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Undergraduate Profile Publish Date 05/27/12

Virginia Commonwealth University

School of Business

  • Program Basics

      • Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business
      • Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate Studies in Business
      • 301 West Main Street
      • Richmond, Virginia
      • 23284
      • United States
      • Program Web site: http://www.business.vcu.edu/
      • Program e-mail address: avwagg@vcu.edu
      • Program phone number: 804-828-1742
      • Status: Public (state-operated)
      • AACSB accredited: Yes
      • Year in which the undergraduate business program was founded: 1937
      • Institution: Four Year
      • Business Program: Four Year

  • SCHOOL BASICS

    • Enrollment:

      • Total undergraduate: 23,789
      • Full-time undergraduate business: 2,545
      • Part-time undergraduate business: 645
      • Distance undergraduate business: 0
      • College or university freshman retention rate: 85 %

    • Percentage of students who graduate from the business program:

      • Within four years of admission to the university: 39 %
      • Within six years of admission to the university: 45 %

    • Undergraduate Business Degrees Offered:

      • BS in Accounting
      • BS in Business
      • BS in Economics
      • BS in Financial Technology
      • BS in Information Systems
      • BS in Marketing
      • BS in Real Estate

  • PROGRAM COSTS

      • Annual Tuition (Resident): $7,532.00
      • Annual Tuition (Non-Resident): $20,388.00
      • Annual Required Fees: $1,985.00
      • Tuition Per Academic Credit (Resident): $314.00
      • Tuition Per Academic Credit (Non-Resident): $850.00
      • Annual Room and Board: $8,646.00
      • Annual Cost of Books: $816.00

  • CLASS PROFILE

    • Students in newest entering class that are:

      • Female: 35 %
      • International: 8 %

    • Mean and median age of full-time business students in the newest entering class:

      • Mean: 21
      • Median: 19

    • Percentage of newest entering class:

      • Top 10% of high school class: 7 %
      • Top 25% of high school class: 32 %
      • GPA of 3.75 or higher: 15 %
      • GPA of 3.5 to 3.74: 15 %

    • SAT scores (1600 scale) for the newest entering class of full-time undergraduate business students:

      • Mean: 1062
      • Median: 1050

    • Middle 50% range of SAT scores (1600 scale):

      • From: 945
      • To: 1179

    • ACT scores for the newest entering class of full-time undergraduate business students:

      • Mean: 22
      • Median: 22

    • Middle 50% range of ACT scores:

      • From: 19
      • To: 26

    • Citizenship breakdown for newest entering class:

      • US: 94 %
      • Canada: 0 %
      • Other Non-US Citizens: 6 %
      • Dual Citizenship: 0%
      • Unknown Citizenship: 0 %

    • U.S. citizens in newest entering class:

      • African American: 26 %
      • Asian American: 11 %
      • Hispanic or Latino American: 7 %
      • Multiethnic/Multiracial: 5 %
      • Native American: 1 %
      • White (Non-Hispanic): 46 %
      • Chose not to report: 4 %
      • Other: 0 %

    • Regional breakdown of U.S. citizens in newest entering class:

      • Northeast: 1 %
      • Mid-Atlantic: 96 %
      • South: 1 %
      • Southwest: 1 %
      • Midwest: 1 %
      • West: 0 %
      • Possessions and territories: 0 %

  • ADMISSIONS - Getting Into the Institution

    • Standardized tests required of all applicants:

      • SAT or ACT
      • Minimum SAT score on 1600 scale (if applicable) required for admission: 950
      • Minimum ACT Score (if applicable) required for admission: 20
      • Minimum High School GPA (if applicable) required for admission: 2.75
      • Interviews are: Not offered

    • Application deadlines:

      • Fall 2012 1/15/2012
      • Spring 2013 11/1/2012
      • Additional application requirements: Additional requirements vary by program. International students must submit a statement of financial support. Transfer students must submit all previous college transcripts.
      • Total undergraduate applicants, all programs: 20,597
      • Percentage of applicants admitted: 65 %
      • Percentage of admitted applicants who enrolled: 67 %
      • International applicants: 3 %
      • Female applicants: 35 %

    • Relative Importance of Application Elements

      • Secondary school record: Very Important
      • Class rank: Considered
      • Talent/ability: Considered
      • Interview: Not Considered
      • Extracurricular activities: Considered
      • Volunteer work: Considered
      • Character/personal abilities: Considered
      • Application essay: Considered
      • Work experience: Considered
      • SAT/ACT scores: Important
      • Recommendations: Considered
      • High school GPA: Very Important

  • ADMISSIONS - Getting Into the Business Program

      • Undergrad business program admissions are managed by: The university admissions office
      • Total undergraduate business applicants: 2,467
      • Percentage of applicants admitted: 67 %
      • Percentage of admitted applicants who enrolled: 77 %

    • Admission requirement for admission to the undergraduate business program

      • Minimum SAT: 950
      • Minimum ACT: 20
      • Minimum high school GPA: 2.75
      • Entrance exam other than the SAT/ACT required for admission to the undergraduate business program?: No
      • Admissions interviews for the undergraduate business program are: Not offered

    • Freshman admission:

      • Does the business program admit freshmen?: Yes
      • Percentage of business program admits in most recent entering class who were freshman: 47 %
      • Are freshman business admits required to complete or obtain minimum GPAs in pre-business courses before taking upper-level courses? Yes
      • Process for freshmen admission?: Indicate interest on university application

    • Internal transfers:

      • Method for handling internal transfers: Declare business major
      • Minimum college GPA for internal transfers to the business program: 2.5
      • Additional application requirements, including course/grade requirements: Students must complete the business foundation courses listed in the VCU Academic Bulletin.

  • CAMPUS LIFE

    • Five largest on-campus organizations for business students:

      • American Marketing Association
      • Gamma Iota Sigma
      • Beta Alpha Psi
      • Phi Beta Lambda
      • Rho Epsilon
      • Are freshmen required to live on campus?: No
      • Are business students grouped together in 'learning communities' in housing and other facilities?: Yes

  • PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

    • Minimum number of credit hours required to receive an undergraduate business degree:

      • BS 120

  • ACADEMICS

    • Average class size:

      • Required business classes: 71
      • Business electives: 50

    • Percentage of business classes:

      • With 20 or fewer students: 21 %
      • With 21 to 50 students: 47 %
      • With more than 50 students: 32 %

    • Course enrollment:

      • Percentage of required business courses reaching maximum enrollment by the first day of class: 20 %
      • Percentage of required business courses with waiting lists: 20 %

  • CURRICULUM

    • Electives:

      • Available business electives: 76
      • New electives: ACCT 291: Special Topics in Accounting
      • Last curriculum overhaul: 1996
      • Total business faculty: 207
      • Percentage of the total faculty that is tenured or tenure track: 40 %

    • Most prominent faculty:

      • Doug Davis
      • Allen Lee
      • Brent Smith

    • Business program's leading areas of study:

        • Accounting
        • Finance
        • Marketing
        • General Management
        • Management Information Systems
      • Special programs: The da Vinci Center is a unique collegiate model that advances interdisciplinary innovation and technology-based entrepreneurship. Students can participate in a da Vinci project course or complete a Certificate in Product Innovation. Students in VCU’s Honors College can also participate in the Business Honors Program which provides a challenging experience for especially talented students that boosts creativity, strategic thinking, teamwork and leadership.
      • Volunteer opportunities: Service learning courses provide opportunities to work with nonprofits on projects such as business and marketing plans. Beta Alpha Psi members provide tax counseling to low income individuals. Student organizations engage in a wide variety of service projects.

    • Extra-curricular activities:

      • Office of Student and Alumni Engagement
      • Business Golf Ambassadors
      • Business Student Ambassadors
      • Financial Management Association
      • Collegiate DECA
      • Future Business Leaders (Phi Beta Lambda)
      • Beta Gamma Sigma Honors Society
      • National Association of Black Accountants

  • FINANCIAL AID

    • Scholarships

      • Scholarship money distributed to business students last year: $341,374.00
      • Expected scholarship distribution to business students this year: $470,000.00
      • Scholarships are awarded to business students based on: academic merit
      • Students receiving institutional scholarships in the current academic year: 16 %
      • Students receiving full-tuition institutional scholarships in the current academic year: 1 %
      • Institutional scholarship money distributed to undergraduate business students based on need: 0 %
      • Institutional scholarship money distributed to undergraduate business students based on merit: 100 %

    • Loans

      • Does the school offer a guaranteed loan to all business students, regardless of nationality?: No
      • Mean outstanding debt, most recent graduating class: $26,320.00

  • CAREER SERVICES

    • Employment Information

      • Percentage of most recent business graduates who supplied information regarding employment: 30 %
      • Percentage seeking full-time professional employment in business: 73 %
      • Percentage not seeking full-time professional employment in business: 27 %

    • Received first job offer:

      • By graduation: 44 %
      • No job offer reported: 56 %
      • Companies recruiting business students on campus: 152
      • Companies posting job offers for business students on school job boards: 309

    • Compensation

      • Mean base salary: $47,657.00
      • Median base salary : $37,500.00
      • Mean signing bonus: $3,545.00
      • Median signing bonus: $5,000.00

    • Most recent graduates accepted jobs in the following functional areas:

      • Consulting: 0 %
      • Finance/Accounting: 29 %
      • General Management: 15 %
      • Human Resources: 0 %
      • Management Information Systems: 9 %
      • Marketing/Sales: 18 %
      • Operations/Production: 3 %
      • Logistics/Transportation: 0 %
      • Other: 26 %

    • Most recent graduates accepted jobs in the following industries:

      • Accounting: 9 %
      • Consumer Products/Retail : 9 %
      • Consulting: 6 %
      • Financial Services: 24 %
      • Government/Education: 9 %
      • Pharma/Biotech/Health: 6 %
      • Manufacturing: 5 %
      • Media/Entertainment: 0 %
      • Petroleum/Energy: 3 %
      • Real Estate: 0 %
      • Sports/Leisure: 0 %
      • Technology/Science: 9 %
      • Non-Profit: 0 %
      • Transportation: 0 %
      • Utilities: 0 %
      • Other: 20 %

    • Job offers accepted by most recent graduates in North America:

      • US: 100 %
      • Canada: 0 %

    • Percentage of 2009-10 academic year graduates who accepted jobs in regions of US:

      • Mid-Atlantic: 64 %
      • Career services offered: Located in the same building as the School of Business, students have easy access to a broad spectrum of services and resources, including the following: Career Counseling, Career Plan Development, Resume Development , Interview Preparation, Workshops , Co-op and Internship Opportunities, RamsRecruiting (on-line job board), Etiquette Dinners, Employer Showcases and Career Fairs, Employer Information Sessions, On-Campus Interviews, Networking Opportunities

  • INTERNSHIPS

      • Companies recruiting business students for internships on campus: 152
      • Companies posting internship offers for business students on school job boards: 156

    • Internship pay

      • Internships that are paid: 87 %
      • Mean compensation, per week, for paid internships only: $245.00
      • Median compensation, per week, for paid internships only: $240.00
      • Average internship length, in weeks: 12

  • B-SCHOOL ALUMNI

      • Total number of undergraduate business program graduates since inception: 22,000
      • Total living alumni of the undergraduate business program: 20,243
      • Percentage of living alumni who contributed to the business program or university in the last academic year: 4 %

    • Alumni gifts

      • Mean Gift: $1,176.00
      • Median Gift: $100.00
      • Did the business program receive a gift of $10 million or more in the last academic year? No

    • Prominent alums of the undergrad business program

      • Tom Snead Retired President of Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield
      • Nancy Everett Former Chairperson & CEO of General Motors Asset Management
      • William F. Gifford, Jr. President & CEO of Philip Morris USA Inc.

Getting In

B-School Life

Finding a Job

Paying the Bills