The University does not have a minimum GPA nor a minimum SAT score. As strange as these answers sound, they're both true. According to the Office of Admission:

"Students are more than the sum of two numbers, no matter how important those two numbers may be. A cumulative GPA, for example, only reveals so much; it says little about the difficulty of a student's courseload, or whether a student's grades have improved over time, or the level of grade inflation (or deflation) in a student's school. If we established a firm minimum GPA–a point below which no applicant would have any chance of being admitted–we'd miss a fair number of students who might make U.Va. a better, stronger place.

"The same is true for SAT scores. Most people who work in admission at highly selective universities believe that standardized testing is a useful but blunt instrument–an ax, not a scalpel. Setting an absolute minimum–"1400 in, 1390 out"–would be asking these tests to do something they weren't designed to do.

"Of course, we do use GPAs and SATs. All other things being equal, applicants with good numbers stand a better chance of being admitted; and because our applicant pool is broad and deep, most admitted students have excelled in school and scored well on the SAT (see our Profile for more information). But we don't have set minimums for either, and we try hard to take into account all of the information we see in each application."

Admission figures

16,461 first-year applications
34% admitted (50% of Virginians, 25% of non-Virginians)
80% of enrolling students rank in top decile
1310 median SAT I
1220 - 1410 middle half of class SAT I

In its 13^th annual "America's Best Colleges (1999)" Issues, U.S. News & World Report once again ranked the University of Virginia among the top twenty-five best national universities in the country. U.Va. remains at No. 22. Among Best Publics, the University of California at Berkeley, which tied last year with U.Va., moved ahead to No. 2 in the national rankings and took over the position as No. 1 public university. U.Va. held the No. 1 public spot for the past five years and this year is No. 2 .

In 1995, the prestigious National Research Council, which evaluates 274 institutions once every ten years, placed U.Va.'s graduate programs high on the list.

More ranking information.

For more information on tuition and fees, visit the Bursar's Office web site.

About 45 percent of all undergraduate students receive financial aid each year. Financial aid is normally a combination of gift assistance, loan funds, and/or employment. The financial aid "'package" is determined by the availability of the various types of financial aid and the individual circumstances of the student.

$55 million in aid is distributed by the Office of Financial Aid to undergraduates. Most aid is awarded on the basis of demonstrated need. Applicants for need-based aid must file the FAFSA and the University Financial Aid Statement no later than March 1.
Merit Scholarships: Non-need-based aid is offered through ROTC and athletics. Approximately 25 Jefferson Scholarships are available through the Alumni Association to first-year students who have excelled as scholars, leaders, and citizens.

Our early decision plan is binding: if you apply early, you agree to enroll if we admit you, to withdraw all applications you may have submitted to any other school, and to submit a $250 tuition deposit to guarantee your place in the first-year class. If you choose to apply early decision, you will sign an agreement to these conditions, and we will expect you to honor this agreement unless you cannot enroll at U.Va. for reasons beyond your control.

If you are not offered admission under the Early Decision Plan but are deferred into the regular decision pool, we'll read your application again during the winter months and give you a final decision on or around April 1, 1999. Make sure you send us your mid-year grades as soon as they become available, and no later than February 15. If you haven't already submitted letters of recommendation beyond the one we require from your guidance counselor, ask one or two teachers who know you well to write on your behalf. If you do solicit new letters of recommendation, be sure to include them with your Midyear Grade Report. If we deny your application at the early-decision stage, we will not be able to reconsider you as a candidate for first-year admission that fall.

Undergraduate students in all six schools may study abroad in programs either sponsored or approved by our Office of Overseas Study. Offering both an extensive resource library and a full-time study-abroad advisor, the office works closely with students who wish to spend a summer, a semester, or a year overseas. The University currently offer programs in China, India, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia, and Jordan; we also encourage students to enroll in preapproved programs offered by other colleges and universities.

Approximately 15 percent of all students study abroad during their undergraduate years at U.Va. Visit the Overseas Studies web site.