University of Richmond
PA-8: Affordability and Access

The University of Richmond is need blind in the application review and selection of U.S. Citizens and U.S. Permanent Residents, ensuring that their admission to Richmond is not impacted by their family’s financial circumstances. The University meets the full demonstrated financial need for all admitted undergraduate students so that they can afford to attend Richmond.

In addition to generous need based aid, the University provides other support so that students from all financial backgrounds are able to participate in the full university experience. For example, the Richmond Guarantee provides up to $4,000 to each degree-seeking undergraduate student to fund a summer research experience or unpaid/underpaid internship. As a result, students who have financial need are not limited in their summer research or employment options. Aid is also adjusted to support study abroad, and funding is also available for many other programs, such as class-sponsored trips, special event clothing (suits for interviews, or even formal attire for our Junior Ring Dance), presentations and travel to academic conferences, and free housing during winter break for students who are not able to travel home. Students also benefit from an emergency fund, which provides funding during personal and family emergencies. There is also a fund which allows students on aid to be reimbursed for local cultural excursions, such as seeing a play or going to the symphony.

Richmond has an additional aid program for students from Virginia which provides full grant aid for tuition, room, and board to students from Virginia whose annual parental income is $60,000 or less. Further, students admitted from one of the University’s 25 partnership programs – community-based organizations like Prep for Prep or Chicago Scholars – receive award packages with their full demonstrated need met with grant funding.

Most non-traditional students enter through our part-time School of Professional and Continuing Studies. SPCS is fully staffed with academic advisors, on-site career counselors, their own student government association and access to all the library, computer labs, and other programs and services of the undergraduate population.

Richmond in Reach https://financialaid.richmond.edu/prospective/need-based/index.html
Spider First Gen and Low Income (FLI): https://inclusion.richmond.edu/students/first-gen/index.html
Richmond Guarantee https://www.richmond.edu/guarantee/
Emergency Fund
Career Opportunity Fund https://careerservices.richmond.edu/students/career-opp-fund.html
http://admissions.richmond.edu/visit/index.html
http://spcs.richmond.edu/degrees/students/index.html

Narrative and data from Admission, EM, IFX, SPCS and Financial Aid

Numerical data from Darrell Tyler in IFX