Virginia Commonwealth University

401–500th
World University Rankings 2024
=356th
US College Rankings 2022
821 W Franklin Street, Richmond, Virginia, 23284, United States

About Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Commonwealth University is a prestigious public institution in the centre of Richmond, the state’s capital. The university has existed in its current form since 1967, when the Medical College of Virginia and the Richmond Professional Institute merged. The former, however, had been founded back in 1838 and stayed open throughout the American Civil War.

Five of the university’s study programmes are the first of their kind: its undergraduate degree in homeland security & emergency preparedness, master’s programmes in nurse anaesthesia & product innovation, and doctorates in mechanical & nuclear engineering and media, art & text. VCU was also the first university in the US to open a campus in Qatar. Based in Doha, VCUQatar mostly runs art and design-based courses.

Richmond boasts a number of museums, sizeable parks and varied restaurants. It has six bridges over the James River, Virginia’s largest, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean slightly more than 50 miles south east of the city.

Alumni include Baruj Benacerraf, the immunologist who won the 1980 Nobel Prize for Medicine for discovering genetically determined structures on cell surfaces which regulate immunological reactions, Steve West, the drummer from 1990s indie rock band Pavement, and Gerald Henderson, the four-time National Basketball Association champion who played for the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons and Seattle Sonics.

Explore rankings data for Virginia Commonwealth University

All ranked institutions have an overall score and 4 pillar scores. However for each pillar, only institutions ranked in the top 500 overall or the top 500 in this pillar have a publicly visible score

Compare universities on their key stats

Key statistics

  • 10.6
    No. of students per staff
    (1)
  • 3%
    Percentage of International Students
    (1)
  • 25,944
    Number of FTE Students
    (1)
  • 13%
    Proportion of ISR Publication
    (1)
  • 63 : 37
    Student Ratio of Females to Males
    (1)
  • $11,506
    On-campus Room and Board
    (2)
  • $42,533
    Salary after 10 years
    (2)
  • $35,904
    Out-of-state Tuition and Fees
    (2)
Based on data collected for the (1) 2024 World University Rankings and (2) 2022 US Rankings

Subjects taught at Virginia Commonwealth University

  • Physical sciences

    • Chemistry
    • Physics & Astronomy
    • Mathematics & Statistics
  • Clinical, pre-clinical & health

    • Other Health
    • Medicine & Dentistry
  • Engineering & technology

    • General Engineering
    • Chemical Engineering
    • Electrical & Electronic Engineering
    • Civil Engineering
    • Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
  • Business & economics

    • Business & Management
    • Accounting & Finance
    • Economics & Econometrics
  • Arts & humanities

    • Art, Performing Arts & Design
    • Languages, Literature & Linguistics
    • History, Philosophy & Theology
  • Life sciences

    • Sport Science
    • Agriculture & Forestry
    • Biological Sciences
  • Computer science

    • Computer Science
  • Social sciences

    • Sociology
    • Communication & Media Studies
    • Politics & International Studies (incl Development Studies)
  • Education

    • Education
  • Psychology

    • Psychology