University of Virginia (UVA)

The University of Virginia (UVA) was designed and conceived by Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States and author of the Declaration of Independence. The University continues to reflect Jefferson’s intent to prepare and produce leaders—independent and intelligent citizens ready to make their mark on the future. Founded in 1819, the University has a total enrolment of approximately 25,000 students. UVA is the only U.S. university listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and has twelve schools which offer a wide variety of academic disciplines and courses.

UVA is home to the nation's oldest student-run honor system, which requires that students pledge not to lie, cheat, or steal. In the 2024 U.S. News & World Report's rankings of best colleges, the University of Virginia was ranked the No. 5 best public university in the United States. UVA also ranks in the Top 25 among the best of all national universities, public and private, at No. 24.

Available exchanges

UVA hosts the University-wide exchange and Subject-specific Business exchange. 

Restricted subject areas

Exchange students are eligible to enrol in any courses from the 1000-5000 level.  Courses with restrictions or pre-requisites listed will require additional permissions in order to enrol.  

Courses offered through the McIntire School of Commerce are all restricted unless the course description states that it is open to non-Commerce school students or you are going through a business exchange. 

This exchange is not recommended for Economics or Psychology. 

Admission may be difficult for Direct Entry students.    

Your responsibilities

  • The information provided here serves as a guide.
  • It is your responsibility to research whether the partner provides appropriate courses for your degree programme.
  • Even if there are no restrictions on your degree subject, this does not mean that there are appropriate courses for you. 

Exchange students are eligible to enrol in any courses offered at the University (with the exception of the professional schools including Law, Business, and Medicine) as long as any pre-requisites required for the course are met and/or receive instructor permission. Enrollment in the McIntire School of Commerce is limited to students from institutions that have an exchange agreement specifically with the Commerce School - you will have access to these if you are studying business and going to UVA through a business exchange. 

Exchange students enrolled in the Law School, School of Nursing, Darden School of Business, and the McIntire School of Commerce will receive separate instructions directly from those schools on course selection and enrolment procedures.  

The Undergraduate Record 

The above includes the complete list and description of all courses offered at UVA.  

The Course Catalogue is the list of courses that are offered for a specific semester or term. It becomes available midway through the previous semester (about 3 months before spring semester classes begin and about 6 months before fall semester classes begin). Please note that UVA cannot guarantee that an exchange student will be able to enrol in any specific course offered, so students are encouraged to be flexible with alternative courses.  

Exchange students are eligible to enrol in any courses from the 1000-5000 level.  

You can search the course catalogue for courses offered during the semester once they have been made available directly in SIS.  

You can also use Hoo's List to search for classes:  

Hoos List

This site is a bit easier to naHoosvigate when searching for information about available classes. 

Courses at McIntire School of Business 

**Please be aware, there may not be an up-to-date course catalogue available at this exchange destination. Please use the information available to get an idea about what you can study while on exchange**   


Guaranteed accommodation?

No 

University accommodation 

Undergraduate exchange students are eligible to apply for residential (on-campus) housing at UVA. Housing offers are made on a space-available basis and are not guaranteed. 

Students can find information about applying for on-campus housing online below. 

UVA Housing

Housing Info for Exchange Students

Housing options available to exchange students are listed under the “transfer student” link on the housing webpage. 

Private accommodation  

If you prefer not to live in residential housing there are many options available off-campus near the University. Once admitted, students have access to a secure website that offers a listing of a wide variety of off-campus accommodations. 

Find information on a wide variety of off-Grounds accommodations below:

Off-campus Accommodation


Immigration/Visa requirements  

In order to get a visa, you will need to prove you can access the average cost of living at UVA. This is calculated based on how much average costs for accommodation, meals, health insurance etc. will cost. This includes proving access to funds through personal funds, or family or sponsorship funds. This can be across multiple sources. You will need to provide sponsorship letters from personal funds/family members/sponsor funds/Sponsor organisations etc. 

Please bear this in mind. If you cannot prove this, you will not be able to get a visa and therefore not be able to go on exchange.  

The ISO requires that all students provide documentation of the availability of at least $12,872 per semester of attendance at UVA. A bank statement and, if financial support is coming from someone other than the student, a letter of support from the sponsor (such as parents) is sufficient documentation of these funds. $12,872 is the minimum estimated cost of living based on shared accommodation and including meals, housing, personal expenses, and books and supplies, health insurance. This does not include the cost of transportation to and from Charlottesville, entertainment, or any travel that you may plan to do while in the U.S.  

Please take this into consideration when planning for your exchange program. 

How much it will cost to go on exchange to Virginia?  

Breakdown of Costs at UVA

Health insurance?  

Exchange students must have insurance coverage that meets the University's requirements, or will be required to purchase the health insurance plan for UVA students, through Aetna.  

Health Insurance

For additional information about the University’s health insurance requirement please refer to the below website. 

Student Health and Wellness website


Semester 1 (Fall): August to December   

Semester 2 (Spring): January to May   

UVA Orientation


UVA has provided the following documents for prospective exchange students.


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