Students arrive at the Gladding Residence Center check-in desk.
The comforts of home
With students who come from all over the world, home means something different to everyone. Luckily, we have plenty of options to make VCU and Richmond your home away from home.
Settle in
Nearly 6,000 students live on campus, including most first-years. Residence halls at VCU come in all shapes and sizes, from traditional rooms to suites and apartments. All buildings have secure entrances and a 24-hour information desk, as well as laundry facilities, lounges, Wi-Fi, air-conditioning and furniture.
If you're a first-year student, living on campus isn't required — but we highly recommend it. You'll have more chances to get involved, connect with the university community and find your place at VCU.
A cozy lounge area makes a good place to study and to socialize.
New Rams receive a rowdy welcome to VCU.
Students play a game of roundnet outside of the residence halls.
VCU mascot Rodney the Ram makes a surprise appearance on move-in day.
Common space
Don’t leave your interests at the door — come home to roommates who share them. Our living-learning communities are part residence hall, part classroom, part passion project. Through intentional programs and experiential learning opportunities, you can dive into subjects like engineering and computer science, health sciences and leadership. Or surround yourself with classmates who share your LGBTQIA+ and multicultural identities, or an interest in social change and outdoor adventure.
City life
If the city is calling you, we get it. There are plenty of apartments within walking distance of campus in charming neighborhoods like the Fan and Oregon Hill. The Office of Off-Campus Student Services can help you with your housing search.
Quick facts
- 22 dining venues on campus
- 5,973 residence hall capacity
- 11 first-year living-learning communities
Dine in (or out)
Sushi and sandwiches. Coffee and cookies. Plus tacos, pizza and Mediterranean cuisine. VCU has tons of on-campus dining options to fuel your early-morning classes and late-night study sessions. With one of our eight dining plans, you can choose from 22 locations across both campus, including Panda Express, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A and the all-you-care-to-eat dining hall, Market 810.
Fresh menus, fun events
Thanks to partnerships with local farms and distributors, VCUDine offers fresh, quality foods like local kale, sweet potatoes, Asian pears and tofu. Our creative menus incorporate unique holiday food traditions, and three times a semester we invite local, authentic and culturally diverse restaurants to serve up their specialties as part of our Guest Restaurant Program.
A foodie’s paradise
People travel from all over to experience Richmond’s food scene. Yelp named us one of the “Top 10 Foodie Cities” in 2019 and Forbes called it a ”hidden culinary gem“ in 2021. Right in your backyard, you’ll find quirky coffee shops, Southern comfort food, taco bars, farm-to-table eateries, French cafes, food trucks, doughnut shops and more breweries than we know what to do with.
