If you’ve found yourself reading this page, then you’re probably wondering whether your child has a shot at getting into the University of Richmond. We’re going to help you work your way through that question, but first let’s learn a bit more about what makes the University of Richmond unique. 

About the University of Richmond 

The University of Richmond is a private liberal arts university in the state capital of Virginia. There are 3,200 undergraduates at Richmond, which makes it a really nice size: small but not too small. Academically, Richmond stands out for the fact that 100% of classes are faculty-led: not a TA, TF, or overworked/underpaid grad student in sight. There’s also the “Richmond guarantee”: every undergraduate student in the School of Arts & Sciences, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, and the Robins School of Business is eligible to receive a fellowship of up to $5,300 for an unpaid or underpaid summer internship or faculty-mentored research project.

The University of Richmond has a 22% acceptance rate. That means getting in will require strategic planning (and the help of Ivy Coach’s college admissions experts certainly wouldn’t hurt!). 

University of Richmond Admissions Requirements

Obviously, a solid GPA, high test scores, and impressive extracurricular achievements are the three pillars of a strong application to the University of Richmond, which holds true for any competitive school. But parents often forget that each of these components is considered within an applicant’s context. What do we mean by that? Say, for instance, that an applicant has a 4.0, but they never took any of the AP courses on offer to them. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll fare any better than a student with a 3.8 who took 5 AP classes. Or, to give another example, consider a student who wants to become a biomedical engineer but has no experience in a professional lab. That means one thing if they live in rural North Dakota or Iowa (where they wouldn’t have had the opportunity to get involved with a lab), and another thing if they live in New York City or Boston (where there are dozens of labs a stone’s throw away). 

All that being said, there are still certain commonalities that link the 22% of students who succeeded at getting into the University of Richmond. Without further ado, let’s look at those commonalities. 

What Kind of GPA Is Necessary To Get Into the University of Richmond?

The following is the GPA breakdown of the members of the University of Richmond Class of 2029:

GPA	Percentage of University of Richmond Class of 2029
4.0	22%
3.75-3.99	48%
3.5-3.74	4%
3.25-3.49	23%
3.0-3.24	1%
2.5-2.99	1%
2.0-2.49	0%
1.0-1.99	0%

What do all these numbers mean? Last year, for the University of Richmond Class of 2029, even though 22% of incoming first-year students had perfect GPAs, 23% had low GPAs in the 3.25 to 3.49 range. A little over half (52%) of the class had decent GPAs in the 3.5 to 3.99 range. Only 2% had dire GPAs below 3.24.

What Kind of SAT or ACT Scores Are Needed To Get Into Richmond?

The average SAT score for the Richmond Class of 2029 was 1470, and the average ACT score was 34. Though the University of Richmond is test-optional, we at Ivy Coach believe that not submitting test scores can only ever hurt an applicant’s chances, even to supposedly test-optional schools. 

What Classes Do Students Need to Take to Get Into the University of Richmond?

While Richmond does not explicitly state any minimum high school course preparation for applicants, we at Ivy Coach know that highly selective colleges want to see students excelling in each core subject (English, history, math, science, and foreign language) all four years of high school. In fact, they expect to see five years for foreign language since most students begin their first level of foreign language in eighth grade.

What Kinds of Extracurriculars Does the Richmond Like To See?

There’s a pervasive myth that elite colleges like the University of Richmond want well-rounded students. Hate to break it to you, but this is not the case. Elite colleges want well-rounded student bodies that are made up of students with singular and unique talents. Rather than admitting a student who is the jack of all trades but master of none, elite universities want to admit students who are on their way to becoming a foremost expert or specialist in a particular field, or who are going to become a world leader in a specific domain. So, rather than shuffling your kid from one extracurricular activity to another, find their talent or passion and have them go all-in on that. 

The University of Richmond Application Requirements 

The University of Richmond accepts the Common App and Coalition App. They ask for a counselor recommendation and two teacher recommendations. Applicants must fill out two supplemental essays, and have various options of which prompts they would like to respond to. Finally, they ask applicants to write a supplemental essay, responding to one of the following prompts, in 350 to 650 words: 

• You have a platform to create change. What is an action or policy you might propose to address an issue of social injustice in your school or local community, or on a national or global scale?
• Tell us about a time you learned something unexpected. What did you learn, and what happened next?
• Richmond welcomes students from various backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences. What is at least one way you will contribute to our community that is not already mentioned in your application?

Who Should Students Ask For Letters of Recommendation For Richmond? 

University of Richmond applicants should ask two junior year teachers in core subjects. Obviously, the applicant should have a good relationship with the teacher or at least have performed well in their class. In addition, at least one of the recommender’s subject area should be related to the student’s hook: if a student’s singular hook is studying fruit fly DNA, it wouldn’t make sense if their recommenders were their History and English teachers.

Does the University of Richmond Require an Interview? 

The University of Richmond does not require an interview, but they offer one. Pro tip: take them up on this offer! 

What Are the University of Richmond’s Application Deadlines? 

Early Decision I and Early Action applications to Richmond are due November 1st. Regular Decision and Early Decision II applications are due January 1st.  

How Ivy Coach Helps Students Get Into the University of Richmond

If you’re interested in discerning if your child has a shot of getting into the University of Richmond, we recommend setting up Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session. Not only will you find out if your child has a chance of getting into the University of Richmond, but you’ll receive a game plan of how your child can optimize their admission to the best school possible.