Congratulations

and welcome to VCUarts!

We're thrilled to have you join one of the nation’s top-ranked schools of arts and design. Get ready to dive into a vibrant community of artists, designers, and scholars. Take the next steps by securing your spot, exploring financial aid, and discovering all the opportunities that await you at VCUarts!

What’s next?

Fall 2024
Accepted first-year students, reply to your offer by May 15, 2024,* if you were accepted to the university by April 1. If you were accepted after April 1, respond within two weeks after your acceptance.

Students who have received their financial aid package from VCU should commit to VCU by May 15. For students who were impacted by the FAFSA delay and receive their financial aid award after May 15, VCU will continue to accept enrollment deposits post May 15.

Accepted transfer students, reply to your offer by June 1, 2024.

Visit the VCU Application Portal to complete your VCU response form. After you have completed the form, you may pay your tuition deposit to let us know you’ll be joining us at VCU.

Note: Both your response form and tuition deposit must be received in order for your account to reflect that you have accepted the offer of admission.

If you’re receiving a scholarship or financial aid, you may request a tuition deposit waiver on the response form. Visit your accepted student portal for more information and a link to the form.

*Due to the delay in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, VCU has extended the deadline to accept your offer of admission to May 15.

By logging in to the VCU Application Portal, you will be able to view your admission status, your VCU ID number, entry semester, degree program, residency status and any admission conditions. Review all admission information for accuracy and notify the VCU Office of Admissions of any inaccuracies or questions.

Join us for Preview Day—when you can meet VCUarts faculty, staff and other new students. Learn about VCU resources including Housing, Student Financial Management—and more!

Monday, February 19, 2024 (virtual) 
Saturday, February 24, 2024 (in person)
Saturday, March 23, 2024 (in person)

Event information is available here. Please check your email for details on how to register for these events.

Virtual meetings with your admissions counselor
Our VCUarts Admissions Counselors are available to meet with you one-on-one via phone or Zoom.
Schedule your appointment.

Schedule an in-person tour
Take an in-person tour of VCUarts facilities with one of our student tour guides.
Schedule your tour.

Explore our facilities online
Take a virtual tour of the VCU campus and learn more about the arts facilities, including 360 degree images of our studios.
Take a virtual tour.
Learn about our Community & Campus.

Reach out
Our office is open Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (ET). Email us at arts@vcu.edu or call 804-VCU-ARTS.

If you haven’t already, apply for financial aid by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the March 1 priority filing date. If you filled out the FAFSA, you will receive a letter from VCU Financial Aid with more information about your financial awards.

Scholarships for newly accepted students are automatically awarded to qualifying students based on academic achievement and talent. If you are awarded a scholarship, you will be notified by mail or email. There are additional scholarship opportunities that you can explore once you are a currently enrolled student.

VCU is dedicated to your success and wellness. As a student, you will have access to professionals dedicated to helping you.

Why choose VCUarts?

VCUarts is among the top-ranked schools of arts and design in the country. That means you’ll graduate with credibility as an artist and a professional, with a degree that’s respected in the world of galleries, design and advertising firms, graduate schools, artistic directors and employers. When you graduate, you will join a global network of 25,000 VCUarts alums.

You can find your path through our 16 arts departments and programs—but that’s not all. We capitalize on our place at the heart of a large public research university, meaning you can collaborate and learn with students and faculty from every corner of VCU, from engineering and business to medicine, technology and entrepreneurship.

Richmond is the perfect home for one of the nation’s leading public arts schools. You’ll be steps away from galleries and music venues, Fortune 500 companies and innovative start-ups, acres of parks and whitewater rapids. Plus, Washington, D.C., New York City, the beach and the mountains are all just a hop, skip and a jump away.

Our students regularly work, intern and volunteer with galleries, public parks, Hollywood film crews and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts—one of the largest art museums in the nation—all right here in Richmond. And the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU strengthens the link between VCUarts and the city’s creative cultures by serving as a space for internationally recognized artists, designers, performers and the community to convene.

Studying abroad can change your perspective and influence your creative work. At VCUarts, you can take part in a program led by our faculty, participate in an exchange program with a school in another country, or get a Dean’s International Research Grant to travel to new places and conduct research that matters to you. Our campus in Doha, Qatar, also offers opportunities to study abroad and participate in international conferences.

VCUarts students are from all over the U.S.—and the world—and celebrate diversity in all of its forms. We have staff dedicated to inclusion & equity, and provide resources, counseling, training and events that encourage our faculty, staff and students to explore—and be inspired by—our diverse community.

At VCUarts, our faculty are both teachers and doers. You’ll learn your craft from professors whose creative accomplishments have been seen in Tony Award-winning theater productions, nationally celebrated dance companies, world-class museums and international design competitions. We’re also a beacon for creatives—convening artists, designers and performers from every corner of the world. You’ll learn what it’s like to be a professional artist from conversations with practicing painters, sculptors and musicians, or from talking with pioneering curators and entrepreneurs about the business and culture of their work.

Your classmates will have just as much influence on your creative process. Check out myVCUarts for a candid look at how your future classmates find innovative ways of making, discover new ideas, and work through creative challenges.

You don’t have to take our word for it—our students rave about their decision to come to VCUarts. Watch these videos in which students share their experiences in the classroom, in their studios, in Richmond and beyond.

Tanvia Parulkar, Communications Arts

Tanvi talks about diversity around campus and engaging with students of different backgrounds and the importance of in-progress critiques.

Emma Whitaker, Cinema

Emma talks about how she realized VCUarts was the place for her.

Camryn Carels, Interior Design

Camryn talks about how the caliber of faculty combined with small classroom sizes leads to meaningful relationships and the potential of Richmond as a place to start your career.

Kim Peters, Graphic Design

Kim talks about her process of problem solving through various mediums.

Hajr Avant, Cinema

Hajr talks about the importance of asking questions at the start of your college journey.

Life on Campus

VCUarts’ unique spaces—classrooms, studios, galleries, music halls, and more—blend seamlessly into the city of Richmond, An arts destination on par with major cities across the nation. Consistently ranked as a top place to live and visit, Richmond offers abundant opportunities for students, including internships, work-study programs, and mentorships with leading industry professionals and renowned artists. It’s all at your fingertips.
monroe park

Admmissions Office

Phone
Address
Pollak Building
325 North Harrison Street
Richmond, VA 23284