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Virginia Commonwealth University

Ranked
Richmond, United States
401–500th in World University Rankings 2025
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About Virginia Commonwealth University

Basic information and contact details for Virginia Commonwealth University

institution

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.

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Rankings

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Key Student Statistics

A breakdown of student statistics at Virginia Commonwealth University

gender ratio
Student gender ratio
64 F : 36 M (1)
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International student percentage
4% (1)
student per staff
Students per staff
10.5 (1)
student
Student total
25537 (1)

Based on data collected for the (1) World University Rankings 2025

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Subjects Taught at Virginia Commonwealth University

See below for a range of subjects taught at Virginia Commonwealth University

Arts and Humanities

  • Art, Performing Art and Design
  • History, Philosophy and Theology
  • Languages, Literature and Linguistics

Business and Economics

  • Accounting and Finance
  • Business and Management
  • Economics and Econometrics

Computer Science

  • Computer Science

Education Studies

  • Education

Engineering

  • Chemical Engineering
  • Civil Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • General Engineering
  • Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Life Sciences

  • Agriculture and Forestry
  • Biological Sciences
  • Sport Science

Medical and Health

  • Medicine and Dentistry
  • Other Health

Physical Sciences

  • Chemistry
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Physics and Astronomy

Psychology

  • Psychology

Social Sciences

  • Communication and Media Studies
  • Politics and International Studies
  • Sociology