Virginia State University: Statistics

Updated:

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Position Category
#2421 of 14,131 In the World
#681 of 2,597 In North America
#622 of 2,496 In the United States
#19 of 63 In Virginia
#1071 of 1,114 For Military science
Subject rankings

Quick Review

Acceptance rate
89%
Average SAT
955
Average ACT
17
Aid receiving
92%
Undergraduates
5,124
Graduates
481
Male:Female Ratio
40:60
Control
Public
Highest Degree
Doctor's degree
Website
www.vsu.edu

Virginia State University Acceptance rate and admissions statistics

Virginia State University has an acceptance rate of 89% and is among the 39% of the easiest universities to gain admission to in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.

Total Men Women
Acceptance Rate 89% 86% 90%
Applicants 11,775 4,033 7,733
Admissions 10,436 3,453 6,974
Freshmen enrolled full time 1,482 612 870
Freshmen enrolled part time 7 1 6

131 students enrolled in some distance education courses.

190 enrolled exclusively in distance education.

SAT scores

Among admitted applicants
154 or 10%
submitted SAT

25% of them
had 840
or below

75% of them
had 1070
or below

Typical SAT scores of first-years in Virginia State University are 840-1070 (middle 50% range).

ACT scores

Among admitted applicants
17 or 1%
submitted ACT

25% of them
had 14
or below

75% of them
had 20
or below

Typical ACT scores of first-years in Virginia State University are 14-20 (middle 50% range).

Admissions requirements

Recommendations Required
Secondary school GPA Required
Secondary school record Required
TOEFL Required
College-preparatory program Considered but not required
SAT/ACT Considered but not required
Secondary school rank Considered but not required
Formal demonstration of competencies Neither required nor recommended
Other Tests Neither required nor recommended

Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity

Black or African American 4669 (83%)
Hispanic 342 (6%)
Two or more races 289 (5%)
White 112 (2%)
Race or Ethnicity unknown 105 (2%)
Nonresident Alien 60 (1%)
Asian 16 (0.3%)
American Indian or Alaska Native 7 (0.1%)

Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees

The final cost of attendance varies for each student based on household income, residency, program, and other factors.

Average aid awarded
$12,447
Students receiving aid
92%

Tuition and fees

UndergraduatesGraduates
Tuition in-district $5,701$8,876
Tuition in-state $5,701$8,876
Tuition out-of-state $17,532$19,742
Fee in-district $4,342$4,342
Fee in-state $4,342$4,342
Fee out-of-state $5,118$5,118

Room and board costs

Dormitory capacity 3,800
Combined charge for room and board $13,355
Room charge $7,698
Meal charge $5,657

Virginia State University majors

Virginia State University has granted 632 bachelor's degrees across 32 programs, 84 master's across 13 programs, and 19 doctorate degrees across 2 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at Virginia State University.

Major Bachelor Master Doctoral
Psychology, General 71 2
Criminal Justice & Safety Studies 56
Business Administration and Management, General 52
Biology & Biological Sciences, General 46 2
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching 47
Mass Communication & Media Studies 45
Educational Leadership and Administration, General 16 17
Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 30 2
Computer Science 24 7
Agriculture, General 25
Political Science and Government, General 24
Social Work 20 3
Sociology, General 21
Management Information Systems, General 17
Marketing & Marketing Management, General 17
Industrial Technology & Technician 16
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies & Technicians, Other 16
Sport and Fitness Administration & Management 16
Accounting 15
Family and Consumer Economics and Related Services, Other 13
Hospitality Administration & Management, General 13
Counselor Education & School Counseling and Guidance Services 12
Business & Managerial Economics 3 8
History, General 10
Computer Engineering, General 9
Mathematics, General 5 4
Visual and Performing Arts, General 8
Music Performance, General 7
English Language and Literature, General 6
Curriculum and Instruction 5
Electrical & Electronic Engineering Technologies & Technicians, Other 5
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication, Other 4
Chemistry, General 3
Corrections and Criminal Justice, Other 3
Manufacturing Engineering 3
Health & Medical Psychology 2
Registered Nursing & Registered Nurse 2
Special Education and Teaching, General 2
Junior High & Intermediate & Middle School Education and Teaching 1
Grand Total 632 84 19

Virginia State University has a graduation rate of 39%, which is among the 21% lowest for universities in the US.

Total Men Women
Graduation rate 39% 34% 43%
  • Full-time retention rate - 69%
  • Part-time retention rate - 25%

Publications & Citations

Virginia State University has published 2,354 scientific papers with 43,978 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Biology, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Environmental Science, Engineering, Chemistry, Computer Science, Physics, Medicine, Political Science, and Ecology.

Publications
2,354
Citations
43,978

Publication / Citation count by topic

Biology
1,250 / 29,222
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
1,124 / 16,515
Environmental Science
1,073 / 22,362
Engineering
1,054 / 19,034
Chemistry
998 / 26,770
Computer Science
980 / 19,928
Physics
868 / 17,110
Medicine
738 / 13,506
Political Science
637 / 9,329
Ecology
616 / 13,562
Law
593 / 9,097
Psychology
585 / 15,449
Quantum and Particle physics
553 / 12,307
Biochemistry
534 / 17,181
Business
513 / 10,447
Geography and Cartography
507 / 8,050
Mathematics
506 / 8,299
Philosophy
502 / 8,481
Sociology
498 / 8,790
Genetics
496 / 14,034
Organic Chemistry
475 / 13,321
Botany
469 / 11,893
Geology
452 / 9,540
Materials Science
414 / 9,189
Agricultural Science
393 / 9,404
History
362 / 5,271
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
339 / 6,691
Economics
332 / 5,069
Paleontology
315 / 6,831
Statistics
311 / 5,920
Horticulture
309 / 8,669
Archaeology
284 / 4,979
Linguistics
255 / 3,884
Mechanical Engineering
253 / 2,658
Social Psychology
250 / 7,967
Art & Design
235 / 3,345
Nutrition and Food Science
234 / 6,378
Pathology
227 / 4,352
Management
221 / 5,168
Machine Learning
206 / 4,077

Annual publication & citation counts

Year Publications Citations
1993 15 182
1994 17 228
1995 18 241
1996 19 206
1997 31 219
1998 16 236
1999 27 221
2000 37 338
2001 18 345
2002 34 435
2003 41 458
2004 50 418
2005 44 529
2006 58 606
2007 88 621
2008 79 745
2009 97 791
2010 66 975
2011 113 1179
2012 93 1357
2013 72 1507
2014 75 1744
2015 92 1811
2016 70 1881
2017 66 2085
2018 71 2312
2019 84 2509
2020 118 2909
2021 82 3089
2022 94 3052
2023 111 3136
2024 113 2953
2025 64 2774
Academic rankings

Virginia State University alumni

  1. 2 Chainz

    2 Chainz
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1977-.. (age 49)
    Occupations
    actorbusinesspersonrapperactivistbasketball player
    Biography

    Tauheed Epps, known professionally as 2 Chainz, is an American rapper, songwriter, and actor. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip-hop duo Playaz Circle, alongside hometown rapper Earl "Dolla Boy" Conyers. The duo signed with fellow Georgia-based rapper Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace label and became best known for their 2007 debut single "Duffle Bag Boy" (featuring Lil Wayne).

  2. James Avery

    James Avery
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1945-2013 (aged 68)
    Occupations
    actorpoetscreenwriterfilm actorvoice actor
    Biography

    James La Rue Avery was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Philip Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Judge Michael Conover on L.A. Law, Steve Yeager in The Brady Bunch Movie, and Dr. Crippen on The Closer (2005–2007); and as the voice actor for Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Haroud Hazi Bin in Aladdin.

  3. Wale

    Wale
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1984-.. (age 42)
    Occupations
    singersongwriterrapper
    Biography

    Olubowale Victor Akintimehin listen, known professionally as Wale, is an American rapper. He first became known for his 2006 song "Dig Dug (Shake It)", which became popular in his hometown of Germantown, Maryland and led Wale to gain further local recognition as he amassed a number of follow-up releases. He signed a recording contract with English DJ-producer Mark Ronson's Allido Records in 2007, which, after a three-label bidding war, entered a joint venture with Interscope Records for US$1.3 million the following year. During this time, Wale's mixtapes and singles saw numerous attention as he appeared on MTV and various Black America-focused magazines.

  4. Lucy McBath

    Lucy McBath
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1960-.. (age 66)
    Enrolled in Virginia State University
    In 1982 graduated with bachelor's degree in political science
    Occupations
    flight attendantpolitician
    Biography

    Lucia Kay McBath is an American politician who has served in the United States House of Representatives from a district in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, since 2019. She represented Georgia's 6th congressional district from 2019 to 2023 and since 2025, and represented the neighboring 7th district from 2023 to 2025. McBath is a member of the Democratic Party.

All 37 notable alumni

General info

Alternative names VSU
Founded 1882
Motto Dream, Explore, Succeed
Colors blue, orange
Academic calendar August to May (August - December; January-May)
Total FTE staff 955
Carnegie classification Master's Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs

Location and contacts

Address 1 Hayden Drive
Petersburg, Virginia, 23806
United States
City population 33,000
Phone 8045245000

Virginia State University in social media