The University

Virginia Commonwealth University is an urban, public institution located on 99 acres spread over two campuses of almost equal size - the Academic Campus situated in the Fan District, a restored residential section of turn-of-the-century townhouses, and the MCV Campus located two miles east in the financial, governmental and shopping areas of downtown Richmond.

VCU boasts a diverse student body of over 30,000 undergraduate, graduate and health professions students with the largest enrollment of black students among the historically white universities in Virginia. It has one of the largest evening colleges in the United States, and the University's level of funded research places it among the top 75 colleges and universities in the country attracting research grants. VCU's Medical College of Virginia Hospitals is the fourth largest teaching health care complex in the U.S. In addition to training in its teaching hospitals, VCU offers 158 degree programs through one college and 12 schools. Degrees include 60 baccalaureate, 67 master's, 3 first-professional and 28 doctoral programs.

The University has two libraries, the James Branch Cabell Library on the Academic Campus and the Tompkins-McCaw Library on the MCV campus. Technology Services at Virginia Commonwealth University supports research computing. More information regarding Technology Services resources can be found at www.at.vcu.edu/research/index.html 

Each campus has a gymnasium with a weight room and facilities for basketball. The MCV Campus also has facilities for swimming, indoor tennis, racquetball, squash and aerobic exercises. The Academic Campus features badminton, volleyball, swimming and team handball as well as classes in aerobic exercises and horseback riding.