Admission Requirements

At Richmond, there is no typical applicant. Admission officers evaluate each applicant in a holistic manner, assessing character, involvement, special talents, creativity, independence, and life experience alongside traditional measures of academic success – like grades, rigor of curriculum, test scores (if provided), and recommendations. While admission is highly selective and there's no perfect formula that will guarantee acceptance, there are a few minimum requirements that guarantee each student we accept will come to campus prepared to succeed in any of our programs. (For a comprehensive view of the most recent first-year class, see the first-year student profile.)
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  • Minimum Admission Requirements

    Candidates for admission must have a high school diploma (or recognized equivalent), and must have completed a minimum of 16 units of secondary school coursework. Minimum requirements include four units in English, three in college preparatory mathematics (including Algebra I, II, and Geometry), and at least two each in history, laboratory science, and a second language (two units of the same language, including American Sign Language). Candidates who were unable to meet these minimum requirements may still apply for admission, however we recommend they provide written explanation for why they have not met these minimums with their application. Competitive candidates for admission typically exceed the minimum requirements and have taken four units in all five core areas at the highest levels available in their school setting.

    To learn more about students who were recently admitted, check out the first-year student profile.

  • AP/IB Credit
    The Credit by Examination Policy outlines the specifics of how the University of Richmond awards credit for AP, IB, and transfer credit. The current policy is available from the Registrar’s Office.
  • Selecting Majors Across Schools
    At Richmond, you do not apply separately to any school, program, or major as a senior in high school. You apply and are admitted to the University of Richmond, and you matriculate into the School of Arts & Sciences — though introductory coursework is available in all schools beginning your first semester.

    To major in the School of Arts & Sciences, which spans the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and visual/performing arts, you simply declare a major, typically during your sophomore year.

    You may begin taking coursework in the Robins School of Business beginning your first semester. To declare a major in the Robins School requires a minimum GPA of 2.7 and completion of three foundational courses in economics, accounting, and calculus by the midpoint of your sophomore year. Students must also pass an Excel proficiency exam with a grade of an 80% or higher. The BSBA degree requires you to build competencies in several key areas before you choose a specialization.

    Likewise, introductory coursework in the Jepson School of Leadership Studies is open to you beginning your first semester. You need to have taken at least one introductory course in leadership studies in order to apply for admission to Jepson in the fall of your sophomore year; selection is based on essays, academic performance, recommendations, and extracurricular activities. Once accepted, you begin a rigorous course of study that touches the history and theory of leadership, ethics, and leader-follower relationships.
  • Honor Programs
    Because the University of Richmond offers every undergraduate student an academically intensive curriculum, small class sizes, close faculty attention and mentorship, undergraduate research opportunities, and guaranteed funding for a summer research or internship experience, there is no University-wide honors program.

    However, individual academic departments implement specific requirements students must meet if they are to graduate "with honors" in a particular major or academic discipline. Not all departments offer an honors option. Those departments that do offer an honors program expect a substantial commitment from students: in most departments, students must submit a formal application to graduate with honors, must meet any additional course requirements outlined by the department, and must complete an intensive senior thesis or comparable research project.