The University of Virginia is also featured in our ranking The Top 10 Online Business Degree Programs and Business Schools.
University of Virginia Business Programs
The University of Virginia offers many renowned business programs through its Darden School of Business. The school was established in 1955, and has become a notable entity in the world of business. There are 11 dual courses offered from an MS in Analytical Science and Executive Education program to MBA and Ph.D. programs. Additionally, the Darden School of Business offers select programs online.
Students in the school of business will be required to cover 10 core business related courses, including Accounting for Managers and Financial Management and Policies. Along with the core curriculum, students choose from over 100 related electives, including Ethics and Sustainability. Alongside the curricular learning, students have opportunities for lots of hands-on learning experiences with global internship programs, entrepreneurship competitions, and domestic field experiences. The focus of the business school is to equip students with the tools and skills they need to become effective business leaders and make tough decisions that bring a change.
About UVA
The University of Virginia (UVA) is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and was founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819. Jefferson envisioned a school that was different from the typical colleges at the time, and the university became just that. UVA became known as the university to provide ground-breaking interdisciplinary education, combining health and humanities among others. While other colleges offered three to four fields of study, UVA was the first to offer eight distinct fields.
Thomas Jefferson was known to possess an impeccable skill and a good eye for architecture, so the original vision of the structure and design of the university was his prized work. He created the drafts for what became known as the Academical Village, and a neo-classical influence marks his work. This historical landmark consists of the Rotunda (originally serving as a library) and the Lawn (surrounded by housing for students, gardens, and pavilions), and is well-designed and still functional, as according to Jefferson’s vision. Because of the university’s rich historical and cultural background, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization marked the University of Virginia as a World Heritage Site in 1987, a rare honor reserved for the most renowned global sites, such as the Acropolis and the Pyramids of Giza. Among the other World Heritage sites, the university is one of the few that are still used for its intended purposes.
When the university first opened officially in 1825, there were about five professors and a handful of students attending to teach and learn. But by the end of the year, more professors had joined and the student population grew into the hundreds. Today, the historical university covers over 2,000 acres of land with 12 distinguished schools, 16,788 total staff and faculty, and houses approximately 16,000 undergraduate students and 7,000 graduate students.
The University of Virginia is known for its academically stellar students. Of the approximately 22,000 students attending, 89% have been admitted to the university as a student from the top 10% of their graduating class. Similarly, the graduation rate for the university from a four-year program is an impressive 89% for 2013, and a remarkable 94% for graduation from a six-year program in 2011. Many different programs within the university have been recognized and praised by resources for their overall excellence, such as its law school and the affiliated Darden School of Business.
University of Virginia Accreditation
The University of Virginia holds accreditation to award baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The university is also a member of the American Association of Universities for its leading work in research and academics. The U.S. News & World Report ranks it at No. 3 for the best national public university for 2018, while Kiplinger’s Personal Finance puts it at No. 3 for best public college value for 2018.
Additionally, the university’s Darden School of Business is accredited through the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business. The Economist has ranked Darden as No. 1 in educational experience from 2011-2017 consecutively. It was also ranked No. 1 by The Princeton Review for the best faculty in 2017.
University of Virginia Application Requirements
Students applying to the University of Virginia need to fulfill the following requirements for admission:
• Completed application
• Application fee of $70
• High school transcript with a minimum of the following courses:
-English: 4 units
-Mathematics: 4 units
-Science: 2 units
-Foreign Language: 2 units
-Social Studies: 1 unit
Tuition and Financial Aid
The University of Virginia has the lowest cost of attendance for a university in Virginia. Similarly, it has one of the lowest costs when compared to other top-ranking schools in the U.S. Students are admitted to the university based on merit, not financial ability to pay. The university also offers many different forms of financial aid to students and families to cover the rest of tuition and fees. General tuition for first-year students at UVA is as follows:
Virginia Residents: $16, 076 (tuition and fees) + $15,042 (additional costs, like housing, dining, books, travel, personal use) = total $31,508
Out-of-State Residents: $46,604 (tuition and fees) + $15,042 to $16,682 (additional costs, like housing, dining, travel, personal use) = total $62,036 to $63,286
The University of Virginia offers financial aid in the form of scholarships, work-study, grants, and loans. Scholarships and grants are gifts of money that are used towards general tuition and fees, and don’t have to be paid back. Work-study is a program where students work part-time for the university or the nearby community and use their earnings to cover costs. Loans are also offered to students, and are required to be paid back after graduation.
UVA ensures students graduate with as little debt as possible. In 2015, the Affordable Excellence program designed by the Board of Visitors reduced the amount of need-based loans given to students from low-income families from $3,500 a year to $1,000 a year. The maximum loan amount given to other students was also decreased from $7,000 to $4,500 per year. The rest of the cost of attendance and tuition is fulfilled by the aforementioned forms of financial aid. Because of this, students at the University of Virginia have the lowest average amount of student debt in the whole state.