Getting To Know: University of Richmond (VA)-Again

Published by Stuart Nachbar at April 3, 2026

The academic breath of this school is impressive.

While classified as a National Liberal Arts College, the University of Richmond (UR) has not only the liberal arts, but also a business school, a leadership institute and a law school—all of which offer courses to undergraduates within various academic programs. That’s more than you will find at liberal arts schools of this size and larger such as Bucknell or Colgate.

Here are some highlights:

UR’s Jepson Leadership program is the only one of its kind, and requires a separate application.
The university offers over 60 possible majors; many are also minors.
There are a very comprehensive business program where students earn a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with one or more concentrations. Poets & Quants for Undergrads recently ranked Richmond’s program within the top 20 (#17) for undergraduate business education. The business school had about the same acceptance rate as the School of Arts & Sciences.

Classes are small here.

Only six of the more than 950 courses taught during the 2023-24 academic year had 30 or more students. UR reports a student-faculty ratio of 7 to 1. This is more believable at a school that does not grant doctoral degrees outside of the law degree than it is a large university. Seventy-two percent of the faculty are full-time according to the university’s most recent Common Data Set.

The University of Richmond is a relatively selective school.

I last visited the University of Richmond in 2017. From 2018 to date, the acceptance rate has dropped from 30 percent to below 25 percent. Most recently, for the Class of 2028 it was 22 percent as reported to US News. The volume of applications rose from just below 12,000 for the Class of 2022 to over 16,000 for the Class of 2028.

The is a “single doorway” school; students are not admitted to the university, not a major. The exception is for Jepson, which takes applications from the freshman class to begin studies in the sophomore year after completing a prerequisite course..

Admissions are test-optional. although the university reported to US News College Compass that scores are considered Important, if they are submitted. The middle 50 percent for the SAT has recently been between 1410 and 1530. However, the majority do not submit scores. Also odd for a smaller school, Demonstrated Interest is Not Considered in the admissions process.

Richmond gets over 80 percent of its class through Early Decision or Early Action. About half of the class is admitted through Early Decision, more likely ED I.

Those who can gain admission to the University of Richmond tend to stay.

Ninety-two percent of the freshmen who entered last year returned for their sophomore year. Most recently, the four-year graduation rate was 78 percent. It has topped 80 percent in prior years. These are excellent results for any college of any size.

Richmond is one of the more supportive colleges when it comes to financial aid .

There are many merit and need-based sources as well as stipends through the Bonner Scholars program, Army ROTC and most prominently, the Richmond Guarantee. Any student, regardless of need or GPA, can apply for the Guarantee to receive a one-time $5,300 stipend to engage in research on campus or accept an internship with an approved employer.

On average, the university meets 100 percent off demonstrated need, requiring the FAFSA as well as the CSS Profile. Just over a third of the 2024 freshman class received need-based scholarships that averaged over $58,000. Just over 10 percent received merit-based scholarships that averaged over $51,000.

Nearly two-thirds of the Class of 2024 graduated with no student loan debt. However, those who borrowed over, on average, just over $32,000. The maximum that they could have borrowed over four years through the Federal Student Loan program was $27,000. Six percent of the class took out private loans; this likely raised the average level of indebtedness in the class.

UR has a unique campus culture with “coordinate colleges”

These are Richmond College for men and Westhampton College for women. The university is a product of their merger in 1971. However, some of the traditions of each college remain. The students who entered in 2018 were the first freshmen to be assigned to halls that are co-ed by alternating floor. Each college has its own student government, unique to any college, except possible Hobart and William Smith in Geneva, New York.

While the community is quite diverse ethnically and geographically and quite accommodating to all views and faiths, prospective students should learn about the traditions that continue on as well as the Greek system. Greek life involves over 40 percent of the women, as well as about 30 percent of the men, although the social organizations do not have their own houses.

But students do not need to participate in Greek life to have a rewarding social experience.

In addition to activities on campus, there are many things to do in Richmond, the capital of Virginia and a city of over 220,000 residents. Richmond has a thriving arts, cultural and culinary scene as well as First Friday festivals each month and ethnic festivals throughout the year. .However, given the college’s location on the suburban outskirts of the city, over three-quarters of the students live on campus.

The University of Richmond is the only school with teams called the Spiders.

The University of Richmond competes in 16 sports. All excluding football are in the Atlantic 10. The football team competes in the Patriot League. This is known as a “basketball school” based on dramatic upsets in the NCAA Tournament during the 1980s and 90s over heavily favored opponents such as Auburn, Indiana, South Carolina and Syracuse. However, the women’s basketball program has been far more successful in recent years, with nine postseason tournament appearances since 2000.

The football Spiders have had successes, too. While members of the Coastal Athletic Association , they won six conference titles, the last coming in 2024. In 2008 they were national champions in the playoff subdivision of NCAA D-1 football. William & Mary has been their traditional rival.

It could also be fair to say that Richmond is a “field hockey school.” The Spiders have won seven Atlantic 10 regular season championships and eight Atlantic 10 tournament championships since 2000 Last season, the Spiders lost to Saint Joseph’s in the A10 Championship.^[

Interesting to me: several of Richmond’s peer schools are also among their Patriot League rivals in football, including Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross. Lafayette and Lehigh. However William & Mary is the most similar school among those that Richmond applicants consider. I had to doubt that sports were a reason to choose Richmond over the other schools in the considered set, unless a student was a recruited athlete.

Conclusion

If you prefer a school where undergraduates are the higher priority and want to be in a diverse and interesting city, the University of Richmond is well worth consideration. This school plays fairer with aid than many and offers a more personal educational experience than most.

Report Card: University of Richmond

Four-Year/Six-Year Graduation Rates: A
Freshman Retention: A
Costs: B+
Curriculum: A
Community: A
Comforts: B+
Connections: A

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