Allia L. Carter, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of VUU, explains how registrations increased for the third year in a row. The photo was taken on Thursday, September 23, 2021.
Hakim J. Lucas, President and CEO of VUU, speaks during an announcement regarding the increase in enrollment at VUU in recent consecutive years on Thursday, September 23, 2021.
W. Franklyn Richardson, Chairman of the Board of Directors of VUU, speaks during an announcement regarding the increase in enrollment at VUU in recent consecutive years on Thursday, September 23, 2021.
The steeple of Virginia Union University pictured Thursday, September 23, 2021.
Huntley Hall at Virginia Union University pictured Thursday, September 23, 2021.
Huntley Hall at Virginia Union University pictured Thursday, September 23, 2021.
Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia, celebrates increased enrollment for the third year in a row. Video by Alexa Welch Edlund / Times-Dispatch
Seventy percent of Virginia Union University freshmen have returned to campus for the fall semester of 2021, the highest retention rate in university history, VUU said Thursday.
There are about 1,700 students enrolled at VUU, a historically black and private university in north Richmond, its highest number in four years, the university said. Other universities have announced declines in attendance, citing a lingering effect of the pandemic on low-income families.
Enrollment at Virginia Commonwealth University has fallen 2% to 29,000, and the number of students at Reynolds Community College has fallen 20% since the start of the pandemic, the Henrico Citizen reported.
Virginia Union received $ 26 million in emergency aid, and used some of it to write off student debt for some students and to buy $ 1,400 worth of Apple products for incoming freshmen.
According to the Virginia State Board of Higher Education, VUU retention has fluctuated between 42% and 65%. Retention is measured by the number of freshmen who return to a university for their second year.
Virginia Union enrollment numbers increased to 1,900 in 2015. University enrollment numbers do not match SCHEV’s as VUU continues to enroll students after reporting the numbers to the board. State, said a spokesperson for the university.
