Consumer Information

Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to providing students and their families with financial data and information on student outcomes to help them make informed decisions about their education options.

The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA) requires that postsecondary institutions participating in federal student aid programs disclose information from various administrative areas to students. The information disclosed on the subpages of the Consumer Information section of this website is intended to support VCU's compliance with federal law. The federal Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, requires that institutions of higher education disclose certain consumer information to current, prospective students, current employees and/or prospective employees. Visit the HEOA website for more information. Paper copies of all of the information listed on the Consumer Information website are available upon request.

Virginia state law also requires certain student information to be available on public universities' websites. The information listed below is provided in accordance with section 23.1-409 of the Code of Virginia entitled "Transparency in higher education information.

Average annual percentage increase in undergraduate base tuition

Academic Year	In-State	% Change	Out-of-State	% Change
2021-22	12,094	0.0%	32,742	0.0%
2020-21	12,094	0.0%	32,742	0.0%
2019-20	12,094	0.0%	32,742	0.0%
2018-19	12,094	6.6%	32,742	6.6%
2017-18	11,340	4.6%	30,712	4.5%
2016-17	10,846	2.5%	29,378	2.5%
2015-16	10,586	3.6%	28,652	3.5%
2014-15	10,223	3.5%	27,672	3.5%
2013-14*	8,174/9,877	4.0%/25.7%	22,126/26,736	4.0%/25.7%
2012-13	7,860	4.4%	21,275	4.4%
2011-12	7,532	9.4%	20,388	4.0%
2010-11	6,885	32.8%	19,604	6.5%
2009-10	5,185	5.3%	18,409	4.0%
2008-09	4,924	9.9%	17,701	5.0%
2007-08	4,482	6.0%	16,858	6.0%
2006-07	4,227	6.5%	15,904	0.0%
2005-06	3,969		15,904

*The 25.7% tuition increase represents VCU's switch to a new, credit hour-based tuition model for new undergraduate students. The increase for continuing students was 4%. All students will be on the credit hour model as of the 2019-20 academic year. Percent increase for 2014-15 and 2015-16 is the same for students on both models, the tuition rates for those years represent the new credit hour model at 15 credits a semester.

Average annual percentage increase in undergraduate student fees

Academic Year	In-State	% Change	Out-of-State	% Change
2005-06	1,416		1,536
2006-07	1,592	12.4%	1,712	11.5%
2007-08	1,714	7.7%	1,882	9.9%
2008-09	1,855	8.2%	2,023	7.5%
2009-10	1,932	4.2%	2,340	15.7%
2010-11	1,932	0.0%	2,345	0.2%
2011-12	1,985	2.7%	2,561	9.2%
2012-13	2,025	2.0%	2,637	3.0%
2013-14*	2,125	4.9%	2,737	3.8%
2014-15	2,175	2.4%	2,787	1.8%
2015-16	2,186	0.5%	2,811	0.9%
2016-17	2,284	4.5%	2,909	3.5%
2017-18	2,284	0.0%	2,944	1.2%
2018-19	2,396	4.9%	3,056	3.8%
2019-20	2,502	4.4%	3,162	8.8%
2020-21	2,616	4.6%	3,306	4.6%
2021-22	2,934	12.2%	3,624	9.6%

Total fees include the university fee, technology fee, student health fee, student activity fee, capital outlay fee (non-residents only), and the library fee (started in academic year 2014-15). 2021-22 fees increase due to combining technology and online fees into one student fee.

Six-year undergraduate graduation rates

Entering class	Original count	Graduated in 6 years or less
Fall 2015	3,984	67.4%
Fall 2014	3,522	66.1%
Fall 2013	3,513	67.2%
Fall 2012	3,535	67.1%
Fall 2011	3,714	62.6%
Fall 2010	3,530	61.9%
Fall 2009	3,590	62.1%
Fall 2008	3,645	59.2%
Fall 2007	3,807	56.8%
Fall 2006	3,497	57.0%
Fall 2005	3,477	53.9%
Fall 2004	3,314	51.1%

Note: Graduation Rates are based on IPEDS reporting and do not include "VCU Qatar" - a non-U.S. territory.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics.

Freshman-to-sophomore retention rate for full-time undergraduate students

Entering class	Original count	Retained 1 year
Fall 2020	3,707	83.8%
Fall 2019	4,372	83.1%
Fall 2018	4,517	83.0%
Fall 2017	4,117	84.5%
Fall 2016	4,139	82.8%
Fall 2015	3,983	86.3%
Fall 2014	3,522	85.7%
Fall 2013	3,513	86.3%
Fall 2012	3,535	86.6%
Fall 2011	3,714	85.2%
Fall 2010	3,530	85.7%
Fall 2009	3,590	85.3%
Fall 2008	3,645	83.4%

Note: Retention Rates are based on IPEDS reporting and do not include "VCU Qatar" - a non-U.S. territory.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics.

Comparison of VCU to other VA public institutions of higher education

1. The middle 50 percent test score range of first-time undergraduate students whose ACT or SAT scores were in the 25th to 75th percentile of the scores of enrolled students:

Statistic	VCU	GMU	ODU	UVA	VT	W&M
SAT Reading/Writing	540-640	560-650	490-600	660-740	590-680	660-740
SAT Math	520-610	540-650	470-570	660-770	580-690	640-750
ACT Composite	21-28	24-30	18-25	30-34	25-31	30-34
ACT English	21-30	23-32	16-24	32-35	24-32	31-35
ACT Math	19-26	23-26	17-24	28-34	24-30	27-35
Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), SAT and ACT Test Scores

2. The percentage of the students who applied for and were offered first-time undergraduate admission

Statistic	VCU	GMU	ODU	UVA	VT	W&M
Percentage Offered Admission	91%	89%	95%	23%	66%	42%
Number of Applications	17,253	21,198	13,651	40,879	30,771	14,201
Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Number of applications, admissions, and enrollees

3. The average and net annual total tuition and fees and room and board for a full-time undergraduate student living on campus

Statistic	VCU	GMU	ODU	UVA	VT	W&M
In-state	$34,108	$30,669	$28,088	$36,314	$28,634	$40,624
Out-of-state	$55,446	$54,129	$40,248	$70,696	$48,317	$63,850
Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Tuition and Fees: 2006-07 to current year

4. Average undergraduate student educational debt

Statistic	VCU	GMU	ODU	UVA	VT	W&M
2020-2021 Graduate Debt	$31,262	$28,463	$30,613	$25,579	$30,995	$25,355
Source: State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) EOM 01: Debt Profile: Student Loans 5 Years, 2016-17 to 2020-21, Four-Year Bachelor's Degree

5. The first year to second year retention rates for full-time undergraduate students

Statistic	VCU	GMU	ODU	UVA	VT	W&M
Fall 2019 Cohort Retention (returning Fall 2020)	83%	86%	76%	97%	93%	93%
Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Retention Rates

6. The four-year, five-year, and six-year undergraduate graduation rates

Statistic for Fall 2015 Cohort	VCU	GMU	ODU	UVA	VT	W&M
Four-year (Graduate by Spring 2019)	48.0%	47.8%	24.5%	87.1%	67.0%	86.4%
Five-year (Graduate by Spring 2020)	62.9%	64.0%	42.4%	91.1%	83.3%	90.4%
Six-year (Graduate by Spring 2021)	67.0%	68.7%	46.4%	92.1%	85.8%	90.8%
Source: State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), GRS10: Graduation Rates of Virginia Traditional Four-Year Institutions, Fall 2015 Cohort

7. The percentage of students who received a Federal Pell Grant

Statistic	VCU	GMU	ODU	UVA	VT	W&M
Percent Received PELL	32.4%	33.7%	38.4%	14.9%	17.9%	16.8%
Source: State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), FA09: Pell Grant Report, 2020-2021

8-9. The median wages of undergraduate alumni by years since graduation

Statistic	VCU	GMU	ODU	UVA	VT	W&M
5 years ('14-'15 graduates)	$51,716	$63,800	$50,353	$67,466	$67,395	$58,070
20 years ('99-'00 graduates)	$67,733	$99,605	$72.747	$105,341	$98,114	$95,453
Source: State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), Program Wage and Outcomes by Institution, 2020 Calendar Year

Postsecondary education and employment data:
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia reports post-completion data for each public and private nonprofit higher education institution eligible to participate in the Tuition Assistance Grant Program.
Institutional budget summary:
The University Controller's Office publishes annual University financial statements, which are audited by the Auditor of Public Accounts for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Use of Student Fees

For assistance accessing information related to our programs, please contact the Office of Institutional Research and Decision Support at irds@vcu.edu