Virginia Commonwealth University
#801
QS Rank
79%
Acceptance rate
4%
Intl. students
$41,127
Tuition/yr
32,000
Enrollment
About Virginia Commonwealth University
Public research university in Richmond, Virginia. Strong engineering, business, and health sciences.
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university located in Richmond, Virginia, founded in 1968. It enrolls approximately 29,000 students across two adjacent downtown campuses, Monroe Park and the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), and holds Carnegie R1 status for very high research activity, generating over $550 million in sponsored research in FY 2025.
VCU is nationally recognized for its arts and health science programs. Its graduate fine arts program is ranked 2nd in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, and it holds the top position among public research universities for visual and performing arts. On the health sciences side, programs in nurse anesthesia (8th), health care management (8th), rehabilitation counseling (3rd), occupational therapy (15th), and pharmacy (20th) all rank in the U.S. top 25. The university offers more than 140 graduate and professional degree programs, over 20 of which are in the U.S. News top 50.
VCU's two campuses sit in central Richmond, a mid-sized city with a growing healthcare and technology sector. The MCV Campus houses one of the largest academic medical centers in the United States, giving health science students direct clinical exposure. Approximately 1,180 international students from 137 countries are enrolled, representing about 4% of total enrollment.
World University Rankings
Campus & Location
VA
Suburban
Optional Practical Training (OPT)
All graduates qualify for 12-month OPT. STEM-designated programs (CS, Engineering, Data Science, Mathematics, Sciences) qualify for 24-month STEM OPT extension — 36 months total work authorisation.
For Nepali students
- VCU's nationally ranked programs in nursing, health care management, and pharmacy align directly with the fields most commonly pursued by Nepali students in the United States, offering a credible pathway into the U.S. healthcare workforce.
- International first-year applicants are automatically considered for out-of-state academic scholarships of $10,000–$15,000 per year (renewable for four years) based on GPA, which meaningfully offsets the approximately $41,000 annual out-of-state tuition and fees.
- F-1 graduates from STEM-designated programs at VCU are eligible for up to 36 months of OPT work authorization in the United States, giving students in eligible fields a substantial window to gain professional experience and pursue longer-term immigration options.
- Richmond's cost of living is lower than Washington D.C. or New York, and the city's proximity to the D.C. metro area expands internship and job prospects, a practical advantage for Nepali students managing tight budgets while building U.S. work experience.
Admission requirements — Nepali equivalents
A rough translation of the published minimums for Nepali applicants:
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