The student population at Virginia Commonwealth University is 28,464 (21,210 undergraduate and 7,254 graduate students) . The number of students has decreased by 2,454 (7.94%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 29,537 where 28,464 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 3 year-over-year increases and 6 decreases. It peaked at 30,918 students in 2016 and was lowest at 28,082 in 2023. Overall, enrollment dropped from 30,918 to 28,464 students, a net loss of 2,454 (7.9%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Virginia Commonwealth University since 2015.
| Year | Total | Undergraduate | Graduate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | ||
| 2015-16 | 30,918 | 23,741 | 10,110 | 13,631 | 7,177 | 2,789 | 4,388 |
| 2016-17 | 30,872 -46 | 23,865 124 | 9,961 -149 | 13,904 273 | 7,007 -170 | 2,655 -134 | 4,352 -36 |
| 2017-18 | 30,675 -197 | 23,663 -202 | 9,728 -233 | 13,935 31 | 7,012 5 | 2,664 9 | 4,348 -4 |
| 2018-19 | 30,697 22 | 23,693 30 | 9,515 -213 | 14,178 243 | 7,004 -8 | 2,617 -47 | 4,387 39 |
| 2019-20 | 29,757 -940 | 22,837 -856 | 8,969 -546 | 13,868 -310 | 6,920 -84 | 2,545 -72 | 4,375 -12 |
| 2020-21 | 29,070 -687 | 21,943 -894 | 8,344 -625 | 13,599 -269 | 7,127 207 | 2,529 -16 | 4,598 223 |
| 2021-22 | 28,594 -476 | 21,394 -549 | 7,904 -440 | 13,490 -109 | 7,200 73 | 2,426 -103 | 4,774 176 |
| 2022-23 | 28,082 -512 | 20,958 -436 | 7,679 -225 | 13,279 -211 | 7,124 -76 | 2,365 -61 | 4,759 -15 |
| 2023-24 | 28,238 156 | 21,205 247 | 7,741 62 | 13,464 185 | 7,033 -91 | 2,277 -88 | 4,756 -3 |
| 2024-25 | 28,464 226 | 21,210 5 | 7,792 51 | 13,418 -46 | 7,254 221 | 2,397 120 | 4,857 101 |
| Average | 29,537 | 22,451 | 8,774 | 13,677 | 7,086 | 2,526 | 4,559 |
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 22,451 where 21,210 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Virginia Commonwealth University since 2015.
| Year | Total | Full-time | Part-time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | ||
| 2015-16 | 23,741 | 20,137 | 8,575 | 11,562 | 3,604 | 1,535 | 2,069 |
| 2016-17 | 23,865 | 20,264 | 8,366 | 11,898 | 3,601 | 1,595 | 2,006 |
| 2017-18 | 23,663 | 20,036 | 8,180 | 11,856 | 3,627 | 1,548 | 2,079 |
| 2018-19 | 23,693 | 20,207 | 8,016 | 12,191 | 3,486 | 1,499 | 1,987 |
| 2019-20 | 22,837 | 19,825 | 7,624 | 12,201 | 3,012 | 1,345 | 1,667 |
| 2020-21 | 21,943 | 18,734 | 6,957 | 11,777 | 3,209 | 1,387 | 1,822 |
| 2021-22 | 21,394 | 18,525 | 6,691 | 11,834 | 2,869 | 1,213 | 1,656 |
| 2022-23 | 20,958 | 18,265 | 6,545 | 11,720 | 2,693 | 1,134 | 1,559 |
| 2023-24 | 21,205 | 18,595 | 6,716 | 11,879 | 2,610 | 1,025 | 1,585 |
| 2024-25 | 21,210 | 18,674 | 6,788 | 11,886 | 2,536 | 1,004 | 1,532 |
| Average | 22,451 | 22,451 | 7,446 | 11,880 | 22,451 | 1,329 | 1,796 |
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 7,086 where 7,254 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Virginia Commonwealth University since 2015.
| Year | Total | Full-time | Part-time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | ||
| 2015-16 | 7,177 | 5,136 | 2,136 | 3,000 | 2,041 | 653 | 1,388 |
| 2016-17 | 7,007 | 5,073 | 2,037 | 3,036 | 1,934 | 618 | 1,316 |
| 2017-18 | 7,012 | 5,086 | 2,017 | 3,069 | 1,926 | 647 | 1,279 |
| 2018-19 | 7,004 | 5,094 | 1,938 | 3,156 | 1,910 | 679 | 1,231 |
| 2019-20 | 6,920 | 4,957 | 1,857 | 3,100 | 1,963 | 688 | 1,275 |
| 2020-21 | 7,127 | 4,962 | 1,828 | 3,134 | 2,165 | 701 | 1,464 |
| 2021-22 | 7,200 | 5,014 | 1,742 | 3,272 | 2,186 | 684 | 1,502 |
| 2022-23 | 7,124 | 4,902 | 1,648 | 3,254 | 2,222 | 717 | 1,505 |
| 2023-24 | 7,033 | 4,817 | 1,621 | 3,196 | 2,216 | 656 | 1,560 |
| 2024-25 | 7,254 | 4,965 | 1,686 | 3,279 | 2,289 | 711 | 1,578 |
| Average | 7,086 | 7,086 | 1,851 | 3,150 | 7,086 | 675 | 1,410 |
The percentage of white students is 40.31% and the percentage of black students is 20.75% at Virginia Commonwealth University. 12.80% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 10.70% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 51.28% to 40.31%. Asian enrollment grew from 12.15% to 12.80%. Black student enrollment increased from 16.03% to 20.75%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 7.00% to 10.70%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.7615 which indicates that quite diverse. This increased from 0.6895 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Virginia Commonwealth University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
| Year | American Indian or Native American | Asian | Black | Hispanic | Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | White | Two or More Races |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 75 | 3,755 | 4,956 | 2,163 | 42 | 15,854 | 1,447 |
| 2016-17 | 79 | 3,808 | 5,100 | 2,244 | 37 | 15,515 | 1,556 |
| 2017-18 | 70 | 3,882 | 5,299 | 2,345 | 36 | 15,012 | 1,683 |
| 2018-19 | 63 | 4,022 | 5,381 | 2,586 | 27 | 14,559 | 1,804 |
| 2019-20 | 55 | 3,958 | 5,206 | 2,739 | 22 | 13,622 | 1,877 |
| 2020-21 | 40 | 3,954 | 5,256 | 2,758 | 18 | 13,090 | 1,905 |
| 2021-22 | 50 | 3,840 | 5,291 | 2,747 | 22 | 12,491 | 1,959 |
| 2022-23 | 48 | 3,733 | 5,248 | 2,786 | 37 | 12,098 | 1,963 |
| 2023-24 | 55 | 3,709 | 5,498 | 2,904 | 33 | 11,938 | 1,964 |
| 2024-25 | 61 | 3,642 | 5,906 | 3,045 | 40 | 11,475 | 2,032 |
| Average | 60 | 3,830 | 5,314 | 2,632 | 31 | 13,565 | 1,819 |
2,830 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 10% of total students. The number of online students has increased 196.65% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Virginia Commonwealth University from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 30,918 | 954 | 6,467 | 23,497 |
| 2016-17 | 30,872 | 840 | 6,419 | 23,613 |
| 2017-18 | 30,675 | 939 | 6,986 | 22,750 |
| 2018-19 | 30,697 | 1,048 | 8,072 | 21,577 |
| 2019-20 | 29,757 | 819 | 8,457 | 20,481 |
| 2020-21 | 29,070 | 10,467 | 15,092 | 3,511 |
| 2021-22 | 28,594 | 3,919 | 19,039 | 5,636 |
| 2022-23 | 28,082 | 2,680 | 16,122 | 9,280 |
| 2023-24 | 28,238 | 2,635 | 15,799 | 9,804 |
| 2024-25 | 28,464 | 2,830 | 15,400 | 10,234 |
| Average | 29,537 | 2,713 | 11,785 | 15,038 |
Share your experiences and thoughts about Virginia Commonwealth University. It will be a great help to applicants and prospective students!