by our College Data Analytics TeamVirginia State University is a public institution in Petersburg, Virginia enrolling 5,074 undergraduates. It accepts 89% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 39%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #2,440 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 47%), 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.
Virginia State University ranks #2,440 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 47%.
College Factual recognizes the best colleges and universities in its annual rankings. These rankings include categories for best overall colleges, best colleges for each major, best value schools, and much more.
College Factual ranked VSU as #2,440 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.
VSU is also ranked #56 on the Best Colleges in Virginia list.
See all of the rankings for Virginia State University.
Virginia State University has an acceptance rate of 89%, so it is easier to gain admission to this school than some others. Still, the admissions staff will examine your application closely to make sure you’re a good fit for VSU.
About 10% of students accepted to VSU submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 440 and 550. Math scores were between 400 and 520.
VSU received ACT scores from 1% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 14 and 20.
Learn more about Virginia State University admissions.
With a student to faculty ratio of 13 to 1, Virginia State University is about average in this regard as the nationwide rate is 15 to 1. While this does not translate directly to class size, it’s a good indicator of how much time professors will have to spend with their students on a one-on-one basis.
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 State University is 65%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at Virginia State University is 69%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at VSU for first-time, full-time students is 39%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Virginia State University.
During the most recent academic year, there were 5,074 undergraduates at VSU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Virginia State University.
The overall average net price of VSU 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.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $13,220 | $14,758 | $19,463 | $22,223 | $25,508 |
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 VSU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
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 VSU, approximately 76% of students took out student loans averaging $9,791 a year. That adds up to $39,164 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 10.5%. This is about the same as the national default rate of 10.1%. Get more details about paying for Virginia State University.
Yearly salaries vary depending on what you major in, but on average, bachelor’s degree recipients from Virginia State University make around $45,543 per year during the early years of their employment. This is right on par with the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Also, graduates in your major field may make more.
See which majors at Virginia State University make the most money.
Virginia State University is an public institution found in Petersburg, Virginia. Petersburg is a good match for students who enjoy the safety and convenience of the suburbs. Get more details about the location of Virginia State University.
Contact information for Virginia State University can be found below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 1 Hayden Drive, Petersburg, VA 23806 |
| Phone: | 8045245000 |
| Website: | www.vsu.edu |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_State_University |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/VirginiaStateUniversity |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/VSUTrojans |
During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 23 majors graduated from Virginia State 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 | 840 | NA |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 80 | $30,745 |
| General Psychology | 68 | $23,671 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 63 | $27,185 |
| Business Administration & Management | 62 | $31,564 |
| Communication & Media Studies | 53 | $21,298 |
| Social Work | 45 | $29,882 |
| Other Interdisciplinary Studies | 44 | NA |
| General Biology | 40 | $29,927 |
| Computer Science | 38 | NA |
172 students took at least one online class at Virginia State 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 State University.
Interested in comparing VSU? 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.
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