Prospective Students: Financial Information
FINANCIAL AID
Grants are awards based on financial need and do not require employment. Loans are awards that require repayment after the student leaves VCU. Work study is a part-time employment, usually on campus.
All students are encouraged to apply for financial aid. To be considered for the maximum amount of financial eligibility, students must ensure that they apply for financial aid before the recommended deadline of February 1. (Estimated income can be used if taxes are not yet filed.)
For more information, visit VCU Financial Aid online, or call 804.VCU.MONY.
TUITION AND FEES
All full-time undergraduate Arts majors pay a fee of $281.00/semester; full-time graduate Arts majors pay $519.50/semester. The "Art Major Fee" is used by the School of the Arts and by individual departments for general operations. These funds provide support for such operational expenses as:
• wages for part-time faculty and specialized technicians and staff
• maintenance of the School’s visual resource library and the acquisition of 10,000 slides annually
• the Computer Center and upgrades to labs and visualization software license fees
• the School’s wood shop
• the Graphics Lab
• operation of the performing arts stages and rehearsal spaces including the Grace Street Theatre
• security systems and security guards
• costs related to accreditation
Each department offers classes that require enrolled students to pay a "Course Materials Fee" - these fees go toward equipment, materials and services (i.e. figure models, studio/shop/computer equipment, security for after-hours studio access, etc.). Course fees vary from $29/course to $106/course. For more detailed information, visit the Student Accounting website.
Art supply costs vary for each student, we recommend budgeting $1500 in supply costs per semester.
Here are a few quick links to specific bits of information:
VCU Tuition and Fees calculator
General Description of University Fees
Information about Residency Status
Course Related Fees/School of the Arts Fees
Tuition Comparison Among Top Ranked Art Schools
VCU remains one of the best higher education values around. The 2008-09 tuition costs* for the top ten ranked schools of art and design according to U.S. News & World Report are as follows.
| #1 Rhode Island School of Design | $34,925 | |
| #2 Yale University | $35,300 | |
| #3 School of the Art Institute of Chicago | $32,840 | |
| #4 Virginia Commonwealth University | $19,556 Non-Va Residents $6,779 Va Residents |
|
| (tie) Maryland Institute College of Art | $32,680 | |
| (tie) Cranbrook Academy of Art | $25,460 | |
| #7 California Institute of the Arts | $33,436 | |
| (tie) Carnegie Mellon University | $39,564 | |
| (tie) University of California – Los Angeles | $28,162 | |
| #10 Alfred University | $24,278 |
*Tuition costs as cited on Collegeboard.com 12/08. Includes tuition and fees.
