About VCU 

VCU dates to 1838 with the formation of the Medical Department of Hampden-Sydney College, whose mission was to educate physicians in central Virginia. The college was later renamed Medical College of Virginia. In 1968, Richmond Professional Institute merged with the Medical College of Virginia to become what is now known as Virginia Commonwealth University.

Located in downtown Richmond, the state capital of Virginia, VCU enrolls more than 31,000 students in more than 200 degree and certificate programs across its campuses: the downtown Monroe Park and MCV campuses in Richmond; the Rice Rivers Center in Charles City, Virginia; separate campuses in Fairfax, Virginia, and Charlottesville, Virginia, for the School of Pharmacy; and a campus in Doha, Qatar, for the School of the Arts. Learn more about VCU. 

VCU Health includes one college and four health sciences schools, an academic medical center and a Level I trauma center. Additionally, VCU Health is one of two NCI-designated cancer centers in Virginia and the region's only full-service children's hospital. 

VCU’s Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Access

VCU is committed to ensuring an inclusive and welcoming environment for all of its constituents. The University envisions itself as a community that welcomes, encourages, and supports individuals who desire to contribute to and benefit from the institution’s mission to include a community of faculty, students and staff who represent important differences. The VCU community is composed of individuals from different geographical areas, different ethnicities, religious beliefs, values, socioeconomic backgrounds, and points of view. We are dedicated to collaboration, community building, and inclusive practices. At VCU we want you to feel welcomed, be yourself, and be your best.

The concept of diversity is incorporated into every aspect of VCU, to include student life, the curriculum, teaching, programs, staffing, training, research, community services, events and all other areas of the university’s endeavor.