VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY I-12

1 Hayden St.
Petersburg, VA 23806-0001
Tel: (804)524-5000
Free: 800-871-7611
Admissions: (804)524-5902
Fax: (804)524-5055
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site: http://www.vsu.edu/

Description:

State-supported, comprehensive, coed. Part of State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Awards bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees and post-master's certificates. Founded 1882. Setting: 236-acre suburban campus with easy access to Richmond. Endowment: $9.1 million. Research spending 2003-04: $3.4 million. Educational spending 2003-04: $5660 per student. Total enrollment: 4,859. Faculty: 317 (214 full-time, 103 part-time). Student-undergrad faculty ratio is 18:1. 4,696 applied, 64% were admitted. 4% from top 10% of their high school class, 19% from top quarter, 59% from top half. Full-time: 3,879 students, 59% women, 41% men. Part-time: 294 students, 54% women, 46% men. Students come from 35 states and territories, 35% from out-of-state, 0.2% Native American, 1% Hispanic, 96% black, 0.3% Asian American or Pacific Islander, 0% international, 10% 25 or older, 58% live on campus, 5% transferred in. Retention: 71% of full-time freshmen returned the following year. Academic areas with the most degrees conferred: business/marketing; social sciences and history; education. Core. Calendar: semesters. Services for LD students, advanced placement, self-designed majors, honors program, independent study, double major, summer session for credit, part-time degree program, adult/continuing education programs, co-op programs and internships, graduate courses open to undergrads. ROTC: Army.

Entrance Requirements:

Options: Common Application, electronic application. Required: high school transcript, minimum 2.2 high school GPA, 2 recommendations, SAT or ACT. Entrance: minimally difficult. Application deadline: 5/1. Notification: continuous.

Costs Per Year:

Application fee: $25. State resident tuition: $2150 full-time, $151 per credit part-time. Nonresident tuition: $9010 full-time, $382 per credit part-time. Mandatory fees: $2452 full-time. College room and board: $6260. College room only: $3637. Room and board charges vary according to housing facility.

Collegiate Environment:

Orientation program. Drama-theater group, choral group, marching band, student-run newspaper. Social organizations: 44 open to all; national fraternities, national sororities, local fraternities, local sororities; 10% of eligible men and 10% of eligible women are members. Most popular organizations: NAACP, Betterment of Brothers/Sisters, Student Government Association, dormitory cabinets, pre-alumni associations. Major annual events: Homecoming, Spring Fling, Commencement. Student services: health clinic, personal-psychological counseling. Campus security: 24-hour emergency response devices and patrols, late night transport-escort service. 2,530 college housing spaces available; 2,418 were occupied in 2003-04. Freshmen given priority for college housing. On-campus residence required in freshman year. Options: coed, men-only, women-only housing available. Johnston Memorial Library with 284,213 books, 740,888 microform titles, 2,381 serials, 26,492 audiovisual materials, an OPAC, and a Web page. Operations spending 2003-04: $3.3 million. 750 computers available on campus for general student use. A campuswide network can be accessed from student residence rooms and from off campus. Staffed computer lab on campus.

Community Environment:

The immediate environs of the university offer an exciting atmosphere involving a variety of interesting sites and events for leisure-time activities. The Petersburg National Battlefield and Old Blandford Church are historical landmarks that are recognized in the National Historical Register. Other popular attractions include museums, art exhibits, parks, the Petersburg Symphony, and theatrical groups. The close proximity of Virginia's capital, Richmond, 25 minutes north, enhances the "VSU experience." Colonial Williamsburg and nearby Busch Gardens; Norfolk, home of one of America's busiest seaports; Virginia Beach, the top tourist attraction in the state; and the Blue Ridge Mountains are within easy driving distance.