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The laws governing domiciliary status - that is, whether a person is considered a legal resident of Virginia - are set by the state legislature. If students wish to be considered legal residents for the purposes of admission and tuition, they must apply for Virginia status by completing the Application for Virginia In-State Educational Privileges, which is a part of our application for admission. For more information, please see the Office of Virginia Status webpage.
Founded in 1842, the Honor System is the University's most cherished institution. Based on the principle that University students will not lie, cheat, or steal, the Honor System helps create and strengthen a school wide community of trust. Led by an Honor Committee of elected representatives from each school of the University, the Honor System is administered entirely by and affords important benefits to students.
Students at the University make a commitment not to lie, cheat or steal within Charlottesville, Albemarle County, or where they represent themselves as University students in order to gain the trust of others. Because they have made this commitment, students are trusted by peers, faculty members, administrators, and community residents alike. Students conduct themselves with integrity and are presumed honorable until proven otherwise.
Students are recruited and trained by the Honor Committee to serve as advisors and to provide counsel. Students investigate Honor allegations, assist and support accused students through the Honor process, and work with accused students in their defense at trial. Honor jury panels are similarly comprised entirely of students. While anyone may initiate Honor proceedings, the process is administered entirely by students.
The vitality of the Honor System depends upon the willingness of students to uphold the high standards set by their peers. When a student is formally accused of an Honor offense following investigation, that student may elect to either (1) leave the University, without requesting a trial (in which case that student will be deemed to have admitted guilt, whether or not such an admission is expressly made), or (2) request an Honor trial. Any student found guilty of an Honor offense, or deemed to have admitted guilt after having left without requesting a trial, will be permanently dismissed from the University. The notation “enrollment discontinued” will be placed on the student’s transcript, without specific reference to the Honor proceedings. In the case of a student found guilty of an Honor offense following graduation, or deemed to have admitted guilt without requesting a trial after graduation, the General Faculty of the University may undertake proceedings to revoke that student’s degree. The rules of the Honor System apply to any person who was a University student at the time an alleged Honor offense was committed, so long as a case is initiated within two years thereafter
Students who enroll at the University benefit from the freedom and security provided by the Honor System; every student must agree to live by and support the spirit of honor. Applicants who are not prepared to embrace this freedom and accept this responsibility should not apply for admission.
This is intended as a brief summary of some important aspects of the University's Honor System. For more information, visit the Honor Committee Web site. If you have further questions, please call the Committee at (434) 924-7602.
The University of Virginia is a member of the Common Application. All candidates are invited to submit their applications online at www.commonapp.org. The admission committee will review complete applications, which include the following materials: the Common Application and U.Va. Supplement to the Common Application, school forms (Secondary School Report, transcript(s), counselor recommendation, teacher recommendation, and Mid-Year Grade Report), official SAT or ACT with writing results, and the application fee or fee waiver.
Each fall we visit dozens of communities across Virginia and around the country. To see whether we'll land near you, visit our on-line travel itinerary. We hope to see you at one or more of these events.
The admission committee may offer admission, deny admission, or defer admission review to the regular decision process.
If you are applying for admission as a first-year student, we require that you take the SAT I or the ACT. We also strongly recommend that you take two SAT II Subject Tests of your choice.
We strongly prefer that you complete all your testing by December of your senior year; but we will accept scores from January for the SAT II tests.
Transfer students should submit SAT or ACT scores also. We do not require SAT II Subject Tests for transfer students.
If you receive a deferral decision, the committee will review your application again during our regular decision review process. Please be sure to submit any new information such as recently completed test results and your midyear grade report form. Deferred students will receive their final admission decisions by April 1.
We don't have a minimum GPA. We don't have a minimum SAT score.
As strange as these answers sound, they're both true. Students are more than the sum of two numbers, no matter how important those two numbers may be. A cumulative GPA, for example, only reveals so much; it says little about the difficulty of a student's course load, or whether a student's grades have improved over time, or the level of grade inflation (or deflation) in a student's school. If we established a firm minimum GPA, a point below which no applicant would have any chance of being admitted, we'd miss a fair number of students who might make U.Va. a better, stronger place.
The same is true for SAT scores. Most people who work in admission at highly selective universities believe that standardized testing is a useful but imprecise instrument, an axe, not a scalpel. Setting an absolute minimum would be asking these tests to do something they weren't designed to do.
Of course, we do use GPAs and SATs. All other things being equal, applicants with good numbers stand a better chance of being admitted; and because our applicant pool is broad and deep, most admitted students have excelled in school and scored well on the SAT (see our Profile for more information). But we don't have set minimums for either, and we try hard to take into account all of the information we see in each application.
Yes. In fact, we offer several honors programs, at both the school and the departmental level.
Both the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Science offer school-wide honors programs. In the College, the Echols Scholars Program enrolls students who have excelled academically and exhibited unusually intellectual curiosity. Echols Scholars enjoy priority registration and exemption from all area requirements such as science, English, and foreign language; they're free to take any academic courses that interest them, and we encourage them to use this freedom to create a stimulating, often interdisciplinary academic program. The College also offers the College Science Scholars program for students dedicated to science research at Virginia. In the School of Engineering, the Rodman Scholars Program is somewhat more traditional. Rodman Scholars enjoy special seminar classes and design projects in the first year, as well as other specially designated courses throughout their undergraduate program. No special application is necessary for either the Echols or the Rodman program; everyone who applies for admission to the College or the School of Engineering is automatically considered.
Almost every department in the College also participates in the departmental "distinguished majors" programs. U.Va. students may apply to these programs, which require the preparation of a fourth-year thesis, after they have completed some work in their major subject. Admission to these programs requires the approval of the department's faculty.
Yes. Undergraduate students in all six schools may study abroad in programs either sponsored or approved by our International Studies Office. Offering both an extensive resource library and a full-time study-abroad advisor, the office works closely with students who wish to spend a summer, a semester, a year, or the January term overseas. The University offers programs all over the world along with the Semester at Sea. We also encourage students to enroll in pre-approved programs offered by other colleges and universities.
Your academic program is very important to us; we need to see you challenging yourself in the classroom. In general, this means that you should take one of the toughest (if not the toughest) academic programs offered by your high school. In other words, if the toughest program normally taken by a college-bound senior at your school consists of four AP or dual-enrollment courses plus another honors-level academic "solid," such a schedule would look good to us if we saw it on your transcript. On the other hand, if the best program for a senior at your school is two honors-level courses plus three academic "solids," that would look good to us, too. Because terrific students come to us from many different kinds of high schools and because, in fact, most students don't have any say-so in where they go to high school, we try to evaluate each applicant's academic program within the context of his or her school.
We fully understand that students' course selection may be affected by circumstances that are beyond their control. Some schools place strict limits on the number of advanced or honors courses that any individual student can take. Other schools have severe scheduling conflicts that keep students from enrolling in courses they might otherwise have sought out. In these cases we still would like to see students taking the strongest courses available to them. And we would like to hear why the schedule turned out as it did; for example, a student might discuss his or her course selection in the "Additional Information" section of the Common Application, or the counselor might explain the circumstances to us on the School and Transcript Report.
In general, students who earn scores of 5, 6, or 7 on the IB Higher Level examinations receive credit and place out of lower-level courses. For admission purposes, we assume that students pursuing a full IB diploma are taking the toughest academic program available to them and that, as we say above, is what the Committee on Admission generally wants to see.
The Undergraduate Record provides specific information about IB credit.
We generally give credit for scores of 4 or 5 on any of the AP exams.
The Undergraduate Record provides specific information about AP credit.
In most cases, yes. If the courses you're taking are offered through an accredited college or university, if they're non-remedial courses for which we have equivalents here at U.Va., and if you earn grades of C or better, you'll at least receive elective credit. But the authority to grant credit rests with the deans of the undergraduate schools, and the schools vary somewhat in how they treat these courses.
After you have been offered admission and you have submit your deposit to secure your place at the university, you should have a complete and official college transcript sent to the registrar in your school or college. At orientation, you can check with your faculty advisor to learn how much credit you have earned. If your advisor does not have an evaluation form in your filer, contact your registrar.
Please note the following important facts about dual enrollment credit:
We welcome applications from home-schooled students, just as we welcome applications from students educated in other, more traditional settings. While we work hard to evaluate the credentials of all our applicants, it is true that the credentials of home-schooled applicants present an unusual challenge, simply because they often lack the contextualizing information that conventional transcripts, grades, ranks in class, and curricula can provide.
While we do not require that home-schooled applicants take any special steps in our admission process, we do recommend that they try as best they can to help us see their academic performance in the clearest possible context. In recent years successful home-schooled applicants have chosen one (and usually several) of the following methods: taking courses in a local college; joining organizations in their community; providing samples of academic projects (e.g., essays, research papers, articles) they have completed; sending multiple recommendations from non-family-members who know them well; taking more SAT II Subject Tests than we encourage of all candidates.
Home-schooled students provide another dimension of experiential diversity to our entering class and we hope to offer admission to home-schooled students every year.
No. While prospective students are invited to visit and speak with members of our admission staff, formal interviews are not a part of our evaluation process.
U.Va. began a financial aid program in April 2004 called Access U.Va. This program funds full grant aid to the lowest income students and places a cap on financial aid loans students receive resulting in more grant aid.
In addition to need-based aid, the University also offers the Jefferson Scholarship to approximately thirty-five entering first-year students each year. The Air Force, Army, and Navy ROTC detachments also can help arrange for non-need-based aid. Exceptionally talented student-athletes may also be offered athletic scholarships; for more information, contact the athletic department.
The Office of Financial Aid offers information on all sources of financial assistance at the University, as well as links to other sources of aid outside the University. You might also try the financial aid estimation form, which demonstrates some of the ways in which schools might calculate students' financial need.
If you enroll as a first-year student, you'll live in one of our on-campus residence halls, since on-campus (U.Va. lingo: "on-Grounds") housing is required of all first-year students. Residence areas for the first year students include the McCormick Road Houses ("Old Dorms"), the Alderman Road Houses ("New Dorms"), Malone House, Weedon House, and the Residential Colleges: Brown College, Hereford College, and the International Residential College. All U.Va. residence halls are coeducational, either by floor or by suite.
Many entering transfer students also live in on-Grounds housing; although such housing isn't guaranteed for transfers, in recent years all entering transfer students who have wanted to live in on-Grounds housing have been able to do so.
After first-year, roughly half of all U.Va. undergraduate students live in on-Grounds housing; for more information, visit the Housing Division.
The University of Virginia is in Charlottesville, a city located on the East Coast of the United States in a region known as the Mid-Atlantic. Known for having four seasons (a long fall and spring, short winter, and hot summer), beautiful scenery, and a friendly, cosmopolitan atmosphere, Charlottesville has been rated by Money magazine as one of the top places to live in the U.S. The city and surrounding area has a population of over 145,000.
Charlottesville has its own airport, train station, and bus station; the airport is located ten miles north of the University, while the train and bus stations are within walking distance. Most international students get to U.Va. from Washington, DC, which is 120 miles northeast of Charlottesville. International students from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East typically fly into Dulles International Airport, which is just south of Washington; from there, they either fly into Charlottesville or drive. Students from Asia typically fly first to the West Coast of the U.S., then on to one of Washington's three airports (Dulles, Reagan National, or BWI). Students visiting from Central and South America often fly into Miami and then into Washington.
Driving from Washington, visitors can take US 29, which intersects with Interstate 64 close to the University Grounds. Hourly parking is available in the Visitors' Parking Garage on Emmet Street. The Office of Admission validates parking for prospective students who park in this garage; please bring your parking ticket to the Office of Admission for validation. The Office of Admission is a short walk from the Central Grounds Visitors’ Parking Garage. From the top floor of the garage, walk across the brick courtyard and up the outside steps to your right and adjacent to Newcomb Hall. At the top of the stairs, follow the sidewalk straight ahead. The building to your left is Peabody Hall, which houses the Office of Admission. There is a blue sign in front of the building. If you have difficulty accessing steps and prefer to take an elevator, please use this alternate route. From the top floor of the Central Grounds Visitors’ Parking Garage, walk across the brick courtyard and through the white double doors of Newcomb Hall. Walk down the hallway in front of you, and turn right into a smaller hallway. Take the elevator (on your right) to the third floor. Leave Newcomb Hall on the third floor and walk to the building located directly behind Newcomb Hall. This is Peabody Hall, which houses the Office of Admission. You can enter through the front door on the opposite side of the building.
The Office of Admission is open each weekday from 8:30 am to 5 pm, except for University holidays. We offer information sessions and tours throughout the year; for up-to-date availability and to make an appointment for your visit, see our schedule of information sessions and tours.
We also encourage any student visiting from abroad to talk with an admission dean. We would welcome the opportunity to get to know you and to help answer any specific questions you might have. Feel free to contact us by e-mail, fax (434-924-3587), or telephone (434-982-3200).
The International Studies Office maintains a list of student ambassadors who are available to answer questions.
International students who enroll at the University of Virginia enjoy many opportunities for interacting with other students from abroad. International students have a special orientation when they arrive, and an international center hosts many events each month. There are also many international student groups (some specific by country or region), so there are multiple opportunities to meet other international students both from your native country as well as from other nations.
No. International applicants fill out the same application for admission as all other prospective students. Many students who are neither citizens nor permanent residents of the U.S. need to fill out one additional form, the Financial Guarantee Form, in order to receive a Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20) which is used to apply for an F-1 visa.
Students whose first language is not English usually must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Students who are bilingual in English and another language and have scored well on the verbal portion of the SAT or have otherwise documented English proficiency may be exempted from the TOEFL.
In an effort to be fair to all applicants, the University of Virginia does not use interviews as part of the admission process. Students applying from abroad are not at any disadvantage.
In general, yes. Any non-Virginian whose parent or step-parent earned a degree from the University of Virginia will be considered in a manner similar to the Virginia population for admission purposes only.
No. We welcome applicants from all states and nations and have no fixed limits on the number of international students or students from a particular country.
By far, the most important part of the selection process is the applicant's academic courses and his or her performance in those courses. The admission committee wants to see that students take a rigorous academic program and excel in that program. While extracurricular activities are an important way of demonstrating an applicant's ability to thrive in and contribute to the University, academics come first.
Unfortunately, the University of Virginia does not offer any need-based financial aid to foreign national students; citizens of the U.S., permanent residents of the U.S., and some other individuals allowed to remain in the U.S. indefinitely are eligible, but most foreign nationals are not. Unless a foreign-national applicant is offered a merit scholarship (see below), he or she must satisfy the requirements of the Financial Guarantee Form before the University will issue any visa document.
The Jefferson Scholarship rewards students for demonstrated excellence and exceptional potential in the areas of leadership, scholarship, and citizenship. The program seeks individuals who excel in a wide range of endeavors and who show promise of becoming tomorrow's leaders; individuals who, in essence, approach the ideals and qualities possessed by Thomas Jefferson.
These scholarships are renewable for four years provided the student remains in an engineering major and maintains at least a 3.0 grade-point average.
Students who do not receive a scholarship for their first year at U.Va. may apply for engineering scholarships for returning students. These awards range in amount from $1000 to $5000 and are awarded to approximately 25-30 returning students.
he University of Virginia does a great deal to promote the safety of its students. There are emergency phones located throughout the campus. These "blue phones" - they have a flashing blue light on top - connect directly to the University police with a press of a button. Unlike most institutions, the University of Virginia has its own professionally trained police force that patrols the campus frequently on motorcycles, cars, bicycles, and by foot. The University police, in conjunction with student council, also drive the SafeRide van, available from the hours of midnight to 6 am to take students anywhere within a one-mile radius of grounds, free of charge. The University bus service is another great resource; it runs throughout Grounds and nearby off-campus areas (including a local shopping center) every ten minutes on weekdays and every 20 minutes at night and on weekends. In addition, U.Va. offers a number of safety programs including a self-defense course.
The Lorna Sundberg International Center offers a variety of programs for U.Va.’s international students, scholars, faculty and families. There are non-credit English classes, basic and advanced English conversation groups, and a book group that learns about American culture through the discussion of works by American authors. International students and scholars participating in the International Speakers Bureau are given the opportunity to give presentations about their countries and cultures to local seniors and school groups.
Many international students participate in the MIX (Mentoring & International eXchange) program, which provides peer mentors for incoming international undergraduate students to help the new students adjust to American life and the University.
The International Studies Office offers several social outings for international students. Past trips to Washington, D.C., Richmond, Luray Caverns, the D.C. Air and Space Museum, Skyline Drive, Natural Bridge, and other Virginia attractions have been offered at little or no cost to the students. Past activities have included the Fundamentals of Football program and tailgate party, soccer games, and the annual International Student Appreciation Barbeque in April. Notices of outings and events are emailed to the international student body throughout the year.
At the University of Virginia, the problem is not finding an organization to get involved with; it's trying to decide which ones to join! There are over 850 student-run organizations on Grounds, and all of them give students the opportunity to meet other students with common interests. We have cultural organizations, sports clubs, academic and service fraternities, religious societies, political groups, and debating societies. And, since all of our organizations are entirely student run, if for some reason you could not find an organization that appealed to you, the University would encourage you to start your own. With U.Va.'s vibrant and active student body, new and different student groups are forming all the time.
In addition to student organizations, the University sponsors many fun events throughout the year. There is always something going on, usually free to students. On weekends, you will find everything from free movies shown outside in the amphitheater, to concerts, guest speakers, and much more. If there is not enough on Grounds to satisfy you, the Charlottesville community has much to offer. The Historic Downtown Mall has movie theaters, shops, restaurants, and even an ice-skating rink. Near Grounds there are also lots of popular sites for hiking and other outdoor sports. There are also two ski resorts located within an hour's drive.
All first-year students are required to live on campus (or on "Grounds," as U.Va. students affectionately call it). Many first years choose to live in either McCormick or Alderman area residence houses, both of which are reserved for entering students. The McCormick Houses are arranged around hallways; each hallway houses 20 to 22 students, with each floor (two hallways) sharing a common bathroom. The Alderman Houses, on the other hand, are arranged in suites; each suite houses eight or nine students and includes five bedrooms, a common room, and a bathroom. Both residence areas share a common dining facility as well as some other basic features. Each room is wired with two Ethernet connections to the Internet and e-mail; each also has a phone line, a connection for cable television, two beds, two desks, and a closet. Both residence areas also have multiple 24-hour computer labs, laundry facilities, and a mailroom.
Although Alderman and McCormick are the most popular places for first years to live, many international students choose to live in one of two of the University's residential colleges, which house undergraduate students of all years, graduate students, and faculty.
For more information about housing at the University, visit the Housing Division.
You can contact any member of the Outreach Office with questions.
The Black Student Admission Council and Latino Student Admission Council, are an integral component of the minority recruitment process. Among other things, these student groups are responsible for answering questions about the African American or Black student experience and Hispanic and Latino student experience at U.Va. Send an email to the Outreach Office with your question using the subject line: "Ask a Student" and you will receive a response from a current U.Va. student.
Our graduation rate and retention rate for African American students is approximately 87%. We have the highest African American graduation rate in the country for a public university. This number is also higher than five of the eight Ivy League institutions. The Hispanic/Latino graduation rate is 90%, one of the highest in the country.
In addition to attending college fairs and visiting high schools, the Office of Admission sponsors several annual events geared towards African American and Hispanic/Latino and Latin American students. During either October of November of each year, Fall Fling and Fall Blast are open house events for African American and Hispanic/Latino and Latin American students respectively. Each April, Spring Fling, a program for admitted African American students to help with the final college decision, is hosted at the University.
Yes. U.Va. also began a new financial aid program in April 2004 called Access U.Va. This program funds full grant aid to the lowest income students and places a cap on financial aid loans students receive resulting in more grant aid.
In addition to need-based aid, the University also offers the Jefferson Scholarship to approximately twenty-five entering first-year students each year. The Air Force, Army, and Navy ROTC detachments also can help arrange for non-need-based aid. Exceptionally talented student-athletes may also be offered athletic scholarships; for more information, contact the athletic department.
The Office of Financial Aid offers information on all sources of financial assistance at the University, as well as links to other sources of aid outside the University. You might also try the financial aid estimation form, which demonstrates some of the ways in which schools might calculate students' financial need.
Also, view financial resources for additional scholarships.
The African American student population makes up approximately 9.4% of the total student population, the Asian and Asian Pacific American is 11% and Hispanic/Latino students account for 4.5%. Overall, approximately 30% of the total student population are students from underrepresented groups in higher education.
Minority students are involved in a plethora of extracurricular activities. In addition to the Black Fraternal Council Chapters (currently eight of nine historically Black fraternities and sororities are active) and the Hispanic/Latino American fraternity Lambda Upsilon Lambda and Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, there are almost 500 other student groups at-large in which minority students participate. Many of these organizations are dedicated to the performing arts, including Black Voices Gospel Choir, Mahogany Dance Troupe, and U.Va.'s Jazz Ensemble. Others, like Student Council, the Honor Committee, and the Judiciary Committee are devoted to student self-governance. Moreover there are club sport teams, debate societies, and tons of other organizations for students to choose from. In essence, there is an established organization to satisfy almost any student interest at U.Va. Review the Student Activities Centers web site for a list of all existing organizations, and, if there is a group we don't offer, you can start one!
The University prides itself on helping students make a successful transition from high school. You will begin by your time on Grounds by attending a summer orientation session. These two days will introduce you to the Office of Orientation, the class registration process as well as other essential aspects of life at U.Va. Your faculty advisor and your association dean will help you get off to a strong start academically.
In addition, the University offers a nationally-recognized Peer Advisor Program. The Office of African American Affairs assigns each entering African American student an upperclassman, a "Big Brother" or "Big Sister", to work with throughout the academic year. The pairings are based on academic and extracurricular interests. For example, engineering students are matched with engineering Peer Advisors, architecture with architecture, etc. Peer Advisors meet with students individually and plan group activities to help ease academic and social transitions.
In addition, the Hispanic/Latino Peer Mentoring Program (PMP) matches new U.va. Hispanic/Latino students with upper class Peer Mentors for guidance, support, and access to U.Va. resources.
The Peer Advising and Family Network (PAFN) program is unique in its pan-ethnic and multigenerational approach to addressing the needs of the Asian Pacific American (APA) community. The program is coordinated by the Office of the Dean of Students and the Asian Student Union. Interested first-year students are matched with an upper class undergraduate Peer Advisor. These Peer Advisors are, in turn, connected with a family of graduate students, faculty and staff, all of whom will serve as valuable resources through the years.
At the University of Virginia, we not only envision a community of understanding, tolerance, and respect, but one of celebrating our differences and our similarities. On February 18-19, 2000, the University of Virginia launched a year of self-examination and reflection on the topic of diversity in all aspects of the University's life. In an initiative requested by President John T. Casteen III, the charge was to deepen understanding of the significance of diversity in the context of the University, and to devise a plan of action that would realize and sustain diversity in all University activities. We continue that charge through Envisioning Diversity.
Additionally, the Board of Visitors in April 2003 established The Special Committee on Diversity who has been asked to review diversity initiatives at the University in coordination with the President's Commission on Diversity established by President John T. Casteen, III.
Because of U.Va.'s strong international reputation, minority alumni have limitless opportunities. Many of them work in traditional professions such as medicine or law. In fact, U.Va. graduates enjoy great success in gaining admission to top-tier law schools and medical schools. Many others will venture out into the business field. Minority alumni rank among the top executives in American business. Others venture into fields like media and entertainment (Sean Patrick Thomas, Jason George), professional athletics (Tiki and Ronde Barber), and beyond.
They stay connected to the University after graduation as well. In fact, you will find that our alumni are involved in alumni clubs worldwide as well as on-grounds programming that links current students with them. In fact, many alumni will serve as career mentors for current students. Others will serve as representatives for their companies during on-grounds career fairs.