Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 6.1-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 205 Title IV programs, 76 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 129 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing76 · 37.1%
- No Data129 · 62.9%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Programmatic accreditations · 40
Action history · 75
- Sep 2025Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Jan 2025Initial AccreditationAmerican Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Prosthodontics
- Dec 2024Renewal of AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Oct 2024Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Professional Psychology (RPSY) - Postdoctoral residency programs
- Aug 2024Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS)
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 8,094 students received $47.9M in Pell grants, alongside $205.9M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 6,281 borrowers who entered repayment, 59 (0.9%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Virginia Commonwealth
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 9
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus76
- Non-campus3
- Public property44
Includes 30 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- Gladding Residence Center1 fireCookingDamage $0-$99
- West Grace Street Student Housing - North2 firesOpen flamesDamage $100-$999
- West Grace Street Student Housing - North2 firesHazardous productDamage $1,000-$9,999
Data quality: 6 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Virginia Commonwealth vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Virginia Commonwealth selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectVirginia Commonwealth University | 63% | — | 28,464 | $23,433 | R1 Research |
| 96% | 16.8% | 26,409 | $21,565 | R1 Research | |
| 46% | 90.4% | 23,743 | $14,638 | R1 Research | |
| 86% | 54.8% | 38,857 | $24,953 | R1 Research | |
| 68% | 87.5% | 39,766 | $17,915 | R1 Research | |
| 87% | 38.3% | 29,077 | $22,253 | R1 Research | |
| Peer group median | 77% | 54.8% | 28,771 | $21,909 |
Institutions like Virginia Commonwealth
Explore the federal data for institutions in Virginia Commonwealth's comparison group.
- R1 ResearchVirginia
University of Virginia-Main Campus
Grad rate96%Admit rate16.8%Enrollment26,409Net price$21,565View data - R1 ResearchVirginia
Old Dominion University
Grad rate46%Admit rate90.4%Enrollment23,743Net price$14,638View data - R1 ResearchVirginia
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Grad rate86%Admit rate54.8%Enrollment38,857Net price$24,953View data - R1 ResearchVirginia
George Mason University
Grad rate68%Admit rate87.5%Enrollment39,766Net price$17,915View data - R1 ResearchSouth Carolina
Clemson University
Grad rate87%Admit rate38.3%Enrollment29,077Net price$22,253View data
Virginia Commonwealth Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Institutional Research and Decision Support office at Virginia Commonwealth University is part of the Office of the Provost. The page provides information on institutional reporting and characteristics of the office, including contact details. Key links are provided to various data tools and resources.
Visit IR office page- Michael BourgeoisVice Provost for Institutional Research and Decision Support
- Abby KahlerExecutive Assistant and Operations Coordinator
- Janice BaabSenior Research Analyst
- Justin BrooksData Engineer
- Mike DooleySenior Research Analyst
- Michael JonesDirector of Business Intelligence
- Hem AdhikariData Governance Specialist
- Adhyayan JainAssociate Data Engineer
- Tom MatthewsBusiness Intelligence Developer
- Molly WrightDirector, Communications for Strategic Initiatives
- Hannah BillingsCommunications Manager
- Kristin Smith, Ed.DDirector, Enrollment Research and Evaluation
- Ashlee ChristakosSenior Research Analyst
- Kathryn TilyouResearch Analyst
- Connie PeytonDirector, Institutional Research
- William EvansSenior Research Analyst
- Tasfia PashaResearch Analyst (Inclusive Excellence and IRDS)
- Sean RusslerSenior Research Analyst
Common Data Set
Virginia Commonwealth's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.
Selectivity & Admissions
Admissions funnel
C124,804 applied → 20,769 admitted (83.8%) → 4,449 enrolled.
Selectivity
C1Accessible — 83.8% acceptance rate.
Admit rate by gender
C1Admit rate varies by gender.
SAT range (middle 50%)
C9Middle 50% SAT 1010–1260 (median 1140).
ACT range (middle 50%)
C9Middle 50% ACT 22–30 (median 25).
High-school class rank
C10Share of enrolled first-years by HS class-rank band.
Waitlist outcome
C228 offered a waitlist spot, 28 accepted it, 17 admitted (60.7% of those who stayed on).
What matters in admission
C7Relative importance of each admission factor.
Affordability & Value
Cost of attendance
GTotal sticker cost of attendance is $38,979 (2025-2026).
Sticker vs. net price
G+HSticker $38,979 → about $21,774 net for aided students after the average need-based grant ($17,205); 29% of demonstrated need is met.
Where grant aid comes from
H129% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.
Graduate debt
H4/H558% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $29,417 on average.
Academic Experience
Class-size distribution
I333% of classes have under 20 students; 15% have 50+.
Faculty profile
IKey faculty indicators.
Degrees by discipline
JSTEM-dominant: ~21% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.
Transfer Path
Transfer admissions
D12,658 transfer applicants → 2,326 admitted (87.5%) → 1,413 enrolled
Source publications
Frequently asked questions about Virginia Commonwealth University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Virginia Commonwealth.
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About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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