Public HBCU in the Caribbean offering affordable, globally-engaged education across 99 degree programs.
UVI offers five academic divisions: Business, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Nursing, and Science and Mathematics. The university provides undergraduate degrees (BA, BS, AA, AS, AAS) and graduate programs including Master's degrees in Education, Mathematics, Business Administration, Marine and Environmental Science, Psychology, and Public Administration, plus a Specialist Degree in School Psychology. Notable programs include a 3+2 engineering partnership with Columbia, University of Florida, Washington University in St. Louis, and University of South Carolina; a computer science program with concentrations in computational biology, parallel computing, data mining, and cybersecurity; and an early medical school selection program with Boston University. The curriculum is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
UVI operates two main campuses: the Orville E. Kean Campus on St. Thomas (388 acres, opened 1963) and the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix. The St. Thomas campus features a 64,000-square-foot Sports and Fitness Center (seating 3,500), John Brewer's Bay beach access, golf course, tennis courts, and athletic fields. Student housing includes six dorm complexes on St. Thomas and the Delta M. Jackson Dorsch Complex on St. Croix (opened 1999). A St. John Academic Center provides four classrooms, library, computer lab, and video conferencing for island residents. The university hosts numerous clubs, Greek life organizations, and an active Student Government Association on both campuses.
UVI welcomes undergraduate, graduate, and international applicants. The university operates a Free Tuition program for eligible students and offers financial aid to 90% of its student body. Approximately 95% of current students are natives of the US Virgin Islands. The National Student Exchange program allows students to participate in semester or year-long exchanges. Graduate admissions and online degree programs (undergraduate and graduate in science, arts, and business administration) are also available, with online courses running eight-week sessions starting the second Wednesday of each month.
UVI invests in over a dozen research programs and hosts research symposiums each semester. The university operates the Agricultural Experiment Station (32 active projects in agronomy, aquaculture, biotechnology, agroforestry, and horticulture), the Etelman Observatory, and the University of the Virgin Islands Research and Technology Park. NSF-funded programs include MBRS-RISE, SEAGEP, HBCU-UP, and MARC under the Emerging Caribbean Scientist initiative. The university publishes The Caribbean Writer, an international literary journal founded in 1986.