An introduction to the University of Virginia

An overview of admission, academics & studies

Founded in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia, by Thomas Jefferson, The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university. It is the flagship University of Virginia and is home to the Academical Village. Founded by three of America’s Founding Fathers, the university is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The University is a well-known public research university with nationally rated schools and programs, a varied and outstanding faculty, a major academic medical center, and a strong heritage as a famous research university. The University’s community and culture are enhanced by active student self-government, a sustained commitment to the arts, and a strong NCAA Division I athletics program.

History

Three U.S. presidents served on the original governing Board of Visitors- Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. The latter was the President of the United States at the time of its establishment. The university’s first two rectors were Presidents Jefferson and Madison.

The university has eight undergraduate and three professional schools on its historic 1,135-acre central campus: the School of Law, the Darden School of Business, and the School of Medicine.

University of Virginia scholars have made major contributions to the advancement of numerous academic areas, including economics, law, literary art, visual art, and the sciences. Regarding research, the university has been a member of the Association of American Universities for 118 years. The journal ‘Science’ named two faculty members as having made two of the top ten global scientific breakthroughs in a year.

The Cavaliers are the university’s athletic team. They lead the Atlantic Coast Conference in men’s and women’s NCAA Championships

The University of Virginia and Stanford University won the Capital One Cup in 2015 and 2019. They received this honor for having the nation’s best athletics programs for men’s and women’s sports in those years.

Numerous US Presidents, heads of state, Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, Rhodes Scholars, Marshall Scholars, and Fulbright Scholars have been among UVA alumni, faculty, and researchers. The university has educated 30 governors of different states and many senators and congress members. The university has produced several Rhodes Scholars.

Campus

The UVA campus, known locally as the Grounds, straddles the city of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. The university owns 562 acres north of campus at North Fork and 2,913 acres southeast of the city at Morven Farm.

The University of Virginia gets praise for its distinctive Jeffersonian architecture. The University of Virginia’s design, according to The New York Times in January 1895, ‘was incomparably the most ambitious and monumental architectural project conceived in this century.’

The American Institute of Architects called it ‘the proudest achievement of American architecture in the past 200 years’ in the United States Bicentennial issue of their AIA Journal.

The Academical Village is a World Heritage Site, as is Jefferson’s home at Monticello, which he himself designed. UNESCO designated it as the world’s first collegiate architecture and culture World Heritage Site in 1987.

The Rotunda was the original library at the University of Virginia. Thomas Jefferson was heavily involved in selecting items that comprised the library’s original collection, along with developing the system that would organize them.

The University of Virginia Library System now has a dozen libraries and a collection of over 5 million books. Founded in 1992, its Electronic Text Center has made 70,000 books and 350,000 images available online. These e-texts are free to use and received 37,000 daily hits in 2002. (compared to 6,000 daily visitors to the physical libraries).

The Alderman Library has the world’s largest Tibetan collection and ten floors of book ‘stacks’ of varying ages and historical value. The Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library houses a collection of American literature and two copies of the Declaration of Independence’s original printing.

The University of Virginia offers on-campus accommodation to registered students. First-year students can choose between designated traditional residential halls like Alderman Road and McCormick Road, which provide hall-style lodging, and suite-style housing. UVA students of all years can attend one of three residential colleges.

Courses

Academic courses at the University of Virginia vary depending on the level. There are approximately 76 courses at the undergraduate level, with four minors available at the graduate level. UVA offers 69 Master’s and 55 doctoral courses, and eight certificate courses. Arts & Sciences, Data Science, Business, Education & Human Development, Business, Leadership & Public Policy, Engineering & Applied Science, Commerce, Law, Medicine, Architecture, and Nursing are among the 11 colleges and one UVA college.

Common graduate programs

Areas of study in the University of Virginia

• Liberal arts and sciences/liberal studies
• Economics
• Management sciences and quantitative methods
• Biology/biological sciences
• Psychology
• Computer and information sciences
• International relations and affairs
• English language and literature
• History
• Registered nursing

Certificate programs at the University of Virginia

Areas of study

• Accounting
• Criminal justice/police science
• Business administration, management, and operations
• Information technology
• Human resources management/personnel administration

Rankings of the University of Virginia

The University of Virginia is home to the Medical Center, which has 671 beds and was named the #1 Hospital in Virginia by Newsweek in 2022.

According to US News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2023, the University of Virginia ranks third among public universities in the United States.

As per the US News & World Report – National University Ranking, UVA is ranked #25 for 2022.

According to THE (Times Higher Education) – University Ranking for 2022, UVA is ranked #127.

For 2022, the University of Virginia was ranked #286 in the world by QS.

Alumni of the University of Virginia

Some notable University of Virginia alumni include

• Edgar Allan Poe, an American writer
• Robert F. Kennedy, a US Senator
• Sarah Drew, a notable American actress
• Francis Sellers Collins, a physician-geneticist who led the Human Genome Project, and many more.

Key takeaways

• The University of Virginia is famous for nationally ranked schools and programs. It has a diverse and distinguished faculty, a major academic medical center, and a proud history as a renowned research university.
• The UVA campus is called the Grounds by the locals, and it straddles the city of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. The 562 acres north of campus at North Fork is the university-owned land, and it lies 2,913 acres southeast of the city at Morven Farm.
• University of Virginia’s academic courses vary in number depending on the level. The university provides approximately 76 courses at the undergraduate level, with four minors available at the graduate level.

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FAQs

Q1. What GPA do you need to get into UVA?

Ans- The average SAT score of the students applying for admission to the UVA college is 1350 to 1500, and an average GPA of 4.0.

Q2. What is the acceptance rate for the UVA?

Ans- The acceptance rate for the UVA is 22.6%.

Q3. Is Data Science a major at UVA?

Ans- The University of Virginia’s School of Data Science now offers residential and online M.S. in Data Science programs.