Other Health Professions 0 0 0 0 12 12
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology 0 0 0 6 5 11
Religious Studies 0 11 0 0 0 11
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology 0 0 0 2 7 9
Sustainability Science 8 0 1 0 0 9
Genetics 0 0 0 3 5 8
Writing Studies 0 0 0 8 0 8
Other Social Sciences 0 0 8 0 0 8
Finance & Financial Management 0 7 0 0 0 7
Curriculum & Instruction 0 0 0 5 0 5
Cell Biology & Anatomical Sciences 0 0 0 4 0 4
Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology 0 0 0 0 2 2
Neurobiology & Neurosciences 0 0 0 0 2 2
Nanotechnology 0 0 0 0 2 2
Statistics 0 0 2 0 0 2
Other Statistics 0 0 0 0 2 2
Economics 0 0 0 2 0 2
Graphic Communications 0 0 1 0 0 1
Computer Software & Applications 0 0 1 0 0 1
Human Resource Management 0 0 0 0 0 0
International Business 0 0 0 0 0 0
Taxation 0 0 0 0 0 0
Information Technology 0 0 0 0 0 0
Instructional Media Design 0 0 0 0 0 0
Teaching English or French 0 0 0 0 0 0
Historic Preservation 0 0 0 0 0 0
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other Transportation & Materials Moving 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 48 5,014 238 1,351 816 7,467

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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