Address: PO Box 400224, 22904 Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Law, Business (Darden), Liberal Arts and Sciences
Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and the state chartered it in 1819. Classes began in 1825, and Jefferson designed the Academical Village at its centre, a U-shaped composition of pavilions, student rooms and gardens dominated by the Rotunda, which he modelled on the Pantheon in Rome. A fire in 1895 nearly destroyed the Rotunda, and it was later restored.
That ensemble forms the university part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Beyond the historic grounds, the university is a public institution whose largest unit is the College of Arts and Sciences. Other schools include the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the McIntire School of Commerce, the Darden School of Business, and schools of law, medicine, nursing, architecture and education.
The University of Virginia also has an affiliated college at Wise, in Wise, Virginia. Information on degrees, tuition and applications is available on virginia.edu, and the individual schools publish their own programme requirements and deadlines.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Engineering, Life Sciences, Project Management, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Founded and designed by Thomas Jefferson. Historic campus is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Strong programs in law, business (Darden School), and medicine. Member of AAU.
Research:
A leading public research university with strengths in law, business, medical research, humanities, and social sciences.
Famous Alumnis:
Edgar Allan Poe (attended briefly), Woodrow Wilson (Law School, also JHU), Tina Fey, Katie Couric, Ralph Sampson
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
7000
Current students***:
27000
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
250000
Pros
Historic and beautiful campus, strong academic reputation across many fields, excellent law and business schools, public ivy.
Cons
Can have a traditional or preppy campus culture, Charlottesville is a smaller city, competitive admissions.
Best For
Students seeking a prestigious public university education with strong programs in law, business, liberal arts, or medicine, often valuing history, tradition, and academic excellence.
In Canada, Queen's University offers engineering, business and health sciences at a public campus.
South Korea's Seoul National University is public and combines humanities, social sciences, medicine and engineering.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Who founded the University of Virginia, and when?
Thomas Jefferson founded it, and the state chartered it in 1819. Teaching started in 1825.
What is the Academical Village?
It is Jefferson's own design for the heart of the campus, with the Rotunda at one end and rows of pavilions, student rooms and gardens. UNESCO describes it as having a unique U-shaped plan.
Is the campus a World Heritage site?
Yes, UNESCO lists Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville as one site. The university element is Jefferson's Academical Village.
What happened to the Rotunda in 1895?
A fire nearly destroyed it that year. It was afterwards restored, and a Jeffersonian interior was recreated in the 1970s.
Which schools make up the university?
The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest, joined by engineering, commerce, business, law, medicine, nursing, architecture and education. Darden School of Business and the law and medical schools are graduate and professional units.
Where is the affiliated college at Wise?
It is a college affiliated with the university and located in Wise, Virginia. It operates alongside the Charlottesville campus.
How can applicants check fees and deadlines?
The official site virginia.edu links to admissions, financial aid and each school's pages. Costs and deadlines differ by programme and residency.
Architecture, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Business Process Reengineering (BPR), Design Thinking, Innovation, User experience (UX)
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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