# Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

Public college in Richmond, VA. IPEDS ID 234030.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/virginia-commonwealth-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/virginia-commonwealth-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 93% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $23,433 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 63%; beats 56% of VA colleges and 66% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $58,128; beats 57% of VA colleges and 65% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $17,021

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $17,512 |
| 30-48k | $17,777 |
| 48-75k | $20,925 |
| 75-110k | $24,691 |
| 110k+ | $32,739 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $38,954 in-state; about $62,118 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $16,945 in-state, $40,109 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $16,119; books: $1,240

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 520–650; SAT math: 490–620; ACT: 22–30 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 19,052 applicants, 17,729 admitted, 4,519 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 93%, ACT 22–30 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 93%, ACT 22–30 (IPEDS Admissions)

### State-published GPA and test ranges (middle 50%)
- Entering Fall 2026: GPA (basis not stated) 3.26–4.01; SAT 1040–1280; ACT 21–32; CLT — (B10 Admissions: First Time Freshman Profile, 2026-27)
- Entering Fall 2025: GPA (basis not stated) 3.26–4.02; SAT 1040–1280; ACT 21–29; CLT — (B10 Admissions: First Time Freshman Profile, 2025-26)
- Check chances: https://educationguide.com/chances?school=virginia-commonwealth-university

## Majors (58 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $84,338 | $118,521 | $19,050 |
| Computer Engineering | $82,964 | $118,273 | $23,813 |
| Electrical Engineering | $77,938 | $107,487 | $24,000 |
| Chemical Engineering | $79,721 | $97,781 | $27,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $73,355 | $88,410 | $22,235 |
| Information Science / Studies | $62,116 | $87,219 | $24,364 |
| Nursing | $71,847 | $86,661 | $26,250 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $54,133 | $86,295 | $24,000 |
| Medical Laboratory Science | $67,072 | $80,344 | $24,589 |
| Accounting | $56,876 | $78,631 | $24,350 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | $72,808 | $78,231 | $25,924 |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | $66,750 | $77,786 | $26,992 |
| Physics | $39,804 | $77,737 | $25,250 |
| Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other | $45,696 | $72,239 | $21,500 |
| Marketing | $41,767 | $68,622 | $21,500 |
| Mathematics | $43,784 | $68,457 | $27,000 |
| Business | $51,669 | $68,387 | $23,750 |
| Chemistry | $38,571 | $67,439 | $21,872 |
| Philosophy | $26,192 | $64,402 | $21,500 |
| Business Economics | $45,370 | $64,164 | $21,500 |
| Political Science | $34,080 | $62,182 | $21,376 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | $36,709 | $61,395 | $26,975 |
| Security / Homeland Security | $37,501 | $61,026 | $26,000 |
| Real Estate | $47,681 | $60,718 | not reported |
| Communications | $35,808 | $59,968 | $24,000 |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | $34,677 | $59,442 | $26,901 |
| Criminal Justice | $38,495 | $58,792 | $23,250 |
| Biology | $31,149 | $58,420 | $21,712 |
| Urban Studies / Affairs | $33,626 | $58,084 | $26,416 |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $49,111 | $55,855 | $25,125 |
| Social Work | $34,088 | $55,288 | $25,000 |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | $25,872 | $53,575 | $25,937 |
| History | $29,794 | $53,186 | $23,750 |
| Sociology | $32,781 | $53,122 | $26,285 |
| Psychology | $29,462 | $51,440 | $23,199 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $32,038 | $50,217 | $23,500 |
| Anthropology | $22,732 | $49,641 | $13,996 |
| Area Studies | $35,557 | $45,852 | $23,500 |
| English | $27,005 | $45,844 | $22,750 |
| Linguistics | $30,635 | $45,607 | $26,000 |
| Theatre | $22,447 | $43,957 | $21,875 |
| Studio Art | $21,916 | $43,690 | $23,374 |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | $29,607 | $42,233 | $26,000 |
| Music | $28,989 | $38,278 | $27,000 |
| Film and Photography | $23,109 | $37,958 | $26,000 |
| Crafts / Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry | $21,237 | $37,253 | $19,500 |
| Special Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | not reported | not reported | $18,500 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Visual and Performing Arts | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Dance | $20,397 | not reported | $27,000 |
| Health Administration | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Business Administration | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Finance | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Business → Management analyst: median wage $95,660 (Richmond, VA), $117,580 (VA), $101,860 (U.S.)
- Communications → Public relations specialist: median wage $75,730 (Richmond, VA), $80,380 (VA), $74,750 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).