University of Virginia
PA-8: Affordability and Access

UVA believes the accessibility and affordability of a quality education should be based on a student’s academic performance, talent and character – not on their ability to pay. UVA helps talented students pursue their dreams. Students are offered admission based on their intellect, academic achievements and extracurricular involvement, regardless of their financial situation or ability to pay. UVA meets 100% of financial need. UVA meets the demonstrated financial need for all in-state and out-of-state students applying by the annual March 1st deadline, through a combination of scholarships, grants, work-study and need-based loans. 39% of students received need-based aid in 2021. UVA is committed to limiting need-based loans for students with financial need, so they graduate with less debt. For more details on our financial aid program, please visit: https://sfs.virginia.edu/uva-financial-aid

According to the 2024 U.S. News & World Report, UVA ranks #26 in "Best Value Schools" with 30% of students receiving need-based grants. More information is available here: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/best-value

The University of Virginia offers the following in support of non-traditional students: the International Center; the LGBTQ Resource Center; the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; the Center for Diversity in Engineering; the Multicultural Student Center and related centers; the Office of African American Affairs and its nationally recognized peer mentoring program; the Student Disability Access Center; and the Women's Center, among others.

To support transfer students from community colleges, the UVA Office of Admission provides information and mentoring, including about its guaranteed transfer admission agreements, here: https://admission.virginia.edu/admission/transfer

Under Student Affairs, the Office of the Dean of Students deans and program coordinators support students from specific populations, including first generation and low income students. For example, a new dean was hired recently as the Director of Hoo's First, a program to support first generation college students at UVA. For more information about the Student Affairs team's support for non-traditional students see: https://studentaffairs.virginia.edu/staff

Some other examples of specific programs at UVA that support non-traditional students include:
UVA became a Posse partner, supporting a cohort of ten students from Houston, TX each year: https://www.possefoundation.org/news-and-events/university-of-virginia-becomes-posse-partner.

UVA developed the Clark Scholars Program to provide educational and financial opportunities to students from populations traditionally underserved in STEM fields: https://engineering.virginia.edu/future-undergrads/academics/clark-scholars

ODEI founded a chapter of Men of Color, Honor, and Ambition (MOCHA) and Women of Color, Honor, and Ambition (WOCHA) at UVA to support non-traditional students through professional development and a tiered mentoring program. More information is available here: https://dei.virginia.edu/mocha-wocha

UVA also leads the Virginia-North Carolina Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program, funded by the National Science Foundation, that supports students underrepresented in the STEM fields (lsamp.virginia.edu).

Finally, the mission of the University of Virginia's Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights (EOCR) is to ensure equal opportunity and to protect the civil rights of all University community members through proactive outreach, education, and effective response and resolution. EOCR supports a living, learning, and work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment and where all members of the University community feel welcomed and valued. In an effort to reflect the language diversity of the University community and their families, EOCR is providing translations of the University policies it is responsible for. If assistance with translations of EOCR-related policies or information into additional languages is needed, please contact us at uvaeocr@virginia.edu and put "Translation Request" in the subject line.

Regarding the question about the graduation/success rate for low-income students, the six-year graduation rate for Pell recipients with federal need = 89.6%.
The six-year graduation rate of students with federal need but are not Pell recipients = 93.4%
More information is available here:
https://ira.virginia.edu/student-achievement