Virginia State University

Looking for a university where the faculty and staff turn dreams into reality? Look no further than Virginia State University. A 2009 student population of over 5,300 enjoys personal attention by the faculty and staff not typically found at larger institutions. In 2008, U.S. News & World Report acknowledged VSU's excellence by naming the University the top, public, master's level HBCU in America for the second consecutive year!

Virginia State University was founded in 1882 as the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute, making it the first fully state supported, four-year institution of higher learning for Blacks in America. Today, Virginia State University is one of Virginia's two land-grant institutions.

The campus sits atop a rolling landscape overlooking the Appomattox River in the Chesterfield County village of Ettrick. It is accessible by Interstates 95 and 85, which intersect in adjacent Petersburg, as well as U.S. Routes 1, 301 and 460. The University is centrally located about two hours away from Washington, DC to the north, the North Carolina Triangle area to the south, the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

VSU students live and learn on a 236-acre main campus, with more than 50 buildings, including 16 dormitories and 17 classroom buildings, and a 416-acre agricultural research facility.