Virginia Commonwealth University Reviews

  • 146 Reviews
  • Richmond (VA)
  • Annual Tuition: $37,786
92% of 146 students said this degree improved their career prospects
96% of 146 students said they would recommend this school to others
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Student & Graduate Reviews

C. T.
  • Reviewed: 5/31/2016
  • Degree: Social Work
"VCU is overpopulated and that makes it very easy to be overlooked or have a persistent problem that is not solved right away. With that being said, it is in the heart of a great city with a range of internship opportunities available."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 5/31/2016
  • Degree: Communications
"VCU is a great university; it's student-focused with excellent professors that truly cared about their students. The Mass Communications program was thorough, practical and challenging."
Brie
  • Reviewed: 5/31/2016
  • Degree: Communications
"I went to a university with an urban, city setting. It was open and "hip." It was filled with lots of different types of people - religiously, culturally, politically, socio economically, ethnically, nationally, etc. The diversity was one of my favorite things about it, because I think it is crucial to be surrounded by people who are not like you. It's challenging and exciting to learn about others and forget about your own bubble in the world. It was also affordable for in-state tuition, which was the main deciding factor for me."
Viktoryia Kalesnikava
  • Reviewed: 2/15/2016
  • Degree: Social Work
"The program is fairly well-designed to promote awareness of the realities of social work occupation. It attempts to span academic performance with practical ability to navigate bureaucratic mazes of government and non-profit institutions."
Megan Kervin
  • Reviewed: 1/8/2016
  • Degree: Social Work
"The VCU School of Social Work does an outstanding job in preparing their students for professional careers beyond the classroom. The required internship is an excellent opportunity to not only gain real world experience, but also to make professional connections and engage with the surrounding communities in a more meaningful way. I think one of the most valuable aspects of the program is how the professors are dedicated to promoting self awareness in addition to educational knowledge. It's a fairly small program, which promotes a tight cohort of students who want to help each other succeed. The only con I have for the program is related to the urban nature of the school, but that is more due to my preference for a central campus rather than an urban institution in the middle of the capital city of Virginia."
Clayton MacLeod
  • Reviewed: 1/4/2016
  • Degree: Environmental Science
"The pros are the program has a set of values that are also held deeply by the Professors and faculty giving you an authentic education experience. It is a small program which I like because everyone knows each other. The Cons are that it is sometimes hard to get in touch with faculty. The small size of the program leads to a small network and lack of resources for dedicated students. Overall Environmental Studies is a great program if you are willing to sacrifice getting into a large competitive program because Environmental Studies offers a non-competitive small program that follows deep rooted values."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 10/26/2015
  • Degree: Environmental Science
"VCU is a great university, and their life sciences division has great professors who are knowledgeable and passionate about their areas of expertise."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 10/13/2015
  • Degree: Political Science
"Pretty easy to walk around campus. The program had good professors when I was there."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 10/5/2015
  • Degree: Social Work
"I really liked the urban feel and Richmond is a great city. VCU has a strong social work program that requires students to have 3 semesters of internships in undergrad and this really helped me when looking for jobs after graduating."
Stephanie WIlson
  • Reviewed: 9/30/2015
  • Degree: Psychology
"Virginia Commonwealth has given me a great education so far. While the graduate program does value research, clinical work, courses and classwork, I am able to maintain a strong work life and social life balance. This is important to me and something that I believe sets VCU apart from other universities. The professors are successful and ambitious, yet very approachable. Overall, there is strong collaborative environment and I am happy to be in this graduate program."
X X
  • Reviewed: 9/30/2015
  • Degree: Psychology
"VCU's graduate Psychology program is competitive and the faculty and administration are very supportive. Richmond is also a great city to do community-based research."
Kathryn Behrhorst
  • Reviewed: 9/30/2015
  • Degree: Psychology
"So far I feel this is a very strong program filled with great people who give their students support and encouragement. I've had some issues with professors and not feeling like I get as much as I would like out of a course but once I brought this to the attention of others, they were very responsive and helpful."
Jaclyn Sadicario
  • Reviewed: 9/30/2015
  • Degree: Psychology
"This school is not only incredibly supportive and compassionate atmosphere that is focused on diversity, it also will be key in my achieving a position after I graduate. I love it here."
Emily
  • Reviewed: 9/23/2015
  • Degree: Communications
"I loved my time at VCU - attending was one of the best decisions I've made. With campus in the middle of the city, students have so many opportunities to get real world experience in the community. I don't think you get the same level of involvement on a private, gated campus."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 9/4/2015
  • Degree: Fine Arts
"There is no experience quite like college. It may not be preparation for the real world, but it certainly develops new habits and ideas and prepares you to be a more self-sufficient decision-maker and critical thinker. It is an important social experience as well. While you may not actually use the degree you earn in the way you think, college is still valuable to all employers, regardless of your major or degree. If you can afford it, you should go."
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 9/1/2015
  • Degree: Engineering
"Witnessed a dramatic shift in the level of education from undergraduate focused to graduate student focused. Quality of education changed dramatically for the worse."
Moni
  • Reviewed: 7/27/2015
  • Degree: Political Science
"One big reason that I chose VCU over other colleges in the area was because of the diversity of its students. The different cultures and traditions of VCU students allowed me to experience new view points and opportunities. There is always something new and exciting going on on the VCU campus; it's hard to not get involved in a club. Due to VCU being in the heart of Richmond, there are countless internship opportunities in almost any field that one can think of. I would highly recommend VCU if you are interested in broadening your mind and experiencing new opportunities, cultures, and food!"
Soumya Narayan
  • Reviewed: 7/2/2015
  • Degree: Liberal Studies
"I attend Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine as a medical student. The graduate program at my school has many unique pros! One of my favorite aspects of my program is the way we apply technology in our classroom to enhance our learning experience along with your use of teams in our classroom. Our lecture rooms do not look like a typical lecture hall. We sit in table groups of 5 people each and work as an interactive team during lectures. This is such a great way of learning because it not only allows us to learn interactively and ask each other questions, but it also helps us develop strong teamwork skills which we will apply as future physicians. We complete assignments together as a team and switch teams throughout the semester. This gives us really great experience in working with many different types of people and experiencing different team dynamics. This is an exciting and innovative way of learning. A con of my graduate program I feel is the lack of accessibility to our school for student's who do not have cars. Our school is located on a hill surrounded by highways. This makes it challenging to walk or bike to school for many students who live at the bottom of the hill and must cross highway entrance and exit ramps to get to school. I hope we can begin to work on this to improve student safety!"
netminnow
  • Reviewed: 4/30/2015
  • Degree: Pre-Medicine
"Virginia Commonwealth University was an underfunded public school at the time I attended. It was just about impossible to receive grants or other funding that one didn't have to pay back, even though I was qualified for these funds. Instructors were not engaged with student body except for 2 instructors over the 18 mos I attended full-time. I've heard it's improved over the last couple of decades but it was culture shock moving from open cosmopolitan DC to Richmond. It was pertinent to remember at all times that Richmond was capital of the Confederacy. Wonder if Tom & Jerry cartoon broadcasts still include exploding cigar to pickaninny transformations as they did the year of Reagan assassination attempt. If you want to go to MCV, definitely pick a different undergraduate school."
Fateema Blackwell
  • Reviewed: 3/3/2015
  • Degree: Communications
"Earning a degree at Virginia Commonwealth University was a great move for me. During my college selection, it was my #1 school. The school is urban, diverse and is surrounded by the city. As a native of Washington, DC that was important for me to enjoy the feel of a city while earning my degree. I loved the diversity each student brought to the classroom. Ideas, mindsets and backgrounds were different which created more opportunity for me to learn about the world. VCU's journalism program is amazing. I received hands on skills shooting and editing video which prepared me for my first job at NBC 4 just a few weeks after graduating. I recommend that once graduating you stay connected with the Alumni Club for support no matter how far after Undergrad you graduate."