Students participate in a dance performance at night under a wall lit with an artistic word cloud of words that fit with the uncommon experience VCU provides: Unafraid, unlimited, understanding, unequaled, uncommon, unexpected, unstoppable and unconventional.

March 17, 2023

What makes VCU uncommon? We’re glad you asked

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By Mary Kate Brogan
School of Pharmacy

About 5 ways VCU is uncommon: In this series, we explore how VCU students learn, grow and challenge the status quo at one of the nation’s premier urban universities.

Virginia Commonwealth University is an uncommon place. A university with a reputation for innovation and a mission centered on student success located in the heart of Virginia’s capital city, VCU is a place to be yourself and embrace the true you.

It’s a premier urban public university — the nation’s only urban university recognized for being a Diversity Champion, having very high research activity with a special focus on community engagement and ranking among the top 50 public research institutions and top 30 most innovative public universities. The real-world experiences we offer in the heart of Virginia’s capital city translate to you getting on the career path you want while becoming part of a community that embraces the real you.

VCU is the only urban university to be named:

INSIGHT Into Diversity - Diversity Champion - 2022 badge
a Diversity Champion by INSIGHT Into Diversity
R1 Carnegie Classification - Very High Research Activity badge
one of 64 public R1 universities with the Carnegie Classification's community engagement designation
U.S. News and World Report - Best Colleges - National Universities - Public - 2022-2023 badge
a top 30 most innovative public university
National Science Foundation badge
a top 50 public research institution

U.S. News and World Report ranks VCU in the top 20% in the world among Best Global Universities.

Here, students’ success comes first: In a survey of May 2022 graduates, 90% of respondents who reported securing a job within six months of graduation said their job was related to their career goals and were satisfied with their outcome after graduation.

In a survey of May 2022 graduates:

78%
reported they were employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation
90%
of those said their job was related to their career goals
90%
were satisfied with their outcome after graduation

At VCU, you’re ready to succeed in the world because, here, you’re already in it. Find the community that lifts you up in a place where you can be uniquely yourself and challenge the status quo in a thriving urban community full of vibrant arts and culture. We’re unlike any university you’ve ever seen, and together we’re unstoppable.

This 5 Ways VCU is Uncommon series will take a deep dive into what makes VCU different, and along the way we hope you’ll get to know VCU the place and VCU the community. These are the facets that give VCU its personality and its heart and make it a place to study, live and work unlike any other.

Read the next installment about the innovations and excellence you’ll find at VCU that you can’t find anywhere else.