University of Richmond

University of Richmond is a private liberal arts university located in Richmond, Virginia. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs through schools including Arts and Sciences, Business, Leadership Studies, Law, and Professional and Continuing Studies. The university combines a liberal arts foundation with pre-professional and graduate education, and it is known for its emphasis on undergraduate teaching, small class sizes, and interdisciplinary study. Its suburban campus overlooks the James River and serves students from across the United States and abroad. Students are often drawn to University of Richmond for its blend of liberal arts education, business and leadership programs, and opportunities for research, internships, and community engagement in the Richmond region.

University of Richmond traces its origins to 1830, when the Baptist General Association of Virginia founded a school to educate ministers. The institution began classes in 1840 as Richmond College, and Robert Ryland served as its first president. During the Civil War, the campus was used as a hospital, and the college temporarily closed before reopening in the late nineteenth century. In 1895, it moved to its current Westhampton campus in Richmond, Virginia. The institution became University of Richmond in 1920 as it expanded its academic scope. Westhampton College for women was established in 1914, and the two colleges later unified under one university structure. Over the twentieth century, University of Richmond added professional schools, including law and business, and continued to develop as a comprehensive private university.