VCU news

By Mike Porter

Virginia Commonwealth University’s incoming freshman class will begin to arrive on campus this weekend and move into student residence halls as the university launches its annual Welcome Week schedule of activities.

VCU will enroll an estimated 31,600 students this fall. This year’s freshman class is expected to be approximately 3,600 students.

Freshmen will move in on Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 8:30 a.m. each day. Traffic congestion is expected in the areas near VCU’s student residence halls on both Saturday and Sunday and nearby street parking will be blocked.

Reuban Rodriguez, Ed.D., associate vice provost and dean of student affairs at VCU, will be available for media interviews about move-in days and the opening of the academic year from 10 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17, in front of Brandt Hall, at the corner of Laurel and Franklin streets.

About 86 percent of VCU’s freshman class is from Virginia, including 37 percent from Northern Virginia. Approximately 20 percent of the class is from the Richmond area, including the City of Richmond and Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico counties. Minority students represent 46 percent of the freshman class.

The university has 1,550 international students, representing 110 different countries, including particularly large contingents from Saudi Arabia, India and China. VCU will enroll about 2,100 transfer students, which includes about 1,500 students from the Virginia Community College System.