By Brian McNeill

Ten graduate programs at Virginia Commonwealth University are among the top 50 in their disciplines in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Graduate Schools rankings, announced today.

“VCU’s success and growing reputation in graduate education are the result of faculty-led innovation across the university’s academic programs,” said Fotis Sotiropoulos, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “Our strategic focus on expanding and enhancing the size and quality of our graduate programs has been instrumental in our enrollment growth. This is a crucial area for VCU as we adapt to changing demographics and the frequently discussed ‘enrollment cliff.’ The faculty’s efforts to evolve their programs, ensuring they remain fresh and market-relevant in a rapidly evolving world, coupled with the growth of our research enterprise, have fueled VCU’s rising rankings.”

VCU’s newest rankings included seven programs in the top 25 of their categories, and five are ranked among the top 10.  

• Five programs in the College of Health Professions were listed among the top 50: rehabilitation counseling (tied for No. 4), nursing anesthesia (No. 6), health care management (tied for No. 7), occupational therapy (tied for No. 9) and physical therapy (tied for No. 33).
• The School of Education tied for No. 24 in the ranking of Best Education Schools. 
• The L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs tied for No. 36 among the Best Public Affairs Programs. Also in the Wilder School, two programs ranked among the Best Public Affairs Specialties: homeland security and emergency management (No. 6) and public management and leadership (tied for No. 33).  
• In the College of Engineering, the nuclear engineering program tied for No. 18. 

In January, U.S. News & World Report ranked four VCU programs in its annual list of Best Online Programs. Two are offered by the School of Education – Best Online Master’s in Education Programs (tied for No. 27) and Best Online Master’s in Special Education Programs (tied for No. 14). The College of Engineering ranked No. 22 among the Best Online Master’s in Engineering Programs list, and the School of Business ranked No. 65 among Best Online Master’s in MBA Programs.

Including the newest rankings, VCU now has 22 graduate programs ranked among the top 50 by U.S. News. Not all program areas receive updated rankings each year.