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Virginia Commonwealth University: Rankings, Admissions, Cost & Majors

271 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
93% Acceptance Rate

Virginia Commonwealth University is a public institution in Richmond, Virginia enrolling 20,753 undergraduates. It accepts 93% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 63%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #345 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 7%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is Virginia Commonwealth University Ranked?

Virginia Commonwealth University ranks #345 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 7%.

#345 Best Colleges in Nation
#10 Best Colleges in VA
Virginia Commonwealth University ranking badge

2027 Rankings

In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.

Virginia Commonwealth University was awarded 271 badges in the 2027 rankings.

Overall Quality

College Factual ranked VCU as #345 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 10% of all schools in the nation.

Within the state, VCU holds the #10 spot on the Best Colleges in Virginia ranking.

See all of the rankings for Virginia Commonwealth University.

Is It Hard to Get Into Virginia Commonwealth University?

93% Acceptance Rate
93% Of Accepted Are Women
34% Submit SAT Scores

Acceptance Rate

With an acceptance rate of 93%, Virginia Commonwealth University is easier to get into than many other schools. But that doesn’t mean you can slack off on your application. Make sure to treat this school like any other when submitting requested materials and documents.

Average Test Scores

About 34% 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 520 and 650. Math scores were between 490 and 620.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for Virginia Commonwealth University  ( 520 to 650 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for Virginia Commonwealth University  ( 490 to 620 )
200
800

VCU received ACT scores from 3% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 22 and 30.

ACT Composite Scores for Virginia Commonwealth University  ( 22 to 30 )
1
36

Learn more about Virginia Commonwealth University admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at Virginia Commonwealth University?

17 to 1 Student to Faculty
61% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

The student to faculty ratio at Virginia Commonwealth University is about average at 17 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at Virginia Commonwealth University is 61%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  61 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at Virginia Commonwealth University?

85% Freshmen Retention
63% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

Virginia Commonwealth University has a freshmen retention rate of 85%. That’s a good sign that full-time students like the school and their professors enough to want to stick around for another year. It’s also a sign that the admissions team did a good job in choosing applicants who were a good fit for the school.

Freshmen Retention Rate  85 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At VCU the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 63%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  63 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Virginia Commonwealth University.

How Diverse Is Virginia Commonwealth University?

20,753 Undergraduate Students
57.2% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
63.2% Percent Women

In the current academic year, there are 20,753 undergraduates at VCU.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at Virginia Commonwealth University.

How Much Does Virginia Commonwealth University Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
39% Take Out Loans
$26,224 Total Student Loans

The average net price of VCU is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for VCU

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$17,512 $17,777 $20,925 $24,691 $32,739

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of VCU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At VCU, approximately 39% of students took out student loans averaging $6,556 a year. That adds up to $26,224 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 4.7%. 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. Get more details about paying for Virginia Commonwealth University.

How Much Do Virginia Commonwealth U Graduates Earn?

$58,128 Avg Salary of Grads
High Earnings Boost

The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University make about $58,128 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. This is good news for future Virginia Commonwealth University graduates since it is 18% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Average Salary for Virginia Commonwealth University Graduates

See which majors at Virginia Commonwealth University make the most money.

Where Is Virginia Commonwealth University Located?

Virginia State
20,753 Undergraduate Students
Midsize City Campus Setting

Virginia Commonwealth University is a public institution situated in Richmond, Virginia. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life. Get more details about the location of Virginia Commonwealth University.

Location of Virginia Commonwealth University

Get in touch with Virginia Commonwealth University can be found below.

Contact Details
Address: 910 W Franklin St, Richmond, VA 23284-2512
Phone: 8048280100
Website: www.vcu.edu/
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Commonwealth_University
Facebook: www.facebook.com/virginiacommonwealthuniversity
Twitter: twitter.com/VCU

What Majors Does Virginia Commonwealth University Offer?

25 Majors With Completions
14,978 Undergraduate Degrees

During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 25 majors graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 7,489 NA
General Psychology 572 $29,652
Social Work 454 $42,791
Design & Applied Arts 398 $29,473
General Biology 393 $24,666
Business & Commerce 353 $50,146
Nursing 350 $95,680
Teacher Education Subject Specific 278 $30,836
Computer Information Systems 241 $67,978
Communication & Media Studies 223 $33,009

Learn more about the majors offered at Virginia Commonwealth University along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does VCU Offer Online Classes?

72% Take At Least One Class Online
7% Take All Classes Online

14,960 students took at least one online class at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Online learning is becoming popular at even the oldest colleges and universities in the United States. Not only are online classes great for returning adults with busy schedules, they are also frequented by a growing number of traditional students.

Learn more about online learning at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Curious how schools stack up against VCU? Compare them side by side using College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*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.

References

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