A top-25 liberal arts university in Richmond, Virginia, known for rigorous academics and beautiful campus.
Richmond offers nearly 90 majors, minors, and concentrations across five schools. All undergraduates begin in the School of Arts & Sciences, which features 38 majors and 10 concentrations; 70% remain in A&S after their first year. The Robins School of Business (established 1949) requires completion of core accounting, economics, and math courses with a 2.7+ GPA for admission. The Jepson School of Leadership Studies (founded 1987) is the only school in the US devoted entirely to leadership studies. The School of Law and School of Professional & Continuing Studies serve graduate and part-time adult learners. All students complete general education requirements including first-year seminars, expository writing, wellness, foreign language, and coursework across six fields of study.
The 350-acre campus in Richmond's West End features red brick collegiate gothic architecture set around shared open lawns. Key facilities include Boatwright Memorial Library (the institution's main library with a soaring academic gothic tower), Robins Center, and numerous residence halls. Student life includes 14 recognized national fraternities and sororities (36% participation as of 2025), honor code administered by student councils, and traditions like Ring Dance, Investiture and Proclamation Night, and the annual Pig Roast. The university offers extensive co-curricular opportunities including study abroad, service programs, internships through the Richmond Guarantee, and the Modlin Center for the Arts.
Richmond practices need-blind admissions and meets 100% of demonstrated need for admitted domestic students. For the Class of 2029, the university admitted 22.2% of applicants. The middle 50% of admitted students had SAT scores of 1450–1520, ACT scores of 33–35, and unweighted high school GPAs of 3.82–4.00. More than 60% of all students receive some form of financial assistance. The university is classified among the 100 most selective colleges and universities in the United States.
In 2026, U.S. News & World Report ranked Richmond 22nd (tied) among national liberal arts colleges. Forbes ranked it 101st overall, and Niche ranked it 18th among liberal arts colleges in 2026. The Princeton Review's 2024 edition named Richmond No. 1 for Most Beautiful Campus and top-ranked for numerous quality-of-life categories including best career services, best science lab facilities, and most accessible professors. In 2019, Richmond graduated the fourth most Fulbright Scholars among American undergraduate institutions. The Richmond Guarantee provides all undergraduates funding for summer internships or research projects.