Virginia Commonwealth University Review
With two campuses in Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University has 195 courses of study on all levels---certificate, undergraduate, graduate, professional and doctoral. These study areas include actuarial science, neuroscience, British studies, Catholic studies and creative writing; the three areas chosen most often are general business and commerce, psychology and nursing.
Virginia Commonwealth University Overview
Virginia Commonwealth University came into existence in 1968 through a merger of the Richmond Professional Institute (founded in 1917) and the Medical College of Virginia (begun in 1838). The resulting university currently has more than 60 specialties that are found only in Virginia; these include the Real Estate and Urban Land Development degree, as well as a major in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education classifies Virginia Commonwealth University as a research university with high research activity, while the National Science Foundation ranked it as a top-100 research university. In 2009, U.S. News and World Report ranked 20 of VCU's graduate and first-professional concentrations among the top programs in the U.S.
Admissions and Enrollment Overview
Annually, the new freshman class at Virginia Commonwealth University has about 3,700 students. To apply for one of these spots, students must complete an application form (an electronic application is preferred) that includes an official high school transcript showing a minimum of 20 units---preferably a college preparatory course of study, although adequate GED scores plus either ACT or SAT Reasoning Test scores. An application may be enhanced with information about extracurricular activities or employment experience; if a student wants to be considered for a scholarship or is applying to the School of The Arts film (cinema), an essay is required. A high school profile and a letter from a guidance counselor might be helpful, but is not required.
Campus Facilities and Learning Environment
The Virginia Commonwealth University has two primary libraries---the James Branch Cabell Library and the Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences---as well as five smaller, specialized libraries. The combined holdings of these libraries is more than five and a half million items, including electronic databases. The VCU Libraries is Virginia's only patent and trademark depository. There are about 1,600 computer workstations in the libraries and elsewhere around the campus; nevertheless, students are required to have their own computers.
Class sizes are usually small with almost half of the classes having no more than 19 students. The ratio of teachers to students is 17 to one.
Schools and Colleges at Virginia Commonwealth University
- University College
- College of Humanities and Sciences
- School of World Studies
- School of Government and Public Affairs
- School of Mass Communications
- School of Education
- School of the Arts
- School of Social Work
- School of Business
- School of Engineering
- School of Medicine
- School of Allied Health Professions
- School of Nursing
- School of Dentistry
- School of Pharmacy
- Virginia Commonwealth University Life Sciences
- Virginia Commonwealth University Honors College
- Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate School
School Contact Information
- Address: 910 W Franklin St, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2512
- Telephone: (804) 828-0100