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Question & Answers

What is AccessUVa?

AccessUVa is the financial aid program for the University of Virginia. It guarantees 100 percent of the demonstrated need of students admitted to the University. This important program allows U.Va. to operate with a “need-blind” admission policy that bolsters efforts to attract the best students here and achieve socioeconomic diversity in the student population.

How does AccessUVa work?

Once a student has accepted an offer of admission, the University works with the student and his or her family to determine if the student has need for financial aid according to Federal and University guidelines. For the Fall 2013 semester, about 34 percent of University students had demonstrated financial need.  Financial aid packages are funded from philanthropy, federal grants (Pell) and loans, state grants, institutional resources, and private outside scholarships.

How does AccessUVa compare with our peer institutions?

AccessUVa is a nationally recognized and honored financial aid program considered among the finest in the country, particularly among public universities. It is often cited by organizations such as Princeton Review and Forbes, for example, as a top feature contributing to the University’s ranking as a “top value” among institutions of higher education.

How much debt do U.Va. students have at graduation?

In the 2012-13 academic year the average need-based loan debt held by graduates was about $12,447.  25 percent of in-state undergraduate students graduated with any need-based debt. 

What is the average starting salary for U.Va. graduates?

According to a 2012 salary survey by PayScale Inc. published by The Wall Street Journal, the average starting salary for University graduates was $52,700.

Can the University tap its endowment to help lower the cost of attendance?

Endowment funds are managed to provide a permanent source of income to support the teaching, research, and public service missions of the institution.  Because endowments are established to exist in perpetuity, endowment funds are usually invested for the long-term.  Most endowment spending is dedicated to donor-restricted purposes that institutions are legally bound to uphold.   Donors typically restrict their gifts to specific purposes such as establishing student scholarships, creating professorships, instituting new programs, or constructing new facilities. Some donors provide unrestricted gifts that enable institutions to support general operations or special initiatives.