More selective than 18% of Virginia colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $38,954. College Scorecard.
Higher than 56% of Virginia colleges we cover and 66% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 57% of Virginia colleges we cover and 65% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
VCU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 19,052 applicants, Virginia Commonwealth University admitted 17,729 and 4,519 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1010–1270 on the SAT or 22–30 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
VCU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Virginia residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
VCU majors, earnings & careers
Virginia Commonwealth University offers 58 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 10
- Humanities & Languages · 9
- Arts & Design · 8
- Business & Finance · 7
- Science & Math · 7
- Engineering · 6
- Health & Medicine · 5
- Education · 3
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
Highest-earning majors at VCU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $118,521 | $19,050 |
| Computer Engineering | $118,273 | $23,813 |
| Electrical Engineering | $107,487 | $24,000 |
| Chemical Engineering | $97,781 | $27,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $88,410 | $22,235 |
| Information Science / Studies | $87,219 | $24,364 |
| Nursing | $86,661 | $26,250 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $86,295 | $24,000 |
Quick list of all 58 majors
- Accounting$78,631
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$77,786
- Anthropology$49,641
- Area Studies$45,852
- Biological and Physical Sciences$61,395
- Biology$58,420
- Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology—
- Biomedical Engineering$86,295
- Business$68,387
- Business Administration—
- Business Economics$64,164
- Chemical Engineering$97,781
- Chemistry$67,439
- Communications$59,968
- Computer and Information Sciences$118,521
- Computer Engineering$118,273
- Crafts / Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry$37,253
- Criminal Justice$58,792
- Dance—
- Dental Support Services and Allied Professions$78,231
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Education (Subject Teaching)$59,442
- Electrical Engineering$107,487
- Engineering—
- English$45,844
- Environmental Science / Conservation$50,217
- Ethnic / Gender Studies$42,233
- Film and Photography$37,958
- Finance—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$53,575
- Health Administration—
- History$53,186
- Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other$72,239
- Information Science / Studies$87,219
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics$45,607
- Marketing$68,622
- Mathematics$68,457
- Mechanical Engineering$88,410
- Medical Laboratory Science$80,344
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$55,855
- Music$38,278
- Nursing$86,661
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies—
- Philosophy$64,402
- Physics$77,737
- Political Science$62,182
- Psychology$51,440
- Real Estate$60,718
- Religious Studies—
- Security / Homeland Security$61,026
- Social Work$55,288
- Sociology$53,122
- Special Education—
- Studio Art$43,690
- Theatre$43,957
- Urban Studies / Affairs$58,084
- Visual and Performing Arts—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Communications → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Richmond
Overall prices in the Richmond, VA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,651. Housing costs 1% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 47 inches of rain a year, 9 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Richmond City
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Richmond City at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare VCU with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Virginia by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Commonwealth University | 93% | $23,433 | 63% | $58,128 | This school |
| Old Dominion University | 90% | $14,638 | 46% | $54,914 | |
| George Mason University | 87% | $17,915 | 68% | $76,343 | |
| Longwood University | 90% | $19,066 | 61% | $52,347 | |
| James Madison University | 72% | $23,322 | 80% | $69,954 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Virginia Commonwealth University would cost you $8,795 more per year than Old Dominion University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Virginia Commonwealth University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$4,195).
- Virginia Commonwealth University gives aided families $713 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Virginia resident | VCU | Old Dominion University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $16,945 | $12,750 | +$4,195 |
| Books & supplies | $1,240 | $1,800 | −$560 |
| Housing & meals | $16,119 | $14,592 | +$1,527 |
| Personal & travel | $6,150 | $3,000 | +$3,150 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,500 | −$2,696 | +$1,196 |
| Sticker price | $38,954 | $29,446 | +$9,508 |
| Average grants | −$15,521 | −$14,808 | −$713 |
| You pay | $23,433 | $14,638 | +$8,795 |
“+” means VCU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about VCU
What is the VCU acceptance rate?
Virginia Commonwealth University accepts 93% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 17,729 of 19,052 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1010–1270 on the SAT or 22–30 on the ACT.
How much does Virginia Commonwealth University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $38,954 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $23,433 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $17,512 and families earning $110k+ pay $32,739.
How much do VCU graduates earn?
Former Virginia Commonwealth University students earn a median $58,128 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the VCU graduation rate?
63% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 85% return for their second year.
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Virginia Commonwealth University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/virginia-commonwealth-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).