University of Virginia
University of Virginia Featured Rankings
- #1 Best Research Universities in Virginia
- #1 Online Master’s in Special Education
- #1 Most Affordable Online PhD of Education Degree Programs
- #1 Best Online Bachelor's in Cybersecurity in Virginia
- #1 Best Grad Schools in Virginia 2022
- #1 Best Colleges in Virginia 2022
- #1 Virginia's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #1 Best Public Colleges in Virginia
- #1 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #3 What Can You Do with a Masters in Early Childhood Special Education?
- #4 The Most Influential Colleges in Soccer Today
- #7 Fastest Online Master's Degrees
- #7 Best Value Colleges
- #8 Best Public Colleges
- #8 The Most Influential Colleges in Tennis Today
- #8 Schools That Offer Free Master's Degrees Online
- #8 Most Affordable Colleges in the U.S. 2022
- #8 Best Public Grad Schools
- #9 Most Influential Colleges in Lacrosse Today
- #10 Free Online Courses for MBA Students
- #10 Free Graduate Courses You Can Take Online
- #12 Nursing Research Universities
- #13 The 20 Best Business Schools for Earning an MBA Ranked for Students
- #14 Business Research Universities
- #19 Biology Research Universities
- #20 Anthropology Research Universities
- #21 Political Science Research Universities
- #21 The Best Traditional MBA Programs
- #21 Best Research Universities for Psychology Majors
- #21 History Research Universities
- #21 Philosophy Research Universities
- #22 Best Undergrad Colleges 2025
- #22 Economics Research Universities
- #23 English Research Universities
- #23 Sociology Research Universities
- #26 Best US Universities 2025
- #26 Best Grad Schools 2025
- #29 The Fastest Traditional MBA Degree Programs
- #34 Best Undergrad Research Universities 2022
- #62 Best Universities World 2025
About University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) was very much the personal project of the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Virginia already had a venerable and distinguished university, the College of William & Mary, which is the second-oldest in the country—founded right after Harvard—and was Jefferson’s own alma mater.
However, in Jefferson’s day, William & Mary continued to require its students to subscribe to the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England, whereas Jefferson had become a deist—not an atheist, but not a Christian, either, and certainly not a friend to the C of E.
Jefferson was a great admirer of the French Revolution, and nothing if not a child of the Enlightenment. Therefore, he wanted his home state of Virginia to benefit from a more modern kind of university that would advance the enlightened and progressive values he held dear.
In 1817, Jefferson met with three of his friends and political colleagues, the newly elected, fifth President of the United States, James Monroe; the outgoing fourth president, James Madison; and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Marshall. At this meeting, they decided on a location for the new university near the town of Charlottesville.
Two years later, UVA received its charter from the Commonwealth of Virginia and construction began, with Jefferson himself serving as the main architect. The new university’s first classes began in 1825.
Two centuries later, UVA has become one of the premier public universities in the Old South. It has been affiliated with nine Nobel Prize laureates, namely,
- Norman Ramsey and Clinton Davisson—physics
- Alfred Gilman, Ferid Murad, & Barry Marshall—physiology or medicine
- Ronald Coase & James M. Buchanan—economics
- William Faulkner—literature
- Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1919
Two UVA undergrads have gone on to win the Turing Award for outstanding achievements in the field of computer science:
- Edward M. Clarke
- John Backus
Other UVA-connected faculty and alumni include:
- Early American poet, pioneer of detective fiction, and virtuoso of the Gothic horror story form, Edgar Allan Poe
- Arctic and Antarctic explorer, Richer E. Byrd
- Painter, Georgia O’Keeffe
- Former US poet laureate, Rita Dove
- Novelist, Edward P. Jones
- Comedienne, Tina Fey
- Political analyst, Larry Sabato
- Reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian
- Television personalities Brit Hume, Laura Ingraham, & Katie Couric
- Civil Rights–activist, Julian Bond
- no fewer than eight NASA astronauts
According to Wikipedia, The University of Virginia is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson. The university is set within the Academical Village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The original governing Board of Visitors included three U.S. presidents: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe, the latter as sitting president of the United States at the time of its foundation. As its first two rectors, Presidents Jefferson and Madison played key roles in the university's foundation, with Jefferson designing both the original courses of study and the university's architecture. Located within its historic 1,135 acre central campus, the university is composed of eight undergraduate and three professional schools: the School of Law, the Darden School of Business, and the School of Medicine.
University of Virginia's Online Degrees
Undergraduate Certificate in Business Essentials
- Required Credits: None Reported
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: None Reported
Undergraduate Certificate in Cybersecurity For Business Leaders
- Required Credits: None Reported
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: None Reported
MT in Master'S Of Teaching
Degree Concentrations
- English As A Second Language
- Special Education
- Required Credits: 30
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: None Reported
Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business
- Required Credits: None Reported
- Completion Time: None Reported
- Format: None Reported
University of Virginia Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
Annual Applications | Acceptance | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
50,926 | 19% | 95% | 1470 | 33 |
How Much Does University of Virginia Cost To Attend?
Tuition (in-state) | Fees (in-state) |
---|---|
$18,059 | $3,366 |
How Much Do University of Virginia Graduates Make?
If you graduate from University of Virginia, then you can expect to earn an average of $79,400 per year. You also have a 92% chance of being employed after 10 years.
University of Virginia's Demographics
Demographic data is for full-time, on-campus students.
Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
---|---|---|
28,973 | 18,888 | 10,085 |
Where is University of Virginia?
University of Virginia is located at 1827 University Avenue, Charlottesville VA 22903-2628
How Safe is University of Virginia?
Charlottesville has a violent crime rate of less than .01% and a property crime rate of less than .01%.
What Is University of Virginia Known For?
University of Virginia is known for it's academic work in the following disciplines:
- Law
- Political Science
- History
- Anthropology
- Philosophy
- Education
- Economics
- Business
- Literature
- Communications
- Psychology
- Criminal Justice
- Medical
- Engineering
- Computer Science
- Sociology
- Biology
- Religious Studies
- Nursing
- Physics
- Mathematics
- Chemistry
University of Virginia's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Who Are University of Virginia's Most Influential Alumni?
University of Virginia's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Law, Criminal Justice, and Business. Here are some of University of Virginia's most famous alumni:
- Edgar Allan Poe
- An American writer and literary critic .
- Ronald Coase
- A British economist and author .
- Robert Mueller
- A Sixth director of the FBI. Robert Mueller is American attorney.
- John Backus
- An American computer scientist.
- William Faulkner
- An American writer .
- Tom Regan
- An American philosopher.
- Georgia O'Keeffe
- An American artist .
- Katie Couric
- An American journalist, presenter, producer, and author.
- Francis Collins
- An American geneticist and director of the National Institutes of Health.
- Anselm Strauss
- An American sociologist .
- Allen Tate
- An American poet, essayist and social commentator.
- Ferid Murad
- An American physician and pharmacologist.
Who Are University of Virginia's Most Influential Faculty?
University of Virginia's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Law, Criminal Justice, and Business. Here are some of University of Virginia's most famous alumni:
- Kermit Roosevelt III
- An American writer and lawyer.
- Michael Wesch
- An American anthropologist.
- Christopher D. Manning
- A Computer scientist.
- Tim Wu
- An American legal scholar.
- Maya Jasanoff
- An American academic.
- W. Bradford Wilcox
- An American sociologist and demographer.
- Kate Jones
- A Chair in Ecology and Biodiversity at University College London and the Zoological Society of London.
- Tomiko Brown-Nagin
- An American legal academic.
- Larycia Hawkins
- An American scholar, author.
- Jasmin Darznik
- An American author.
- Micah Schwartzman
- An American lawyer.
- Deanna M. Church
- An American economist.