VCU Acceptance Rate and How to Get in Easily

VCU is one of the top public universities for both research and fine arts. Here’s the VCU acceptance rate of this prestigious university. 

With many graduate programs in 19 fields and being among the best 50 nationally, students are provided with access to stellar opportunities, both in and out of the classroom all thanks to the university’s dominance in arts and sciences. 

So, here’s what you are getting to know from this comprehensive article. The Virginia Commonwealth University and its history, campus, VCU acceptance rate and how to get in easily, GPA and SAT requirements, and a lot’s more.

About VCU

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university founded in 1838 in Richmond, Virginia. First established as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, hence the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, MCV and Richmond Professional Institute, founded in 1917, were merged together, by the Virginia General Assembly, to create Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2018, VCU’s 11 schools and three colleges offered 217 degrees and certificate programs to more than 31,000 students. The university’s health care education, research, and patient care mission are supported by the VCU Health System.

VCU is classified among “R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity with a $310 million in sponsored research funding in the 2019  fiscal year. Many university-approved centers and institutes of excellence, including faculty from multiple disciplines in the public policy, humanities, biotechnology, and health care discoveries, aids the university’s research mission.  U.S. News & World Report ranks twenty-eight graduate and first-professional programs among the best in the country.  The VCU Rams, VCU’s athletic teams, compete in Division I of the NCAA and are also members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Ginter House, now used by the school’s provost, is one of the VCU campus’s historic buildings. 

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History

VCU was established in 1838 when the Medical Department of Hampden-Sydney College opened in Richmond. In 1844, it moved into the Egyptian Building, which is its first permanent home. In 1854, the Medical Department of Hampden–Sydney College became the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) after receiving an independent charter from the Virginia General Assembly. A few years after 1860, MCV becomes a state institution in exchange for $30,000 and conveyed all its property to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

After surviving the American civil war, MCV moved to the forefront of clinical treatment with the introduction of the thermometer, syringe, vaginal speculum, cystoscope, and local anesthesia in 1874. Before the introduction of anesthesia, surgery was performed with chloroform in patient rooms. The surgery could be performed only in the winter months and not during the summer months because cholera, typhoid, and diphtheria made the population too weak to sustain an operation. Also in 1874, doctors used the binocular microscope and discovered for the first time that inflammation and blood cells were required for healing. This resulted in them abandoning the centuries-old practice of blood-letting.

The initiation of surgical antisepsis was the most significant event of the following 25 years. Operating rooms being sprayed with carbolic acid is a practice introduced 14 years earlier by Lister in England, but because of the notion that the pure country air of Virginia was an antiseptic itself, its adoption was delayed in Virginia. In 1893, Hunter Holmes McGuire established the University College of Medicine, three blocks away from MCV. In 1912, McGuire Hall was officially opened as the new home of the University College of Medicine. The following year, George Ben Johnston and Stuart McGuire helped the MCV and UCM merge together. As a result of the merger, MCV acquired the Memorial Hospital.

Richmond Professional Institute started in 1917 as the Richmond School of Social Work and Public Health. In 1925, it was the Richmond division of The College of William & Mary, and the Richmond Professional Institute of The College of William & Mary” (RPI) in 1939. In 1947, the MCV Foundation was incorporated, and RPI separated from William & Mary to become an independent state institution in 1962. Then in 1968, MCV and RPI were merged by Wayne Commission Report to become Virginia Commonwealth University.

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Expansion

Warren W. Brandt was the first president of VCU. During his tenure, Virginia Commonwealth University offered 32-degree programs, and the School of Community Services and the School of Allied Health Professions were established. On both campuses, more than $20 million of new construction was completed or initiated. This includes the School of Business building, James Branch Cabell Library, Rhoads Hall, the Larrick Student Center, and a large addition to Sanger Hall.

In the 1980s, a major overhaul of the university’s governance system and administrative structure was initiated by VCU President Edmund Ackell. Dr. Ackell led the administration in a new set of faculty tenure and promotion guidelines; creating a new system for both short-range and long-range university planning; and supporting the use of the university’s research and educational resources to meet social needs, establishing faculty convocation and establishing greater access to the community. In 1990, Eugene Trani became the president of VCU. During his tenure VCU became one of the largest universities in Virginia, having an increased enrollment of 21,764 in 1990 to 32,284 when he retired. VCU was the state’s first university to accept more than 30,000 students. Dr. Trani’s helped VCU and the VCU Health System undertake more than $2.2 billion in capital construction and renovation projects. 

In 2013, a $62 million federal grant was awarded to VCU to oversee a national research consortium of hospitals, universities, and clinics to learn what happens to service members and veterans who suffer concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries.

In 2010, VCU was also given a $20 million National Institutes of Health grant to join a nationwide consortium of research institutions working to turn laboratory discoveries into treatments for patients. VCU became the only academic health center in Virginia to join the prestigious CTSA through the Clinical and Translational Science Award made network. In 2011, The Carnegie Foundation ranked Virginia Commonwealth University as a”Very High Research Activity,” with over 255 million in sponsored research. 

In 2009, Michael Rao became the fifth president of VCU. In 2018, the adjunct faculty held a series of protests at VCU, over low pay and no benefits. Prior to the 2018-19 budget, $4.2 million was given to VCU to increase adjunct faculty funding from $800 to $1,000 per credit hour.

In 2022, VCU received a $104 million gift to support a new Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health. 

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Campus

Virginia Commonwealth University operates two main campuses in Richmond, Va.: the MCV Campus in the urban center A and the Monroe Park Campus, located west of downtown Richmond. Additionally, there are also branch campuses in Doha, Education City, Qatar, along with numerous regional facilities.

Monroe Park Campus

Monroe Park Campus took its name in June 2004  and was named after the city park (see Monroe Park), the 90.6-acre, replacing the former name, the Academic Campus of VCU. The Monroe Park Campus is where you will find most of VCU’s general education facilities, and is located on the eastern end of the Fan district, a 19th-century neighborhood. Before the merger of the Medical College of Virginia and the Richmond Professional Institute, the campus was the home to the entire Richmond Professional Institute. Today, the campus has modern and vintage buildings, and over 40 of those structures were built before 1900.

MCV Campus

The 52.3-acre MCV Campus is where the VCU Medical Center is located. This includes the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Allied Health, Nursing, and the medical center, which the VCU Health System Authority oversees. The campus is also home to the Children’s Hospital of Richmond and the Massey Cancer Center (an NCI-designated Cancer Center) and VCU. The MCV Campus is a primary part of Richmond in the old Court End district neighborhood located adjacent to the city’s business and financial district close to the state capitol. VCU’s Health Sciences school is made up of the School of Allied Health Professions, the School of Dentistry, the School of Medicine, the School of Pharmacy, and the School of Nursing. 

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VCU Acceptance Rate and How to get in Easily

Admission Requirements

You should consider a lot of things that shouldn’t be missed in your college application when it comes to the Virginia Commonwealth University requirements. The important requirement is:

  • GPA requirements
  • SAT and ACT requirements, and/or testing requirements
  • Application requirements

Keep reading to know the admission requirements based on the VCU acceptance rate. 

The acceptance rate tells you how competitive the university is and the requirements to be met.

VCU Acceptance Rate

VCU’s acceptance rate is 77.1%. That means out of every 100 applicants, 77 students are admitted.

The school is lightly in its admission process. Yet, you must meet the requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores so as to stand a better chance of getting into VCU if you exceed these requirements. Anything less than the minimum GPA and SAT/ACT scores will slim down your chance of getting an admission letter.

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VCU GPA Requirements

Despite the fact that there are minimum GPA requirements specified by many schools, GPA requirements are just the minimum scores you’re expected to submit along with your application so as not to get rejected immediately. 

The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need to stand a real chance of getting in. Below is Virginia Commonwealth University’s average GPA for its current students. 

GPA

VCU’s average GPA requirement is 3.65

If you get a GPA of 3.65, you are expected to be the best in your high school class. You’ll need a mixture of A’s and B’s in all your subjects. If you have a lower GPA, you can use courses like AP or IB classes which are quite hard to make up and help boost your weighted GPA and show you can take college classes.

However, your GPA will be hard to change in time for college applications if you’re currently a junior or senior. A GPA of less than 3.65 will require a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate.

SAT and ACT Requirements

Different schools implement different requirements for standardizing tests. The majority of the schools require the SAT or ACT, while others also require SAT subject tests. 

Before you submit an application to Virginia Commonwealth University, it’s either you take the SAT or ACT test. You must perform well in the test to have a strong application.

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VCU SAT Requirements

Despite the fact that most schools don’t have an official cutoff SAT score, there is actually a hidden SAT requirement based on the school’s average score.

The average SAT score composite is 1165 on the 1600 SAT scale. Therefore, Virginia Commonwealth University is Competitive in SAT test scores.

VCU’s New SAT 25th percentile score is 1070, and the New SAT 75th percentile score is 1260. Getting a 1070 New SAT score puts you below average, while a 1260 will put you above average.

Below is a breakdown of new SAT scores by section:

SectionAverage25th Percentile75th Percentile
Math570520620
Reading + Writing595550640
Composite116510701260

VCU Requirements

Just like for the SAT, based on the VCU acceptance rate, there’s no known hard ACT cutoff mark. However, if your score is low, you won’t stand a chance of being admitted into the university.

Virginia Commonwealth University’s average ACT score is 25. This score makes VCU moderately competitive in terms of ACT scores.

The ACT score 25th percentile is 21, while the ACT score 75th percentile is 28.

VCU has no minimum ACT requirement, but if your ACT score is 21 or below, you won’t stand a chance of getting in, unless your application is very unique.

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Therefore, if your ACT score is currently less than 21, you should prepare for the ACT test and retake it. You will have a  higher chance of getting in if you are able to raise your score.

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Conclusion

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university first established as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, before being merged together in 1917 by the Virginia General Assembly. VCU comprises 11 schools and three colleges offering 217 degrees and certificate programs to more than 31,000 students. The university’s health care education, research, and patient care mission are supported by the VCU Health System.

VCU’s acceptance rate is 77.1%. That means out of every 100 applicants, 77 students are admitted. Though the school is light in its admission process. Yet, you must meet the requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores so as to stand a better chance of getting into VCU if you exceed these requirements.

VCU’s average GPA requirement is 3.65. If you get a GPA of 3.65, you are expected to be the best in your high school class. You’ll need a mixture of A’s and B’s in all your subjects. The average SAT score composite is 1165 on the 1600 SAT scale. VCU’s New SAT 25th percentile score is 1070, and the New SAT 75th percentile score is 1260. Getting a 1070 New SAT score puts you below average, while a 1260 will put you above average.

FAQs on VCU Acceptance Rate and How to get in Easily

1. What GPA do you need for VCU?

VCU’s average GPA requirement is 3.65
If you get a GPA of 3.65, you are expected to be the best in your high school class. You’ll need a mixture of A’s and B’s in all your subjects. If you have a lower GPA, you can use courses like AP or IB classes which are quite hard to make up and help boost your weighted GPA and show you can take college classes.
However, your GPA will be hard to change in time for college applications if you’re currently a junior or senior. A GPA of less than 3.65 will require a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate.

2. Is VCU easy to get into?

VCU’s acceptance rate is 77.1%. That means out of every 100 applicants, 77 students are admitted. Therefore, VCU is easy to get into. The school is lightly in its admission process. Yet, you must meet the requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores so as to stand a better chance of getting into VCU if you exceed these requirements. Anything less than the minimum GPA and SAT/ACT scores will slim down your chance of getting an admission letter.

3. What is the lowest GPA VCU will accept?

The lowest GPA VCU will accept is a 71 on the ACT or 1090 on the SAT. Your GPA should be at least 3.65. If you get a GPA of 3.65, you are expected to be the best in your high school class. You’ll need a mixture of A’s and B’s in all your subjects

4. How prestigious is Virginia Commonwealth University?

VCU offers one of the best graduate programs in 19 fields. VCU is dominant in arts and sciences and is consistently known as one of the top public universities for both fine arts and research. students get access to stellar opportunities, both in and out of the classroom.

5. Is VCU a Tier 1 school?

Based on the 2012 US News & Report, VCU is classified as a Tier 1 University. It holds a rank of No. 94 among all public colleges and universities in the country and an overall National University rank of No. 170. In 2018, VCU’s 11 schools and three colleges offered 217 degrees and certificate programs to more than 31,000 students. The university’s health care education, research, and patient care mission are supported by the VCU Health System

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