History
Way back — more than 175 years ago — in 1838, VCU was known by another name. It was the Medical College of Hampden-Sydney, later becoming the Medical College of Virginia. It wasn’t until 1968, when they merged with Richmond Professional Institute, that they were given the name Virginia Commonwealth University. But one thing is for sure: They have never stopped making history.
Education
- Virginia Commonwealth University has a faculty-to-student ratio of 16:1, and they believe every undergrad should be a researcher.
- VCU has over 240 majors at the bachelor's, master's, and PhD levels with 66+ being STEM degrees.
- 90% of first years students get at least a $10,000 scholarship.
- With special-priced master’s in engineering, computer science, and business at a total tuition of $27,000.
Research
Interdisciplinary research strengths include neuroscience; cancer; substance abuse and addiction; the human microbiome; and nanoscience, nanomedicine and nanotechnology
Awarded $25 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to lower cost of lifesaving drugs. The College of Engineering leads this multidepartment and multi-university research collaborative.Career
- VCU Career Services is a community committed to respect by upholding values that promote collaboration, diversity, inclusion, integrity and learning. Its mission is to provide career education and build partnerships to support student success as they become engaged citizens in a diverse community.
- Graduates are unstoppable with a strong graduate school or job placement.
Student services
The Dean of Students office aims to help students chart a path toward success.
Housing services
Residential Life & Housing at VCU provides safe, inclusive, and well-maintained facilities where we build intentional communities to empower residents in their academic excellence, citizenship and personal growth.
Library services
For many years, the Friends of VCU Libraries has held an annual book sale to raise funds to support library programs. The annual fall sale was not held in 2014 and 2015 during construction of the new library. During the hiatus, the development office and the book sale committee evaluated the sale and decided that it, like the building itself, was due for a makeover.
ICT services
To best support the mission of the University, VCU Technology Services strives to ensure that:
- Technology resources at VCU will be available from anywhere at any time.
- Technology solutions at VCU will be creative, innovative, and add value to University activities.
- Technology support at VCU will maximize the use and worth of technology tools for our constituents.
Medical services
Clinics on both campuses provide high-quality outpatient medical, allergy and gynecological clinics; pharmacy, laboratory and vaccination services; after-hours phone consultations; and affordable group health insurance.
Campus life
VCU has three campuses; two main campuses are located a mile away from each other, Richmond. The Monroe Park Campus is home to most non-medical programs, including art, business, engineering and a variety of other majors. The five health sciences schools and top-rated medical centres, including two hospitals, are on the medical campus, and the third campus is in Doha, Qatar.
Sports facilities
Rec Sports offers a variety of group exercise classes for all fitness levels which are FREE for all Rec Sports members! All instructors are certified and will motivate you to reach your fitness goals. Classes are held at both the Cary Street Gym and MCV Campus Recreation Center.
Student clubs
With more than 400 organizations, it's easy to meet people who share your interests, whether it's social change, anime, fashion or coding.
Accreditation
VCU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees.
Virginia Commonwealth University Overview
Virginia Commonwealth University Rankings
Study Portals Meta Ranking
Top 6.2% United States
Top 6% Worldwide
Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.
Academic Ranking of World Universities
301
By Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Dropped 100 places compared to 2024
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend Academic Ranking of World Universities
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 201 | 201 | 301 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
World University Rankings
401
By Times Higher Education
The university hasn’t moved up or down in the rankings over the past year.
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend World University Rankings
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 401 | 401 | 401 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Best Global Universities Rankings
411
By U.S. News & World Report
Dropped 10 places compared to 2025
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
3 year trend Best Global Universities Rankings
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 439 | 401 | 411 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
QS World University Rankings
901
By TopUniversities
Dropped 50 places compared to 2025
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend QS World University Rankings
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 761 | 851 | 901 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Virginia Commonwealth University Campus Locations
#1 Main Campus
United States Country
Richmond City
#2 Branch Campus
United States Country
Richmond City
Virginia Commonwealth University Student Reviews & Awards
4.1
Based on 16 reviews
- 5 Star 3 Reviews
- 4 Star 11 Reviews
- 3 Star 2 Reviews
- 2 Star 0 Reviews
- 1 Star 0 Reviews
VCU flexible online
VCU has been a great experience. I took all of my classes online after transfering from Virginia Weslyan, and the teachers and staff were very accomidating. I am happy to be finishing my undergraduate degree here!
Plenty of Resources
It's good. I like it and I would recommend people to come. Just be yourself and do what you want to do. There's many resources that can help you. There are faculty members that are there for you. So many great people around you.
Experience at VCU
I really enjoy my experience here. The school and the resources in the health sciences programs are impressive. Being in Richmond gives us lots of internship opportunities and a cool mix of culture and city life. Unfortunately, the campus is spread out, so it can be a bit of a hassle getting around, especially between Monroe Park and the MCV campus.
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