collageVirginia Commonwealth University, Virginia is one of the oldest institutes in the city of Richmond, Virginia. With an establishment of more than 150 years ago, the University is home to the first organ transplant center in the state.
The University hosts more than 30,000 students annually including more than 1,260 international students from 101 countries. China, India, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are the top four countries contributing to the number of international students at VCU.
With over 200 programs to offer including 68 undergraduate courses, 70 graduate courses, and 46 online certifications the Virginia Commonwealth University has maintained its reputation across the international portal. Apart from these degrees, Doctoral and professional programs are also offered by the university to students who want to study in the USA.
Besides excellent academic support, the University provides the city of Richmond with safety and best-ranked medical facilities. The hospital is the only level 1 trauma center in the city with expertise in adult trauma, pediatric and burns.
Rankings
- The Virginia Commonwealth University has ranked among the top 3 research universities in the state of Virginia
- #391 rank among colleges in the USA according to Times Higher Education.
- VCU also ranks under 650 on a global scale.
- According to US News and World Reports, VCU ranks under top 50 for the Best Graduate School and Online Colleges rankings.
- According to National Institutes of Health, VCU ranks #32 nationally for neuroscience research and #14 for addiction studies research.
Highlights
| Type of University | Public |
| Faculty Members | 2,501 |
| Students Enrolled | 31,076 |
| International Students | 1,260 |
| Student: Faculty | 18: 1 |
| Basic Tuition Fee for International Undergraduate Students | 35,904 USD |
| Average Financial Aid Awarded | 17,153 USD |
| Test scores accepted | TOEFL, IELTS, PTE |
| Official Website | vcu.edu |
Programs/Courses at Virginia Commonwealth University
With over 200 courses to offer, the Virginia Commonwealth University is moving forward with great strides of professionalism. The university offers bachelor’s, master’s, professional and doctoral degrees along with a few certificate programs through its 20 schools.
VCU offers over 60 bachelor programs and 70 graduate programs. With a student:faculty ratio of 18:1, VCU works towards providing quality education to its students through a small class size.
Most popular programs offered at VCU include Business, Psychology, Physical Education and Exercise Science, Nursing, Marketing, Political Science, Mass Communication, Social Work, etc.
VCU Campus
A 173 acres campus to explore, the Virginia Commonwealth University is providing its students with an immense environment to reach out and develop their personality. VCU has the biggest campus in downtown Richmond.
Virginia Commonwealth University has seven branch campuses and satellite locations
- Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center
- VCUarts Qatar
- VCU Health satellite locations
- VCU Rice Rivers Center
- VCU School of Medicine Inova Fairfax Campus
- VCU School of Pharmacy Inova Campus
- VCU School of Pharmacy University of Virginia Division
Accommodation/ Housing Facilities
Freshmen must consider living on the campus for the first academic term to attain maximum exposure and involvement at the University. With over 6,000 students living on-campus, VCU ensures a better living experience for students through its 12 residence halls in the north, central and south campus.https://9cb0f97da271d88d21493a4d6b7aa8c5.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
VCU offers its students traditional, suite or apartment style living. The halls dedicated to freshmen or first-year students include Brandt Hall, Gladding Residence Center III, Honors College, Johnson Hall, Rhoads Hall, Well Grace South and the Gladding Residence Center.
Students can also look for affordable student housing off-campus. There are a number of apartments available near the university campus.
Application Process at VCU
The Virginia Commonwealth University is home to more than 1,200 international scholars. The University welcomes global applications every year but under the due deadline. No applications for admissions at VCU are accepted after the closing of the provided dates.
For 2019, VCU had an enrollment of 23,172 UG students, 5,292 PG students, and 1,639 first professionals.
Application: Students can fill an application form online through Common Application or Freshman Applicants Page.
Application Fee: A non-refundable amount of 70 USD is charged by the University along with filling the application. The payment can be made via credit card. No applications will proceed without paying the above mentioned amount.
Application Deadline: Admissions at Virginia Commonwealth University are open for the Fall and Spring semesters. International must complete their UG applications by June 1 for the Fall semester and October 1 for the Spring semester. Application deadlines for PG programs vary.
Admission Requirements:
- Completed application form
- Academic transcripts from all educational institutions attended which are evaluated by a member of NACES
- English proficiency scores
| Exams | Minimum Required Scores for UG | Minimum Required Scores for PG |
|---|---|---|
| TOEFL | 500(PBT) 80(iBT) | 550(PBT) 80(iBT) |
| IELTS | 6.0 | 6.5 |
| PTE | 53 | 65 |
- Scores of standardized exams to study in the USA
- Financial Certification with the availability of expenses to cover one year of tuition and living while studying at VCU
- Copy of Passport
A PDF file of the supplemental documents can be sent to the office via globalfiles@vcu.edu.
Supplemental materials may also be mailed to:
Virginia Commonwealth University – International Admissions
408 West Franklin Street
Box 843012
Richmond, Virginia 23284-3043
USA
Cost of Attendance
Below mentioned is an estimated cost of Living for the undergraduate scholars:
| Expenses | UG Fee (in USD) | Master’s Fee (in USD) | Doctorate Program Fee (in USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition | 32,742 | 25,956 | 22,212 |
| Fees | 3,162 | 3,128 | 3,128 |
| Living Expenses | 10,823 | 10,823 | 10,823 |
| Books, Insurance, etc. | 2,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 |
| Total | 48,727 | 41,907 | 38,163 |
The fee mentioned above are the estimated expenses that a student needs to incur while studying at VCU. Students can calculate their expenses and cost of living using the official calculator of the University.
Scholarship And Financial Aids
The Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia grants scholarships, loans and other financial aids to its foreign students. This is to ensure an unhindered education through the course completion.
UG Merit-based scholarships are granted only to the Fall semester students pursuing undergraduate programs. Students are required to submit their admission application by November 15.
A few of the scholarships offered to the students at VCU are:
- PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARSHIP:
- Amount Awarded: 16,000 USD per annum
- Renewal scope: Can be renewed for three consecutive academic terms
- Average GPA: 4.58
- PROVOST SCHOLARSHIP:
- Amount Awarded: 16,000 USD per annum
- Renewal scope: Can be received for full four academic terms
- Average GPA: 4.55
- DEAN’s SCHOLARSHIP:
- Amount Awarded: 8,000 USD per annum
- Renewal scope: Can be received for fullfour academic terms
- Average GPA: 4.41
International students can also apply for various outside international scholarships offered by the respective home countries or private organizations.
Alumni Network
With over 193,724 people calling Virginia Commonwealth University as their Alma mater, the relations of the University with its alumni are at par. Such strong bonds not only explain the University’s welcoming approach but the Alumni play a key role during on-campus placements of the students. Let’s take a look at some notable Alumni of VCU:
- David Baldacci- International bestseller
- Devonne Harris (DJ Harris)– Disco-jockey
- Carrie Dolan- Ph.D. Health scholar
Ph.D., master‘s and certificate programs
General requirements for graduate degrees
A degree is earned only after payment of all tuition, fees and other charges to the university and after a student has fulfilled all requirements of the degree program including final submission of a successfully defended and approved dissertation, thesis, or summary of capstone or other final project (if required). Each graduate program in the School of Medicine has specific curricular requirements as described in other sections of the Bulletin.
Expectations for graduate students
All graduate students are expected to:
- Exhibit professional behavior and treat all faculty members, staff and fellow students with honesty, dignity, respect and fairness
- Be fully committed to and give full effort on all aspects of their training
- Work with graduate program directors, counselors and advisers to enroll in appropriate course work for their programs and strive to achieve all training benchmarks
- Register for nine to 15 credits in the fall and spring semesters and at least three credits in the summer session (if required) to be considered full-time
- As required by their programs, identify (with guidance) and work collaboratively with advisers for thesis, dissertation, capstone and other projects
- Maintain satisfactory academic progress
- Reach out for guidance, advice and input from program directors, advisers and others when needed
- Participate when possible in the recruitment of future School of Medicine graduate students
- Follow other guidelines, policies and expectations described in the VCU Bulletin, on the School of Medicine website, in the School of Medicine Professionalism Committee guidelines, on the VCU Student Conduct and Academic Integrity website and in program materials
Advisers for doctoral and master’s students
A permanent adviser is required for students in all Ph.D. programs and for students in master’s programs requiring a thesis. Other master’s programs may also require a permanent adviser. Advisers play key roles in all aspects of graduate student training.
Graduate advisory committees
Graduate advisory committees are required for students in all Ph.D. programs and students in master’s programs requiring a thesis. Graduate advisory committees serve two inter-related roles. One role is to regularly assess each student to ensure they are meeting all training benchmarks. The other role is to guide, advise and support each student to facilitate their efficient progression toward degree completion.
Comprehensive examinations and final defenses
Successful completion of comprehensive examinations and successful defenses of dissertations are required for all Ph.D. degrees. Successful defenses of theses are required for master’s degrees in programs that require them. A student must be making satisfactory academic progress to undertake a comprehensive examination or final defense.
Comprehensive examinations and final defenses are conducted by a student’s graduate advisory committee (or other committee as determined by the program). Comprehensive examinations and final defenses must be scheduled at a time during which all graduate advisory or other committee members are available to participate. If a single committee member cannot participate in a previously scheduled examination or defense, the meeting can occur if approved by the adviser and the graduate program director. If two or more committee members cannot participate in a previously scheduled examination or defense, the meeting must be rescheduled. A student may present and defend their work via video conference with prior approval of their graduate advisory committee and program director, in which case the student is responsible for organizing all aspects of the video conference.
A student must provide their graduate advisory or other committee with a draft of their research proposal, dissertation or thesis at least 10 working days prior to the scheduled comprehensive examination or final defense.
A comprehensive examination has written and oral components that focus on foundational information in the area of the anticipated degree and the proposed dissertation research project.
A final dissertation (Ph.D.) or thesis (master’s) defense requires the student to present their dissertation or thesis research in a public seminar and then defend their dissertation or thesis to their graduate advisory committee. During the defense, the graduate advisory committee will determine if the student has:
- Demonstrated mastery of the general research area
- Demonstrated mastery of the background information for their dissertation or thesis project and their completed studies, including all major analyses and interpretations
- Performed with appropriate technical and other care all experiments required for their dissertation or thesis project
- Constructed a draft of the dissertation or thesis document that appears will be suitable after being revised in response to comments from the graduate advisory committee
Each graduate advisory committee member must vote to pass or fail the student before the comprehensive examination or final defense is adjourned. A student passes the examination or defense if there is no more than one vote of fail. A student fails the examination or defense if there are two or more votes of fail. A student may be allowed to retake an exam per the guidelines of their program and with approval of the School of Medicine Graduate Programs Committee.
A student who has passed their final defense should expect to revise their proposal, thesis or dissertation before receiving final approval from their graduate advisory committee. The student and the graduate advisory committee should identify a specific scope of work and a reasonable timeline for the revisions, and should work collaboratively and expeditiously to complete the revisions.
Admission to candidacy
All doctoral students and students in master’s programs requiring theses must be formally admitted to degree candidacy to continue in the program and complete the degree. Criteria for degree candidacy are determined by the Graduate School.
Individual development plans
All doctoral students are required to formulate an individual development plan prior to their third year of training or by the semester after they pass their comprehensive examinations, whichever comes first. The individual development plan is an explicit statement of the student’s immediate and longer-term career goals, as well as a plan for achieving those goals. Each student should develop their individual development plans with their adviser and – at their discretion – share their individual development plans with their graduate advisory committee and their graduate program. Each student should update their individual development plan at least annually. The format of the individual development plan is governed by a student’s graduate program. Students are welcome to visit the American Association for the Advancement of Science myIDP site as a starting point for developing their individual development plans.
Students in master’s programs are strongly encouraged to formulate individual development plans.
Directed research
All Ph.D. programs and all thesis master’s programs require students to perform directed research under the guidance of an adviser and graduate advisory committee. The student’s directed research efforts address their dissertation (Ph.D.) or thesis (master’s) project. Directed research is a major component of all Ph.D. programs and all master’s programs requiring a thesis. Students complete directed research in addition to didactic course work.
The scope, breadth and direction of the directed research project is established by the student’s adviser, the student and the student’s graduate advisory committee. Importantly, dissertation and thesis projects are original investigations and therefore it is difficult to precisely anticipate their duration or the time required to complete them.
Doctoral dissertations and master’s theses
Students in all Ph.D. programs and all master’s programs requiring a thesis must perform directed research toward construction of dissertations or theses.
The School of Medicine has no specific formatting guidelines for dissertations and theses. Students and advisers should follow the guidelines from the VCU Graduate School. In practice, advisers and students often also review several recently released dissertations or theses from students in the same graduate program (available in Scholars Compass) to familiarize themselves with formatting conventions.
Students must coordinate with their advisers, graduate advisory committees and graduate program guidelines regarding the scope and content of their dissertations and theses. Program guidelines for scope and content of dissertations and theses supersede the guidelines below. If no program guidelines exist, dissertations and theses should at the minimum include the following sections in the indicated order:
- Title page
- Acknowledgements
- Table of contents
- List of tables
- List of figures
- List of abbreviations
- Statement of contributions
- Abstract
- Introduction chapter
- Methods, data or analysis chapter(s) including appropriate figures and tables
- Conclusions chapter
- References cited
Inclusion of short vitae for students or appendices for additional information such as protocols, small projects, etc. is optional.
Students can, with approval from their advisers and graduate advisory committees, modify the above to accommodate unique features of dissertation and thesis research projects.
Virginia Commonwealth University Medical School – Insider Review
If you are interested in getting accepted to Virginia Commonwealth University Medical School, one of the top medical schools in the US, there are a lot of things that will
need to be in your application to make you a competitive applicant. Check out my page on admissions to understand what Virginia Commonwealth University medical school is looking for.
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- Admissions
- About Average for Competitive. As with any of the best medical schools in America, Virginia Commonwealth University medical school admissions are competitive. However, it’s not as competitive as one of the top 10 medical schools or top 20 medical schools. For this an other good medical schools, you will need to have above average MCAT scores and a good GPA to be considered a competitive applicant. There were 6,222 applications for the 200 available seats in 2009.
- Average MCAT: 31 (29.14 on
website for 2009, 9.29 verbal reasoning, 9.69 physical sciences, 10.17 biological sciences) - Average GPA: 3.69 (3.6 on website for 2009)
- Selection Factors. The selection factors for Virginia Commonwealth University medical school are very similar to those of other good medical schools and top medical schools in the US. They look for academic achievement, health care experience, community services, moral behavior, self-confidence, among other things. Click on these links to find out how to make these stand out on your interviews and personal statement.
- Multiple programs available. As other good medical schools do, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical School offers various combined degree programs for those interested. These include
MD/MBA, MD/MPH, and MD/PhD.
- Financial
- Tuition: $29,185 for VA residents/$43,648 for non-VA
- Loans: Federal loans are available as with other US medical schools.
- Scholarships: Similar to other medical schools, need-based scholarships are available with few merit-based scholarships. Click here to learn more about scholarships.
- Cost of Living: The cost of living is very affordable. You can rent a 2 bedroom apartment for around
$700.
Get Accepted to Virginia Commonwealth University Medical School
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Nurse Anesthesia Practice, Doctor of (D.N.A.P.), entry-level
Program accreditation
Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs
Program goal
The mission of the Department of Nurse Anesthesia is to provide learners with the knowledge and skills necessary to work as part of an interprofessional team to serve the public through the delivery of safe, cost-efficient, quality anesthesia services and to develop leaders and scholars who will advance the specialty of nurse anesthesia through research, scholarship and public service. The department achieves this mission by establishing an environment that values excellence, stimulates creativity and recognizes achievement.
The department offers an entry-to-practice option to earn the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice degree. This 36-month, 93-credit-hour B.S. to D.N.A.P. option will include both traditional and hybrid (blended learning) course offerings preparing advanced practice registered nurses with the D.N.A.P. degree while also meeting all requirements for national certification as certified registered nurse anesthetists.
Student learning outcomes
The overall objective of the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice program is to prepare graduates who have acquired knowledge, skills and competencies in patient safety, perianesthetic management, critical thinking and communication to fulfill their professional responsibility as certified nurse anesthetists.
Upon completion of the program, the graduate will:
- Apply physiological, safety and organizational theories to promote patient safety, enhance quality care and improve nurse anesthesia practice
- Analyze and synthesize relevant scientific literature and apply results to improve nurse anesthesia practice and patient care outcomes in a culturally sensitive manner
- Communicate effectively with patients, families, the public and other health professionals
- Develop effective strategies for managing ethical dilemmas inherent in anesthesia patient care and the workplace
- Employ teaching and learning principles for the nurse anesthetist in educating and counseling individuals, families, students-in-training and groups
- Demonstrate leadership skills to meet the challenges of complex health care and educational environments
- Demonstrate nurse anesthesia scholarship through presentations, publications, leadership activities and collaboration with other disciplines
- Utilize technology and information systems to analyze, manage and present data
VCU Graduate Bulletin, VCU Graduate School and general academic policies and regulations for all graduate students in all graduate programs
The VCU Graduate Bulletin website documents the official admission and academic rules and regulations that govern graduate education for all graduate programs at the university. These policies are established by the graduate faculty of the university through their elected representatives to the University Graduate Council.
It is the responsibility of all graduate students, both on- and off-campus, to be familiar with the VCU Graduate Bulletin as well as the Graduate School website and academic regulations in individual school and department publications and on program websites. However, in all cases, the official policies and procedures of the University Graduate Council, as published on the VCU Graduate Bulletin and Graduate School websites, take precedence over individual program policies and guidelines.
Degree candidacy requirements
A graduate student admitted to a program or concentration requiring a final research project, work of art, thesis or dissertation, must qualify for continuing master’s or doctoral status according to the degree candidacy requirements of the student’s graduate program. Admission to degree candidacy, if applicable, is a formal statement by the graduate student’s faculty regarding the student’s academic achievements and the student’s readiness to proceed to the final research phase of the degree program.
Graduate students and program directors should refer to the following degree candidacy policy as published in the VCU Graduate Bulletin for complete information and instructions.
Graduation requirements
As graduate students approach the end of their academic programs and the final semester of matriculation, they must make formal application to graduate. No degrees will be conferred until the application to graduate has been finalized.
Graduate students and program directors should refer to the following graduation requirements as published in the Graduate Bulletin for a complete list of instructions and a graduation checklist.
2021 Tuition, Fees, and Living Costs Analysis
UndergraduateGraduatePer Credit HourEarning After GraduationFor the academic year 2020-2021, the undergraduate tuition & fees at Virginia Commonwealth University is $14,710 for Virginia residents and $36,048 for out-of-state students.The undergraduate 2021-2022 estimated tuition & fees for VCU is $14,825 for Virginia residents and $36,193 for out-of-state students.The 2021 undergraduate tuition has been risen by 0.78% for Virginia residents and increased by 0.40% for out-of-state rates from the previous year.The Living costs increased by 9.96% from the previous year for both on-campus and off-campus stay. Its in-state undergraduate tuition and fees are a little bit higher than the average amount ($12,047) and its out-of-state undergraduate tuition and fees are a little bit higher than the average amount of similar schools’ tuition ($32,257 – Public Research University (very high research activity)).
| Year | In-State | Out-of-State | On Campus Room & Board, Other Expenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-2020 | $14,596 | $35,904 | $15,266 |
| 2020-2021 | $14,710 | $36,048 | $16,787 |
| Change % 2020-2021 | 0.78% | 0.40% | 9.96% |
| 2021-2022 | $14,825 | $36,193 | $18,460 |
How Much is the tuition for 4 years at VCU?
For the students who were admitted in Fall 2021, the estimated tuition for 4 years is $62,566 for Virginia residents and $152,581 for out-of-state students.The estimation excludes the book, supplies, and living costs before receiving any financial aid. See the other tabs for estimating 4-year total costs of attendance and after financial aid. The next table shows the estimated 4-years tuition & fees for the next 5 admission years. The estimation is based on 4-years changes in tuition & fees at the school.
| Residency | Freshmen | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | 4 Years Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class of 2025 (Admission Fall 2021) | In-State | $15,074 | $15,446 | $15,828 | $16,219 | $62,566 |
| Out-of-State | $36,868 | $37,707 | $38,564 | $39,442 | $152,581 | |
| Class of 2026 (Admission Fall 2022) | In-State | $15,446 | $15,828 | $16,219 | $16,620 | $64,112 |
| Out-of-State | $37,707 | $38,564 | $39,442 | $40,339 | $156,051 | |
| Class of 2027 (Admission Fall 2023) | In-State | $15,828 | $16,219 | $16,620 | $17,030 | $65,696 |
| Out-of-State | $38,564 | $39,442 | $40,339 | $41,256 | $159,601 | |
| Class of 2028 (Admission Fall 2024) | In-State | $16,219 | $16,620 | $17,030 | $17,451 | $67,320 |
| Out-of-State | $39,442 | $40,339 | $41,256 | $42,195 | $163,232 | |
| Class of 2029 (Admission Fall 2025) | In-State | $16,620 | $17,030 | $17,451 | $17,882 | $68,983 |
| Out-of-State | $40,339 | $41,256 | $42,195 | $43,155 | $166,945 |
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