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Facts on Virginia State University

by Jennifer Kirby

Overview

Facts on Virginia State University

Virginia State University is a public coeducational institution offering 34 undergraduate programs (associate and bachelor's degrees), 13 master's programs, and doctoral programs in education and psychology. It belongs to the NCAA and its athletes compete in the Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The first president of this historically black university, John Mercer Langston, was, until 1992, the only black person elected to the U.S. Congress from Virginia. He is the great-uncle of writer Langston Hughes.
History

Virginia State University was founded on March 6, 1882, as the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute. After a succession of name changes, the Virginia legislature enacted a law in 1979 giving it its current name. In its first academic year, 1883-1884, the school had 126 students and seven faculty members, all of whom were black; a century later, it had a "fully integrated" student body of nearly 5,000 and about 250 full-time faculty members, according to the university's website.

Location

Virginia State University is located in Chesterfield County, Va., across the Appomattox River from the city of Petersburg. It consists of a 236-acre campus with more than 50 buildings, as well as a 416-acre farm. The university is two hours from Washington and 30 minutes from Richmond, Va. It is accessible by interstates 95 and 85, which meet in Petersburg.
Admission

For the 2006-07 academic year, Virginia State University enrolled 4,332 undergraduate students, 94 percent of whom were full-time students; 61 percent were women and 39 percent were men. Of 4,000 applicants that year, 3,143 were admitted and 1,107 enrolled.
Academic Rankings

In U.S. News & World Report's 2009 college rankings, Virginia State University was named the country's No. 1 historically black college or university (HBCU) among master's-level institutions; the fourth-best public HBCU; and the 14th-best HBCU overall (private or public). Overall, the school was ranked 63rd among 119 peer universities in the Southern region for the 2009 report.
Costs and Financial Aid

For the 2006-07 school year, in-state tuition at Virginia State University cost $3,007 annually for full-time students or $181 per semester hour for part-time students. Out-of-state tuition cost $10,079 annually for full-time students or $417 per semester hour for part-time students. Fees for full-time students averaged $2,433 per year, and room and board was $6,884 per year.Expenses vary depending upon a student's course load and which housing facility she lives in. In 2003, the average total financial aid package was $8,225, and the average amount of college debt upon graduation was $19,200.