Virginia Commonwealth University is a large public research university with two main campuses located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia. VCU is a Carnegie Doctoral/Research-Extensive University, ranking it as one of the top 100 institutions in the nation and only one of three such universities in Virginia. With more than $206 million in annual research funding, VCU continues to advance its research initiatives with strategic projects that have included a new School of Engineering, the initiation of a comprehensive Life Sciences program, and the continued development of the Virginia Biotechnology Research Park.

VCU is also known for its diversity, with the highest percentage of minority students among Virginia public universities, and is host to the annual VCU French Film Festival, the largest French film festival in the United States. VCU reflects, through its students, faculty and staff, the diverse and multinational character of Richmond and Virginia. With its location in Richmond, students are given a unique opportunity to combine academic and real-world education within the context of a learning-centered research university.

Tracing its roots back to 1838, VCU was founded when the medical department of Hampden-Sydney College opened in Richmond and later became the Medical College of Virginia (MCV). In 1968, MCV merged with the Richmond Professional Institute (RPI) to create Virginia Commonwealth University. A third campus was formed in 1999, the VCU-Qatar School of Design Arts, located in Doha, the capital of Qatar. VCU is rapidly changing from a commuter to a residential campus with more than 80% of the 2005-2006 freshman class living in on-campus housing.

Most of the university’s general education programs including programs in education are offered on the Monroe Park Campus, located at the eastern end of the “Fan District”, a historic neighborhood built adjacent to downtown Richmond in the early 20th century. Originally home to the Richmond Professional Institute and then the Academic Campus of VCU in 1968, the Monroe Park Campus took on its current name in June 2004. Under the leadership of President Eugene Trani, the VCU campus has been transformed with more than $1.2 billion in capital investment in the past 14 years, and plans are underway for new buildings for the Schools of Business, Engineering, and Nursing.

As we complete the VCU 2020 Strategic Plan, VCU is committed to achieving national recognition as a learning-centered research university that embraces a world-class student experience. As a result, VCU will prepare students to thrive in a complex, interdependent, diverse and constantly changing world, and to be prepared to continue learning throughout their lives.